Painting Stories

About Painting Stories

Demystifying art and bringing paintings and sculpture to life for everyone, with the fascinating stories behind the artworks on display in world class galleries. I choose the must-see artworks in each gallery and tell you the story of why each one is important, why it was made and why the artist is so well-known. This podcast helps you make the most of your visit to famous art galleries with choices of podcasts for each gallery from just over an hour, to two and half hours long.Alternatively, take a virtual tour by looking at the paintings online whilst listening to Painting Stories!

Publisher

Janet

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Mar 2023

Latest episode

17 Mar 2024

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Mar 2024

   Chichester Cathedral: A Tudor propaganda painting for Henry VIII

   This is a taster of my longer full guided tour of Chichester Cathedral. It tells you the story of a painting made by Lambert Barnard, a Tudor artist asked by the Bishop to make an artwork to persuade Henry VIII to keep the Cathedral safe after his relationship with Catherine of Aragon, and the Roman Catholic Church, broke down. The painting can be found in the Cathedral's south transept. Here is a link to a plan to help you find it: https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/about-us/cathedral-plan⁠ Please also refer to the Cathedral's website for opening times. If you enjoy this podcast, why not download the full tour, which tells you the 1,000 years of history of Chichester Cathedral, its saints, the Kings and events that have shaped the way it looks, and its wonderful connections to the arts. You can find this longer podcast on Apple or Spotify. Please also consider following Painting Stories Podcasts on Instagram. Music: Holst, The Planets, Op.32-2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace.

2. 

   17 Mar 2024

   Chichester Cathedral: a short guided tour of its architecture

   This is a taster of my longer full guided tour of Chichester Cathedral. It takes you on a journey to discover the different architectural styles and features of this magnificent Cathedral. The podcast helps you to distinguish between Romanesque, Gothic, and Perpendicular architectural styles and why they look like they do. I will guide you around the building, but you may also want to pick up a map, at the Cathedral's entrance, or download it here: https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/about-us/cathedral-plan (https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/about-us/cathedral-plan) Please also refer to the Cathedral's website for opening times. If you enjoy this podcast, why not download the full tour, which tells you the 1,000 years of history of Chichester Cathedral, its saints, the Kings and events that have shaped the way it looks, and its wonderful connections to the arts. You can find this longer podcast on Apple or Spotify. Please also consider following Painting Stories Podcasts on Instagram. Music: Holst, The Planets, Op.32-2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace.

3. 

   29 Oct 2023

   National Gallery London, Podcast Tour Free Taster: Whistlejacket, George Stubbs

   Whistlejacket by George Stubbs is the favourite of many visitors to the National Gallery in London, whether they are horse lovers, or simply wowed by this huge, true-to-life, characterful animal. In this six minute podcast, Whistlejacket will be brought to life. You will learn about his owner, a rich and significant Prime Minister of England, his success as a racehorse, and the fascinating theories on why he lives on today in such a monumental portrait. The podcast is best listened to in front of the painting itself in Room 34 of the National Gallery in London. If you're not able to visit however, you can listen to the podcast online, and look at the painting here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/george-stubbs-whistlejacket. This podcast is a free taster of the longer Painting Stories National Gallery Podcast tour of the top 15 must-see paintings, which is available to subscribers. If you enjoy it, please leave a review and follow for more podcast tours of galleries, museums and places.

4. 

   13 May 2023

   Snakes, Sex and Status: a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence

   This episode explores the top 10 must-see paintings and sculpture in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Perfect for tourists who are short on time, and want to maximise the time they have available in the Uffizi, by focusing on the most important artworks. The guided tour itself lasts for 66 minutes, although it iIt is suggested that you allow around two hours to include time for walking in between the paintings and sculpture described and to look at other artworks on display. The podcast also makes suggestions on how to extend your visit should you wish. As you stand in front of each artwork, you will hear their stories;  why they are considered important, what they mean, and why they were made. Each story is thoroughly researched and engagingly presented by Janet, an art historian with degrees from The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, and decades of experience of speaking to audiences in world-class galleries and museums. The most important artists of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque are showcased, with artworks covered by the tour including (at the times in the podcast shown below): 2:11    The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli 9:38    La Primavera, Sando Botticelli 16:15  The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci 22:13  Medici Venus (Ancient Greek Sculpture) 26:30 The Adoration of the Magi, Albrecht Dürer 31:48  Doni Tondo, Michelangelo 40:43  Madonna of the Goldfinch, Raphael 47:09 The Venus of Urbino, Titian 51:43  Medusa, Caravaggio 57:31 Bacchus, Caravaggio 1:00:00 Judith Beheading Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi The podcast discusses several other artworks on display in the Uffizi Gallery, which you may want to look at the end of the tour. It also gives you the knowledge and some suggestions of how to look at other Renaissance and Baroque paintings in the Gallery. Guidance is given within the podcast, to help listeners find the artworks discussed. However, the podcast host is not responsible for the accuracy of this guidance, nor any changes to the location, gallery closures or removal of the artworks. Navigating the Uffizi Gallery can be difficult, so please do download and print a floor plan here: https://www.visituffizi.org/museum/uffizi-floor-plans/. The podcast has not been made in association with the Uffizi Gallery. All content of this podcast is owned by the host of the Painting Stories podcast.

