Turner, Constable, the Pre-Raphaelites, and much more. Virtually explore the Tate with Smarthistory as your guide.
Some background
videos + essays
John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
Singer Sargent’s evocative canvas turns a sweet, ordinary scene into a symphony of shapes and colors.
William Powell Frith, Derby Day
Everyone wanted to have a look at the cast of characters Frith created—their variety provides the modern viewer with a fascinating glimpse into Victorian life.
J.M.W. Turner, Snow Storm
Like a disaster movie, Turner’s painting transforms a natural catastrophe — with death a near-certainty — into entertainment.
Describing what you see: Sculpture, Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure
Describing is a key skill for art historians and for any museum visitor. Learn how.
Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (After Fragonard)
What might Shonibare wish to communicate by bringing together these “African” textiles with Fragonard’s Rococo images?
TateShots: Piet Mondrian
Can color just be color, rather than representing something else? Step into Mondrian’s studio to find out.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Beata Beatrix
In this tragic painting, Rossetti draws a comparison between himself and the medieval poet who shared his name.
Bodyspacemotionthings
Serious Art or a jungle gym? Morris shows us that art can be experienced bodily, and Minimalism can be fun.
J.M.W. Turner at Tate Britain
Fancy a trip to Tate Britain? Visit the largest collection of work by Turner anywhere—no passport required.
Henry Fuseli, Titania and Bottom
Fuseli’s fairies resist his era’s embrace of the rational in favor of the emotive and fantastic.
Sir Frederic Leighton, An Athlete Wrestling with a Python
An epic showdown between man’s moralizing musculature and serpentine sin.
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