Art That Made Us

Contemporary artists and thinkers encounter works from the turbulent era after the Roman occupation of Britain.

A century of creative renewal emerged from the chaos of the Black Death; survivors found their voice, questioning authority and challenging status and class.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, Protestants and Catholics used art, language and new technology to wage a battle for power, creating surprising and often radical works.

Under the Stuart kings, political, religious and cultural divisions fuelled war across three kingdoms, bringing bloodshed and the rise of a more questioning culture. (4 of 8)

Britain in the 18th century saw an explosion of creativity, and enough money from trade and conquest to pay for it. But that money had a dark side. (5 of 8)

Charting the decisive shift of power from countryside to the city during the 19th century. With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, a divide opened up between city and country, forcing artists to respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape. Some artists attempt to capture the poverty and squalor caused by the rapid urbanisation around them.