Make and create
Get stuck in with online art tutorials you can follow at home
Our latest stories
December 2020: Snow Scene at Argenteuil
Monet's scene of a Parisian suburb under snow has been voted your picture of the month
Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting
Kristina Mandy shows the steps involved in restoring a painting that is over 750-years-old
Van Gogh's 'Wheatfield, with Cypresses'
Feel the mistral of Southern France in Van Gogh's rhythmic brushstrokes
Velázquez's 'The Rokeby Venus'
Mysterious, forbidden, provocative... why does 'The Rokeby Venus' divide visitors?
November 2020: Insects with Common Hawthorn and Forget-Me-Not
Van Kessel the Elder's cabinet of curiosities has been voted your picture of the month
Drinking
Christopher Riopelle takes a look at paintings of drinking and conviviality in the last of our curators talks from home
Picking up the baton
With the Gallery closed to the public for the first time in its 196-year history, we collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to showcase art and music with a nod to Dame Myra Hess
October 2020: Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando
A soaring aerialist performs a magnificent feat but does this striking painting celebrate the performer or the painter himself?
Gallen-Kallela's 'Lake Keitele'
Take a moment to soak in the serenity of this tranquil Finnish lake
Close up
Letizia Treves takes a closer look at some of our smaller paintings on copper
September 2020: Margate (?) from the Sea
Turner's animated sketch of sea and sky has been voted your picture of the month
Zurbarán's 'A Cup of Water and a Rose'
Find quiet contemplation and wonder in the familiar with Zurbarán's simple still life
August 2020: Poplars on the Epte
Voted your picture of the month: Monet's favourite view of poplars on a river in Normandy
Printing on fabric
Bethan demonstrates how fabric printing can be used to tell a story
Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne'
Unforgettable, beautiful, perfect... Hear why people fall in love with Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne'
Bonington's 'An Estuary in Northern France'
Escape to the sandy bank of a quiet shore
Find out more about Room 32's major renovation programme made possible through the generous support of Julia and Hans Rausing, after whom the gallery has been named
Remembering
Priyesh Mistry reflects on paintings that pay tribute to and commemorate loved ones
Making art together
Bethan explores the idea of collaboration, with a little help from her friends
Holbein's 'The Ambassadors'
Grandiose. Monumental. Chas and Dave? Find out what people had to say about 'The Ambassadors'
July 2020: A Regatta on the Grand Canal
Canaletto's view of Venice's famous canal has been voted your picture of the month
Can you spot some of the bugs and critters hiding in our pictures?
Bonheur's 'The Horse Fair'
Can you hear the thunder of hooves and smell the horse market?
Self portraits
Learn how to make self portraits using different techniques, with Bethan and Gus the cat
Gainsborough's 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'
From Jeremy Vine to a parish priest, find out why Gainsborough's painting has intrigued people for centuries
June 2020: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat
Voted your picture of the month: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun's intriguing self portrait
Kindness
Christine Riding shares images of compassion and generosity towards family, friends, neighbours and complete strangers
Construct a still life
From humble pieces of fruit to epic tablescapes, watch how artist Nick Pace constructs still-life scenes from household items
A portrait of Gainsborough's daughter Margaret is reunited with pictures of her family
Explore how artists have painted healers throughout history, from biblical figures to eminent doctors who made groundbreaking discoveries
Online events
Musical tales
Storytelling for under-5s
Wednesday, 2 December 2020
11 - 11.30 am GMT
Online event
Online musical storytelling for babies and toddlers
Impressionists in winter:...
Members talk and Q&A
Thursday, 3 December 2020
4 - 5 pm GMT
Online event
For Members
Explore the winter wonderlands of Monet, Pissarro and Sisley
Unexpected views
Friday, 4 December 2020 - CANCELLED
4 - 4.45 pm GMT
Online event
Monthly discussions about art with some of the most important cultural practitioners today
Take One Picture CPD:...
Online only
Various dates
Monday, 7 December 2020
4 - 6.30 pm GMT
Online event
Explore how Orazio Gentileschi’s ‘The Finding of Moses’ can be used to inspire learning across the curriculum
Musical tales
Storytelling for under-5s
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
11 - 11.30 am GMT
Online event
Online musical storytelling for babies and toddlers
Christmas quiz: Medieval...
