Make and create
Get stuck in with online art tutorials you can follow at home.
Our latest stories
Andy Holden on Murillo's 'Self Portrait'
Take a journey through artist and musician Andy’s reflections on self image, illusion, meta-painting and cartoon realities... all in connection to Murillo’s 'Self Portrait'.
A new virtual exhibition for 2021
Visit a virtual space showing a selection of paintings chosen and narrated by our Director, Dr Gabriele Finaldi.
The Partnership between Southampton City Art Gallery and the National Gallery:
May 2021: Late Afternoon in our Meadow
Pissarro's shimmering afternoon in the countryside has been voted your picture of the month
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part two
Watch Jill Dunkerton as she retouches a Renaissance masterpiece
Luca Signorelli's 'The Circumcision'
Joost Joustra tells us about Signorelli's striking and unusual altarpiece
An experimental, interactive experience designed for mobiles
Immerse yourself in the world of Gossaert’s masterpiece ‘The Adoration of the Kings’ and its awe-inspiring intricate detail
April 2021: Venice: The Feast Day of Saint Roch
Canaletto's tribute to the saint who helped bring an end to the plague
Hieronymus Bosch's 'Christ Mocked'
Emma Capron looks at something a little different by Hieronymus Bosch: an episode from the Easter story, arranged in a striking new way.
Harold Offeh on Botticelli's 'Venus and Mars'
Offeh chats to curator Priyesh Mistry about Botticelli's iconic painting in relation to his own artistic practise.
Retouching Rubens's 'Het Steen'
After months of restoration, Larry Keith unveils the newly retouched 'Het Steen' in the Conservation Studio
March 2021: Stormy Landscape with Ruins on a Plain
A solitary walk through Georges Michel's brooding landscape
Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part one
What was hiding beneath the frame for nearly two centuries?
Salvatore Settis: Deeper thoughts
Eminent archaeologist and art historian Salvatore Settis delivers this year's annual lecture.
The Gallery during lockdown
Peek behind our closed doors, with Larry Keith
After centuries apart, two Rubens masterpieces will be brought back together. We go behind the scenes to find out more
Rembrandt's 'A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?)'
Could this be Rembrandt's lover and why did Rembrandt choose this setting? Join Bart as he offers some answers
February 2021: View of Oudewater
A slow look at this scene of everyday life in a small Dutch town
A structural repair of Rubens's 'Het Steen'
How will Britta New meet the challenge of repairing Rubens's fragile panel which has survived centuries' worth of restorations and one very severe frost?
Gina Siciliano and Letizia Treves in conversation
Artist Gina Siciliano discusses her graphic novel 'I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi' with curator of the Gallery’s 'Artemisia' exhibition, Letizia Treves
January 2021: The Drunkard
Sorolla's penetrating but compassionate observation of drinkers in a Basque tavern
Cleaning Rubens's 'Het Steen'
Find out what Larry Keith discovered when he removed 75 years’ worth of discoloured varnish from Rubens’s 'Het Steen'
Gossaert's 'The Adoration of the Kings'
Susan Foister looks at Gossaert's vibrant masterpiece
Bellows's 'Men of the Docks'
Can you spot the cupcake, jazzy jumper, and orange thingy? See 'Men of the Docks' through the eyes of schoolchildren
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
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Behind the scenes
Find out what happens behind closed doors in this series of films that look at how we care for and conserve our paintings.
One painting, many voices
From recreating 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' for a wedding invitation to adapting a Titian for the cover of a top-selling album, find out how one painting can mean very different things to different people.
Women artists in the collection
Trailblazers and rule-breakers; discover some of the female artists in the collection including Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun and Rosa Bonheur.
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 meditation
Let go of thoughts of the past and worries for the future with a mindful look at one painting.
Online events
Sketchbook Saturday
Drawing depth
Saturday, 15 May 2021
10.30 am - 12 pm BST
Online event
Develop your creative skills in a thematic session drawn from our collection and beyond
The forensic eye
Monday, 10 May 2021 - Monday, 24 May 2021
3.30 - 5.30 pm BST
Online event
How can we know who painted a painting? Learn to read the clues with Dr Chantal-Brotherton Ratcliffe
Curator's introduction:...
Members' talk and Q&A
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
2 - 3 pm BST
Online event
For Members
Christopher Riopelle, curator of 'Conversations with God', introduces the exhibition in this Members' exclusive talk
Stories of art
Module 5: 1700-1800
Wednesday, 14 April 2021 - Wednesday, 19 May 2021
5.30 - 7.30 pm BST
Online event
Discover the art of Fragonard, Hogarth and David with Richard Stemp
The female nude in the...
Members' talk and Q&A
Thursday, 20 May 2021
4 - 5 pm BST
Online event
For Members
Explore paintings of the female nude in her many guises
Talk and draw
Friday, 21 May 2021
4 - 5 pm BST
Online event
Our regular creative sessions consider a National Gallery painting in two ways
Art through words
Thursday, 27 May 2021
10.30 - 11.30 am BST
Online event
Description sessions for blind and partially sighted visitors
Consuming Impressionism
Food and femininity in...
