Vincent van Gogh made sunflowers his personal motifs, but, when he looked to experiment with colour, a full florist’s roster of irises, roses, poppies, poured out of his brush, as Michael Prodger discovers

Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found Andrew Graham-Dixon ...

A negatively coded colour has become cool

Capturing the immediacy of fighting and the writhing bodies of soldiers, as well as keeping narrative clarity, proved enormously difficult for painters depicting battles before the advent of photography. Michael Hall reveals how they rose to the challenge

The delightful colours and designs found in this Victorian villa immediately make you feel happy and at ease

Reviews of four tomes ideal for your coffee table – and for perusing during holiday downtime