Every art work tells a story. Most works tell many stories: What is shown in the painting? What isn’t shown? Why was this work made? Who paid for this work to be made? Why was it chosen to be in a museum collection? How did the circumstances of the artist’s life lead to them becoming an artist?You can absolutely enjoy a work without having any interest in its stories. However, we all bring our own stories with us when viewing art. The story you ‘read’ depends very much on your own personal story. Some of these works re-tell a famous story ( for example 'Circe offering the Cup for Ulysses'), while others leave you to imagine the story ('Bonjour Pierrot' is one of these).

Artists featured in this Curation: Abdus Shakoor Shah (b.1946), Annie Louisa Swynnerton (1844–1933), James Clarke Hook (1819–1907), Alfred James Munnings (1878–1959), Lubaina Himid (b.1954), Ethel Wright (1866–1939), John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), Alan Beeton (1880–1942), Walter Richard Sickert (1860–1942), Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997), and 2 more See all

12 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

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She and Chandrabaty

She and Chandrabaty 2002
Abdus Shakoor Shah (b.1946)
Oil on canvas
H 100 x W 60 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Cupid and Psyche 1890
Annie Louisa Swynnerton (1844–1933)
Oil on canvas
H 147 x W 91 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

The Mackerel Take

The Mackerel Take 1865
James Clarke Hook (1819–1907)
Oil on canvas
H 76 x W 114 cm
Gallery Oldham

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A White Slave

A White Slave 1904
Alfred James Munnings (1878–1959)
Oil on canvas
H 99 x W 150 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Allow Your Friends to Meet Your Enemies

Allow Your Friends to Meet Your Enemies 2011
Lubaina Himid (b.1954)
Acrylic, pencil & magazine clipping on paper
H 74.5 x W 95 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Bonjour, Pierrot!

Bonjour, Pierrot!
Ethel Wright (1866–1939)
Oil on canvas
H 160 x W 109 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses 1891
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Oil on canvas
H 148 x W 92 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Girl in a Wood

Girl in a Wood
Alan Beeton (1880–1942)
Oil on canvas
H 152.5 x W 100 cm
Gallery Oldham

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Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Barnet Fair, Hertfordshire

Barnet Fair, Hertfordshire 1930
Walter Richard Sickert (1860–1942)
Oil on canvas
H 73.5 x W 61 cm
Gallery Oldham

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'As I wend to the shores I know not, As I list to the dirge, the voices of men and women wreck'd'

'As I wend to the shores I know not, As I list to the dirge, the voices of men and women wreck'd' 1951
Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)
Oil on panel
H 120 x W 260 cm
Gallery Oldham

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