"Gauguin's Nevermore – that's a painting in which a sense of light is created by a glowing emanation of colour. A photo can never do it justice – the tones are actually rather dark, and the texture is mostly rough and dry. For me the word 'romantic' in a painting context means feeling. It has nothing to do with subject matter. The romantic ideal is summed up for me by this painting because of its sense of restless change within an overall order, shifting registers, and many possible points of focus backed up by a feeling of confident constant unity." ... Less

"No lovers entwined, no eyes misty with thoughts of longing and lust and yet this Peploe that hangs in the wonderful Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow is heavy with romantic intent. Who are the exquisite roses from? The perfectly painted well-thumbed book that lies beneath the wilting flower could be a volume of romantic poetry or a diary of a broken heart. The composition, the colour, the cast of light – to me this is a painting heavy with beauty and love." ... Less

“This cool, crystalline painting may not seem an obvious candidate for a favourite romantic image. The figures of Italian Merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his betrothed Jeanne de Chenany are formal, even stiff. The painting style is almost photographically real rather than passionately expressive. The orange on the windowsill, the discarded shoes, the brush hanging by the bed are all precisely rendered in what was, in the 15th century, a revolutionary matter-of-fact way. This painting is like an official document of a business agreement rather than a celebration of fleeting romantic love. Yet there is a tenderness in the way he holds her hand, and they seem to be looking at each other askance. Maybe they would giggle and put off Jan van Eyck if they caught each other’s eye.

“My personal romantic association with this painting is that it was very much in my thoughts when I got married. My wife Philippa wore a voluminous green dress and was five months pregnant. We posed for a wedding snap which aped the painting. I found out later that Mrs Arnolfini is not actually pregnant in the portrait but merely holding up the front of her dress in the fashionable manner. I hope their marriage was as long and happy as mine.” ... Less

"Armida is a pagan enchantress, and she is going to stab the sleeping Rinaldo to death. But she is so touched by the sight of him that the putto can restrain her without exerting much pressure. Within the stillness of a painted scene, Poussin manages to give a vivid feeling of strong passions in contradiction. Armida’s pearly skin tones, and the unfurling incandescence of the drapery, make this picture irresistibly romantic to me -and besides, there are his gorgeous glowing silk shorts. It's a picture that could also be called The Triumph of Love." ... Less

"Titian freezes the action at the moment of the god’s athletic leap, which perhaps retains a certain trace of contrivance, bringing to mind a model in the painter’s studio straining to hold what must have been a somewhat uncomfortable pose. This may have been recognised by the artist himself, who did his best to divert attention from it with that great swag of erotically flushed drapery, trailing gloriously from the figure’s shoulders. Anyway, I think Bacchus’s slight awkwardness contributes to the picture’s effect rather than diminishing it. The figure does not occupy the scene naturalistically, but why should he? He is a god, a bearer of mysteries, suddenly lurching into a mortal woman’s life from regions unknown. Ariadne’s mixed emotions of terror and transfixed fascination are subtly indicated by her expression and also by her pose. It’s the world’s greatest painting of the thrill and fear of love at first sight." ... Less