Painting of the Week Podcast

Phil and Laura are joined by author and filmmaker Howard Burton for this episode,  which examines an intriguing portrait of the 23 year old female artist's three sisters and a maid playing chess, a pastime typically reserved for men in Renaissance art to demonstrate their martial prowess...
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Phil is once again with Wendy Smith - Assistant Director of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Washington - and this time they are examining a monumental ink and paper collage depicting a 'river' of migrating Alaskan caribou, exploring the rich symbolism within this stunning work.
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In this episode, Phil and Laura speak with author Michael Schreiber about a deeply symbolic work by , painted Bernard Perlin, who was rejected from the US military during WW2 for being openly gay, nevertheless went on to create some of the war effort's most iconic anti-Nazi propaganda. Painted right after the end of the Second World War, this striking work shows two young Jewish boys standing in front of a graffitied New York wall containing everything from lovers’ initials to Nazi symbols. 
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A real treat for you in this episode, as Phil goes on a field trip to London to meet with Xavier Bray, Director of the Wallace Collection, and discuss one of Caravaggio’s most controversial works, the focus of their current exhibition, running until 12th April 2026. 
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For this week's episode, Phil speaks with author & art dealer Deborah Pollack about Hermann Herzog’s steamy Florida wilderness, which he depicted in over 300 paintings, earning him the unofficial status as 'the artist of Florida.'
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