Stories in Colour
These are the stories of how colour has changed the world. 'Stories in Colour’ is a vibrant new podcast from the National Gallery in London.
In each episode, we uncover the hidden mysteries woven into colour from antiquity to the present day.
Along the way, you'll hear from curators, scientists, historians, artists, and more experts, looking at humanity’s efforts to make colour and make meaning with it.
And amongst these stories, you will see - and hear - the National Gallery’s paintings in a whole new spectrum of light.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 9
- Years Active
- 2025
Painting the rainbow
What exactly is a rainbow and how is it formed? Why does it have seven colours? And what have rainbows symbolised in mythologies and art?
Join colour expert Dr Alexandra Loske, National Gallery Princ…
How snails made purple a royal colour
Why do we see purple as the colour of royalty? It all starts on the Mediterranean coast with some unassuming, and eventually very unfortunate, seasnails.
Travel back to ancient times with colour spec…
The fear of colour: chromophobia
Where did all the colour go? And how might Western culture have feared it, or deemed it superficial, in art and philosophy? We celebrate the 25th anniversary of seminal book ‘Chromophobia’ with its a…
Don’t eat your deadly greens
Why does the colour green remind you of poison and radioactivity? We're telling the story of two toxic green pigments to find out. Their stories interact with artists like Berthe Morisot, Dante Gabri…
Why we feel what we feel about colour
We're asking how we feel about colour – or more accurately how colours make us feel – and whether that's the same for all of us.
Join colour specialist Zeynep Sagir and National Gallery host Beks Lea…
How bugs turned the world red
We're on the search for the 'perfect red' with a pigment and dye that was so prized that it inspired international espionage and piracy, carried the death penalty if exported without a license, and b…
The first modern synthetic pigment
Meet an enigmatic pigment discovered entirely by accident at the start of the 18th century. Its story involves a rogue inventor with an unlikely connection to Doctor Frankenstein, a characterful trio…
Do you see the same colour I see?
Welcome to Stories in Colour! We're starting at the very beginning to ask an age-old question: are the colours you see, the same as the colours I see?
Join Professor Anya Hurlbert from Newcastle Uni…
Introducing: Stories in Colour - Series 1 Trailer
How has colour changed the world? A vibrant new podcast from the National Gallery, Stories in Colour launches with our first two episodes on Wednesday 28 May 2025.
The Times ★★★★ ‘There’s lots to enjo…