Thursday, 27 May 2021
1 - 2 pm BST
Online event
Why were Impressionist paintings likened to melted ice cream?
Curators' introduction:...
Members' talk and Q&A
Friday, 28 May 2021
1 - 2 pm BST
Online event
For Members
Co-curators of ‘Creating a National Collection’, Susanna Avery-Quash and Jemma Craig, introduce the exhibition
Thomas Hardy at the...
Members' talk and Q&A
Friday, 28 May 2021
4 - 5 pm BST
Online event
For Members
How did the art of the National Gallery inspire the writings of Thomas Hardy?
Musical tales
May half-term
Tuesday, 1 June 2021
11 - 11.30 am BST
Online event
Online musical storytelling for families with children under 5
Conversations with paintings
Tuesday, 1 June 2021 - Tuesday, 15 June 2021
7 - 8.30 pm BST
Online event
Inspired by paintings, join a small, friendly community of enquiry to pose questions and share responses
Story studio
May half-term
Wednesday, 2 June 2021
11 am - 12 pm BST
Online event
Wander into a painting with a storyteller, then make-along with an artist in this live family session
Stories of art online
Module 6: 1800–1900
Various dates
Wednesday, 2 June 2021 - Wednesday, 7 July 2021
5.30 - 7.30 pm BST
Online event
Learn about the art of the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists with Dr Amy Mechowski
Decoding pictures
May half-term
Thursday, 3 June 2021
3 - 3.45 pm BST
Online event
Discover how to piece together clues in paintings in this live online family tour
Revival of a star
Matejko's Copernicus and...
Thursday, 3 June 2021
6.30 - 8.15 pm BST
Online event
A panel of speakers discuss the cultural relevance and legacy of this iconic Polish painting
Unexpected views
Friday, 4 June 2021
5 - 5.45 pm BST
Online event
Monthly discussions about art with some of the most important cultural practitioners today
After school
Part 1: Signs and messages
Tuesday, 8 June 2021
5 - 6 pm BST
Online event
A free creative course for young people aged 15-21
Matejko: Father of Young...
Thursday, 10 June 2021
1 - 2 pm BST
Online event
Art historian Julia Griffin explores Matejko's role in the Polish Arts and Crafts Movement, 1890-1918
Matejko: Father of Young...
Talk in Polish
Thursday, 10 June 2021
4 - 5 pm BST
Online event
Art historian Julia Griffin gives a talk in Polish about Matejko's role in the Polish Arts and Crafts Movement, 1890-1918
Image of the Black
Monday, 14 June 2021 - Monday, 28 June 2021
3.30 - 5.30 pm BST
Online event
Historian Michael Ohajuru leads this course exploring the Black presence in paintings at the National Gallery
After school
Part 2: A contemporary look at...
Tuesday, 15 June 2021
5 - 6 pm BST
Online event
A free creative course for young people aged 15-21
Talk and draw
Friday, 18 June 2021
4 - 5 pm BST
Online event
Our regular creative sessions consider a National Gallery painting in two ways
Sketchbook Saturday
Insects of art history
Saturday, 19 June 2021
10.30 am - 12 pm BST
Online event
Develop your creative skills in a thematic session drawn from our collection and beyond
After school
Part 3: Power poses
Tuesday, 22 June 2021
5 - 6 pm BST
Online event
A free creative course for young people aged 15-21
Art through words
Thursday, 24 June 2021
10.30 - 11.30 am BST
Online event
Description sessions for blind and partially sighted visitors
After school
Part 4: Drawing Miss La La
Tuesday, 29 June 2021
5 - 6 pm BST
Online event
A free creative course for young people aged 15-21
After school
Part 5: Get professional feedback
Tuesday, 13 July 2021
5 - 6 pm BST
Online event
A free creative course for young people aged 15-21
Latest films
24 videos
Rembrandt's 'A Woman Bathing in a Stream' in 10 minutes
1
9:00
Cleaning Rubens's 'Het Steen'
2
9:46
5-minute meditation: Van Gogh's Wheatfield, with Cypresses
3
4:56
Gossaert in 10 minutes
4
7:29
One painting, many voices
5
9:23
Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting
6
9:22
Van Kessel's insect paintings in 10 minutes
7
10:47
Cochineal beetles in art
8
4:11
Make and create: Art ideas for little ones under 5
9
6:55
Renovating the largest room in the Gallery
10
7:25
Holbein's Ambassadors: theories, questions and what you need to know
11
10:34
A curated look at: kindness
12
11:00
5-minute meditation: Turner's 'Rain, Steam, and Speed'
13
4:35
A curated look at: A day in the countryside
14
10:44
Make and create: a collage inspired by Rousseau's 'Surprised!'
15
9:47
A curated look at: working from home
16
17:20
Love and Punishment
17
7:55
Cleavers, poison and snakes
18
5:56
Eight female artists from art history
19
10:08
Cleaning Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Self Portrait'
20
5:45
Why are there so few female artists in the National Gallery?
21
4:59
A structural repair of Rubens's Het Steen
22
13:11
What we discovered beneath the frame
23
5:09
Hieronymus Bosch's 'Christ Mocked' in 10 minutes
24
10:14
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