videos + essays

A-level: J.M.W. Turner, <em>Snow Storm</em>
A-level: J.M.W. Turner, Snow Storm

Like a disaster movie, Turner’s painting transforms a natural catastrophe — with death a near-certainty — into entertainment.

A-level: Sheltered by the sea, Barbara Hepworth’s <em>Pelagos</em>
A-level: Sheltered by the sea, Barbara Hepworth’s Pelagos

Sheltered by the sea, a study in place and feeling

A-Level: Monet, <em>The Basin at Argenteuil</em>
A-Level: Monet, The Basin at Argenteuil

In the suburbs, Parisians escaped the pressures of modern life. Monet painted their sun-drenched pleasures.

A-Level: Tipu’s Tiger
A-Level: Tipu’s Tiger

Made for a sultan, this unusual automaton emblematizes the fierce hostility between British and Indian rulers.

A-Level: Sample set of works for Nature
A-Level: Sample set of works for Nature

Artists throughout history have engaged with the natural world, whether capturing coastlines or planting landfills.

A-level: Angkor Wat
A-level: Angkor Wat

This temple remains the largest religious monument in the world. Once a Hindu shrine, it is now used by Buddhists.

A-level: Art and Context—Monet’s <em>Cliff Walk at Pourville</em> and Malevich’s <em>White on White</em>
A-level: Art and Context—Monet’s Cliff Walk at Pourville and Malevich’s White on White

Which of these paintings do you like better? Watch this video before you decide.

A-level: Giambologna, <em>Abduction of a Sabine Woman</em>
A-level: Giambologna, Abduction of a Sabine Woman

With a complex, multi-figure composition, this monumental sculpture captures a moment from ancient Roman history.

A-level: Georgia O’Keeffe, <em>The Lawrence Tree</em>
A-level: Georgia O’Keeffe, The Lawrence Tree

Confused by this painting? Imagine lying on the grass under a tree and looking up.

A-level: Ai Weiwei: <em>Sunflower Seeds</em>
A-level: Ai Weiwei: Sunflower Seeds

Over 100 million porcelain seeds filled the Tate’s Turbine Hall in a critique of conformity and censorship.

A-level: Ai Weiwei, <em>Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)</em>
A-level: Ai Weiwei, Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)

Over 100 million porcelain seeds filled the Tate’s Turbine Hall in a critique of conformity and censorship.

A-level: Double-headed serpent
A-level: Double-headed serpent

Snakes shedding their skin was a powerful metaphor for the Aztecs and is reflected in their pantheon of gods.