Introduction Corot to Monet: new research

The National Gallery is taking a fresh look at each of the 2,300 paintings in its collection. A team of curators, scientists and conservators are re-cataloguing the entire collection. They are using the latest imaging techniques to examine the paintings and studying paint samples.

Their work looks at the subject or locations the artist chose to paint and explores the way in which the picture was made, covering artists' materials, working practices and techniques. It can even help establish the authorship of a painting, where this was previously in doubt.

The research is being published in a new series of National Gallery paintings catalogues. The next book to be published will be Nineteenth Century Paintings (Volume One).

You can read some of the research on Corot’s paintings ahead of publication. Find out which painting has another one underneath and see the original sketches beneath the paintings. The new information on Corot’s paintings was researched and written by Sarah Herring, Assistant Curator of 19th century Painting at the National Gallery.