The rise of oil painting

After his public Pigott Theatre talk, artist and writer Lachlan Goudie is joined by culture journalist and broadcaster, Nancy Durrant, who together take a deep dive into the advent of oil painting.

Beginning with Jan van Eyck’s ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’ and concluding with Titian’s ‘Diana and Actaeon’, Goudie explores how the approach to using oil paint was transformed over the course of 125 years. As these artists experimented with pigments, paint ingredients and picture surfaces, they discovered new ways to exploit the gestural fluidity and rich colour of oil paint. Goudie reveals the creative secrets hidden beneath the surface of these paintings and how they would shape the course of art history for centuries to come.

Goudie's discussion jumps off from his recent book, ‘The Secrets of Painting: How the Evolution of Materials and Techniques Shaped the Story of Art' published by Thames & Hudson.

Lachlan Goudie is a writer, broadcaster and artist whose work is regularly exhibited in London, Edinburgh and New York. In 2015 Lachlan wrote and presented the landmark BBC TV series The Story of Scottish Art. He has presented numerous other arts documentaries for the BBC, appeared as a judge across four series of BBC 4's Big Painting Challenge and Celebrity Big Painting Challenge, and was the presenter of BBC4's Life Drawing Live! (2020, 2021). Lachlan's first book, ‘The Story of Scottish Art’, was published by Thames & Hudson to critical acclaim in September 2020.

Nancy Durrant is a culture journalist and broadcaster with more than two decades of experience. She was formerly the Culture Editor of the 'Evening Standard' where she hosted 'Cultural Capital', a weekly YouTube London culture show. Prior to that she spent 16 years as an arts writer and editor at 'The Times'.

She is a co-host of 'The London Theatre Review' podcast, writes features, interviews and reviews across the cultural landscape, from dance to theatre, art to opera and everything in between. She has written for publications including 'The Times', 'The Observer', 'The Sunday Times', 'The London Standard', 'Opera Now', 'W Magazine', 'Plaster, Art Quarterly' and others. She also regularly pops up as a commentator on BBC Radio 4, Times Radio, Monocle Radio and others.