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
6.30 - 8 pm GMT
Online event
Test your knowledge of Western painting, 1250-1500
Curator collection tour:...
Members' tour and Q&A
Thursday, 10 December 2020
4 - 5 pm GMT
Online event
For Members
Head of Curatorial Christine Riding gives an exclusive tour of our British paintings
A virtual family Christmas
Members' Christmas talk and...
Friday, 11 December 2020
4 - 5 pm GMT
Online event
For Members
How can paintings help you to feel close to your loved ones?
Musical tales
Storytelling for under-5s
Wednesday, 16 December 2020
11 - 11.30 am GMT
Online event
Online musical storytelling for babies and toddlers
Art through words
Thursday, 17 December 2020
10.30 - 11.30 am GMT
Online event
Description sessions for blind and partially sighted visitors
The Holy Family
Members' Christmas talk and...
Thursday, 17 December 2020
4 - 5 pm GMT
Online event
For Members
Who’s who in scenes of the Nativity?
Talk and draw
Friday, 18 December 2020
4 - 5 pm GMT
Online event
Join an artist and lecturer to explore Jan Gossaert's 'The Adoration of the Kings' in two ways
Take One Picture CPD:...
Onsite
Various dates, first upcoming
Friday, 8 January 2021 - cancelled,
other dates available
10 am - 3.30 pm
Explore how Orazio Gentileschi’s ‘The Finding of Moses’ can be used to inspire learning across the curriculum
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See the bigger picture
Read and watch our highlight series below or browse our archive of features and films
A curated look
Short talks from our curators, filmed from their homes for you to enjoy in yours
5-minute meditations
Let go of thoughts of the past and worries for the future with a mindful look at one painting
One painting, many voices
Behind the scenes
Find out what goes on in our Conservation, Scientific, Curatorial and Framing departments
Women artists in the collection
Trailblazers and rule-breakers; discover some of the female artists in the collection
Latest films
41 videos
5-minute meditation: Van Gogh's Wheatfield, with Cypresses
1
4:56
One painting, many voices
2
11:38
A curated look at: alcohol in painting
3
8:42
Van Kessel's insect paintings in 10 minutes
4
10:47
A curated look: why artists painted on copper
5
10:56
5-minute meditation: Zurbarán's 'A Cup of Water and a Rose'
6
5:11
Cochineal beetles in art
7
4:11
Make and create: Art ideas for little ones under 5
8
6:55
A curated look at: beaches
9
10:55
Renovating the largest room in the Gallery
10
7:25
Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne: from big cats to love at first sight
11
11:03
5-minute meditation: Bonington's 'An Estuary in Northern France'
12
5:50
Make and create: pattern making
13
6:23
Make and create: Making art together
14
5:55
Holbein's Ambassadors: theories, questions and what you need to know
15
10:34
Make and create: Self portraits
16
5:09
A curated look at: angels
17
11:56
5-minute meditation: Redon's 'Ophelia among the Flowers'
18
4:56
A curated look at: kindness
19
11:00
One painting, many voices
20
12:05
Make and create: Construct your own still life
21
10:00
Make and create: drawing Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'
22
8:43
'Saint Jerome in his Study' in 10 minutes
23
8:52
5-minute meditation: Turner's 'Rain, Steam, and Speed'
24
4:35
A curated look at: A day in the countryside
25
10:44
Make and create: a collage inspired by Rousseau's 'Surprised!'
26
9:47
A curated look at: working from home
27
17:20
Love and Punishment
28
7:56
Cleavers, poison and snakes
29
5:56
Birds and death in paintings
30
4:55
Art restoration of one of our largest paintings: Cleaning Van Dyck's '...
31
11:31
Restoring Leonardo's 'The Virgin of the Rocks'
32
41:09
Curator’s Introduction to ‘Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece’
33
43:13
Eight female artists from art history
34
10:08
The art restoration plan for Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Self Portrait'
35
2:28
Cleaning Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Self Portrait'
36
5:45
Why are there so few female artists in the National Gallery?
37
4:59
The women who shaped our collection
38
4:31
Artemisia visits Glasgow Women’s Library
39
7:39
Artemisia Visits - the full journey
40
6:30
Artemisia visits a prison
41
3:58
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