Histories of the Unexpected

Art is the truest expression of the workings of the mind, free from learnt language. More than that, it is the visual expression of culture, politics, society, religion, emotion, zeitgeist, channelled through the brush, chisel, or hands of creative individuals. Understanding art allows us to understand history: to pin it with images, and pepper it with the faces, colours, drama and expression of its time.

This series is designed to give bite-sized insights into the world of Art History, bringing one image to life across 20 minutes through discussion with world experts, close visual analysis, and high-resolution images that will accompany the series. History is never far from view, so each image will be expanded to sit within the cultural and historical context that produced it.