5. 

   19 Mar 2023

   An hour at The National Gallery, London: a podcast tour of the top 10 paintings

   This guided podcast tour brings to life, the top ten, must-see paintings in the National Gallery, London, England. Perfect for visitors who want to maximise the time they have available in the National Gallery, by focusing on the most important artworks. The guided tour itself lasts for around 70 minutes, although it is suggested that you allow around two hours to include time for walking in between the paintings described and to look at other artworks on display. For a free taster of this National Gallery, London podcast or to find a longer tour, as well as tours of other galleries, museums and places, please follow Painting Stories on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Each 'painting story' lasts for 6 to 7 minutes and is thoroughly researched and engagingly presented by Janet, an art historian with degrees from The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, and decades of experience of speaking to audiences in world-class galleries and museums. You will learn about art and European history through the stories of paintings from the Italian Renaissance, the Spanish Inquisition, the Tudors, England nineteenth century, French Impressionism and, most famous of all, Vincent Van Gogh's The Sunflowers. The artworks covered by the tour including (at the times in the podcast shown below): Leonardo da Vinci       Virgin of the Rocks, 1490/91-1506/8           Room 9           03:43 Titian                           Bacchus & Ariadne, 1520                               Room 10         09:49 Hans Holbein              The Ambassadors, 1533                                  Room 12         16:24 Jan van Eyck                The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434                            Room 28         22:59 Diego Velazquez         The Rokeby Venus, c.1647-51                         Room 30         29:47 John Constable           The Haywain, 1821                                          Room 34         36:19 Turner                         The Fighting Temeraire, 1839                          Room 34         42:30 Claude Monet             The Water-Lily Pond, 1899                             Room 41         49:00 Georges Seurat           Bathers at Asniere, 1884                                 Room 43         55:37 Vincent van Gogh       The Sunflowers, 1888                                     Room 43         1:02:04 Music: George Frideric Handel, Water Music, Suite in F major (HWV 348), 1717. If you enjoy this podcast art tour, please do leave me a review. Guidance is given within the podcast, to help listeners find the artworks discussed. However, the podcast host is not responsible for the accuracy of this guidance, nor any changes to the location, gallery closures or removal of the artworks. Navigating the National Gallery can be difficult, so please do download and print a floor plan here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/floorplans/level-2. You may want to use this podcast to do a virtual tour of the National Gallery, using the paintings that you can find online here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/search-the-collection. The podcast has not been made in association with the National Gallery. All content of this podcast is owned by the host of the Painting Stories podcast.

6. 

   19 Mar 2023

   National Gallery London, Podcast Tour Free Taster: The Sunflowers, Vincent Van Gogh

   The Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, on display in the National Gallery, London is brought to life in this six minute podcast. This painting is known by everybody, and replicated on everything from fridge magnets to umbrellas. But alongside the sunny optimism of the yellow sunflowers, the painting gives us clues about the heartbreaking story of the artist's life. Hear why Van Gogh is the most famous painter in the world, the reason he made this painting, and the decisions behind his choice of flowers, and the colours he used. The podcast is best listened to in front of the painting in room 43 of the National Gallery London. If you are not able to visit however, you can listen to the podcast, whilst looking at the painting online here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers. This podcast is a free taster of the longer Painting Stories National Gallery Podcast Tours available to subscribers. Painting Stories helps you make the most of your visits to world famous art galleries, museums and places with guided podcast tours of the must-see artworks. Accessible, interesting and relatable, the guided tours are created to suit the time you have available, whether that's an hour, or half a day. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review and follow for more podcast tours of galleries and places.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

25 ratings

Contact Painting Stories

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.