These four programmes, narrated by former National Gallery Director Neil MacGregor, focus on four paintings from different countries and from key periods in the development of western art. Each programme examines and explains the significance of a work, putting in context with the social, political and artistic world of the time.

The four paintings examined in each part are:

Part 1
Hans Memlinc (?1430-94) The Donne Triptych (left, top)

Part 2
Paolo Veronese (1528-88) The Family of Darius Before Alexander (left, second to top)

Part 3
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) An Autumn Landscape With a View of Het Steen

Part 4
Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97) Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (left, bottom)