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Whistler's Mother
Whistler's portrait of his elderly Puritan mother is one of the most satirised paintings of all time. Yet when his sombre masterpiece was first unveiled, it was seen as a radical departure from the sentimental images beloved of the Victorians, and which Whistler loathed. How did the portrait, born of Whistler's complex relationship with his mother, change the course of painting so drastically?
Source: BBC 4
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Whistler's Mother
Whistler's portrait of his elderly Puritan mother is one of the most satirised paintings of all time. Yet when his sombre masterpiece was first unveiled, it was seen as a radica ...
20-07-2026
BBC 4
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Series 3: 1. The Kiss
Auguste Rodin's The Kiss has had a more colourful life than most sculptures. At the time of its conception 100 years ago, the intertwined lovers' erotically charged embrace was ...
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BBC 4
Private Life Of A Masterpiece
Whistler's Mother
Whistler's portrait of his elderly Puritan mother is one of the most satirised paintings of all time. Yet when his sombre masterpiece was first unveiled, it was seen as a radica ...
20-07-2026
BBC 4