National Gallery Highlights: 10 Must-See Masterpieces

Painted in 1434, this double portrait is a masterpiece of Northern Renaissance precision and symbolism. Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife stand in their home, illuminated by light with almost photographic detail. Every element tells a story – the convex mirror reflects two witnesses, the single candle symbolizes divine presence, and the dog represents fidelity. Van Eyck's revolutionary oil technique captures textures so precisely you can see individual fur hairs.

Leonardo painted this mysterious masterpiece around 1491-1508, blending scientific observation with divine spirituality. The Virgin Mary sits with the infant Christ, John the Baptist, and an angel in a rocky grotto illuminated by ethereal light. Leonardo's mastery of chiaroscuro – the dramatic contrast of light and shadow – creates atmospheric depth that draws you into the scene. The geological accuracy of the rock formations reveals Leonardo's scientific mind while the tender figures show his artistic genius.

This 1533 double portrait is a puzzle wrapped in Renaissance splendor. Two French diplomats stand surrounded by objects representing knowledge – musical instruments, globes, astronomical tools, and books. Holbein painted every detail with microscopic precision. But the painting's most famous feature is the bizarre elongated shape across the bottom. View it from the right side, and it suddenly resolves into a skull – a memento mori reminding viewers that death comes for everyone.

Painted around 1647-1651, this is the only surviving female nude by Velázquez and one of the few in Spanish art of this period. Venus reclines on luxurious fabric while Cupid holds a mirror reflecting her face. Velázquez's loose, confident brushwork captures the softness of skin and shimmer of silk with remarkable economy. The painting was scandalous in Catholic Spain where female nudity was forbidden, and celebrates both physical beauty and the act of looking itself.

Painted in 1601, this dramatic work captures the moment the resurrected Christ reveals himself to two disciples who hadn't recognized him. Caravaggio's revolutionary use of light transforms a biblical scene into urgent human drama. The disciples recoil in shock – one throws his arms wide, the other grips the table. Every detail feels intensely real: the wicker basket teetering on the edge, the torn elbow of the disciple's jacket. Caravaggio painted biblical figures as ordinary people, bringing sacred stories to earth with unprecedented emotional power.

This 1821 landscape revolutionized how artists painted nature. Constable depicted a simple scene near his childhood home in Suffolk – a farm wagon crossing a stream on a summer day. His fresh approach to light and weather was radical for its time. He painted clouds with meteorological accuracy and built up paint in layers, using white flecks to capture sparkling highlights. When exhibited in Paris, French artists were amazed by its naturalism and it influenced the later Impressionists.

Turner painted this elegy to the age of sail in 1838, depicting a ghostly warship being towed to the breaker's yard. The Temeraire fought heroically at Trafalgar in 1805, but by the 1830s steam power was replacing sail. Turner bathes the scene in a spectacular sunset – the old ship glows pale and spectral while the squat steam tug appears dark and industrial. The painting meditates on technological progress and the melancholy it brings, with loose brushwork that dissolves form into pure light and color.

Painted in 1884 when Seurat was just 24, this monumental canvas captures working-class Parisians relaxing by the Seine on a summer afternoon. Seurat built the scene through scientific precision, studying color theory and applying paint in small distinct strokes that optically blend when viewed from a distance – the technique that became Pointillism. The composition is carefully structured with figures arranged like classical sculptures. Look closely and you'll see industrial chimneys across the river, a subtle reminder these workers are taking a break from the factories.

Van Gogh painted this radiant still life in 1888 while living in Arles, southern France, as part of a series to decorate the yellow house where he hoped to establish an artists' commune. The bold vibrant yellows – achieved using newly invented chrome yellow pigments – symbolized friendship and gratitude. Van Gogh applied paint thickly in expressive brushstrokes that make the flowers almost three-dimensional. Some blooms are fresh and vital, others withering – a reminder of life's fragility and the painting's extraordinary emotional intensity.

Painted after 1916, this is one of Monet's late masterpieces from his water garden at Giverny. The painting shows the surface of his lily pond with no horizon line, no solid ground – just floating flowers, reflections of clouds and trees, and shimmering water. Monet dissolved form into pure color and light, creating an almost abstract meditation on perception. He worked on these monumental canvases despite failing eyesight, and the series represents the culmination of Impressionism while pointing toward Abstract Expressionism.