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Artwork for Stories in Colour

Stories in Colour

The National Gallery
Gold
Color
Art History
Arsenic
Emerald Green
Sheila's Green
Rainbows
Contemporary Art
William Morris
National Gallery
History Of Art
Ancient Rome
Pop Culture
Bert Morisot
Victorian England
Ancient Times
Byzantine Art
Napoleon Bonaparte
John Constable
Angelica Kauffman

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 wi... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes22Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Visual ArtsSociety & CultureArts

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Artwork for Stories in Colour

Latest Episodes

Have you ever wondered whether pink really is for girls and blue for boys? In our final episode of series two, Beks is joined by Dr Vien Cheung, Associate Professor at the University of Leeds, and National Gallery Educator Ed Dickenson to explore the... more

YouTube

Today we're on a hunt with artists through time, searching for the blackest black. We’re after the deepest blacks, the most accurate blacks and the most atmospheric blacks.

Beks is joined by artist Stuart Semple to help answer questions such as: is ... more

YouTube

You might have heard of men like Isaac Newton or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but who were the pioneering women writing on colour theory?

To answer that question, we’re joined by cultural historian Alexandra Loske and The Colour Club founder Zeynep S... more

YouTube

How do the colours artists choose – and the ways each of us experience them – help us find a story?

Join Beks and author Chloë Ashby as they take a closer look at how to ‘read’ colour in some of the National Gallery’s most iconic paintings. From Van... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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People also subscribe to these shows.

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The Week in ArtThe Art Newspaper

Recent Guests

Alexandra Loske
Colour expert and art historian, curator
Royal Pavilion, Brighton
Episode: Rediscovering history’s women colour theorists
Zeynep Sagir
Artist, colour consultant and founder of The Colour Club
The Colour Club
Episode: Rediscovering history’s women colour theorists
Chloë Ashby
Author/curator discussing Colours of Art; joined to answer colour-focused questions
National Gallery, London
Episode: Decoding paintings through colour
Kassia St Clair
British writer and cultural historian specializing in colour
Author, The Secret Lives of Colour
Episode: The mauve measles: when purple went viral
Evie Hatch
Art historian specialising in pigments; writer and presenter of Jackson's Art Pigment Stories
National Gallery
Episode: Deadly chemical cousins: oranges and yellows
(None others)
Episode: A blue more expensive than gold − ultramarine
Jamie Ward
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
Episode: What is synaesthesia? Can you hear colour?
Deborah Pritchard
Award-winning British composer known for her synesthesia work
Independent musician/composer
Episode: What is synaesthesia? Can you hear colour?
Greta Mutlu
Violinist
National Gallery performance ensemble
Episode: What is synaesthesia? Can you hear colour?

Host

Beks Leary
Host of Stories in Colour; affiliated with The National Gallery and its Digital Department.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 110 ratings
  • Great podcast

    Glorious podcast. Thank you for all your research as host and that of your guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ozduchess
    Australiaa month ago
  • Fascinating

    Always interesting as each episode unearths & presents the listener with fascinating aspects of colour & paint. And a great Host.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    The post card
    United Kingdoma month ago
  • Interesting and Knowledgeable Podcast

    I really love this podcast. It has really knowledgeable expert guests and has made me stop and think about art and colour.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    detectivebenson21
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Good one

    Beautifully crafted and delivered

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LucasC19
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • A good listen on interesting subject

    I like learning about the names, the attributes, and the feelings attached to colors. The green episode was surprising to me- it is the first time I learned of deadly green. The interviewers did a good job.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sugan56
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Production quality is strong, though some listeners note audio issues on occasion.
The show offers insightful history with clear expert commentary.
Guests are consistently described as knowledgeable and engaging.
Guests and hosts bring a wide range of color-related topics to life.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#6
United States/Arts/Visual Arts
Apple Podcasts
#167
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#2
United Kingdom/Arts/Visual Arts
Apple Podcasts
#7
Canada/Arts/Visual Arts
Apple Podcasts
#39
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#162
Canada/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The mauve measles: when purple went viral
Q: Okay. And you mentioned two women who helped make Mauve popular. Who were they and what was their impact?
The two royal influencers were Empress Eugenie and Queen Victoria, whose fashion choices and press coverage greatly accelerated Mauve's adoption, creating a wide public aura around the color and fuelling demand across society.
The mauve measles: when purple went viral
Q: So was that an easy journey? How did you go about it?
Kassia explains that Perkin faced resistance from an industry built on natural dyes, relied on collaboration with dyers and family partners, and moved quickly to industrial-scale production, leveraging Victorian appetite for novelty and fashion to drive adoption.
Rediscovering history’s women colour theorists
Q: Who was Newton and why was his work in colour theory so significant?
Newton demonstrated that white light contains a spectrum of colours and that prisms can split and recombine light, establishing colour as a physical and measurable property of light, which underpins later colour theory.
A blue more expensive than gold − ultramarine
Q: Why was ultramarine so expensive and what did that mean for artists and patrons?
Its sourcing was labor-intensive, involving lengthy processing and multiple materials, making it scarce and costly; patrons often specified exact quantities in contracts, with blue paint treated as a premium luxury that underscored the status of the depicted figures.
A blue more expensive than gold − ultramarine
Q: How did you even get there to a part of the world that has been so dangerous at the time?
We gained UN contacts and flew into Faisabad, then undertook a challenging journey through the mountains with local guides and colleagues, sharing costs and relying on on-the-ground networks to access the mines.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Stories in Colour

What is Stories in Colour about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Color-focused discussions explore how pigments, materials, and optical effects have shaped art across history and into contemporary practice. Episodes frequently feature curators, conservation scientists, historians, and artists, offering deep dives into subjects like gold and rainbow color, dye chemistry, and color psychology. The format tends to blend historical context with scientific insight and studio-facing technical detail, often drawing on National Gallery expertise. Listeners can expect thoughtful, expert-led conversations that illuminate how color drives meaning, technique, and cultural perception across eras. A notable strength is the range of guests—from conservation scientists to authors and artists—providing both rigorous anal... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Stories in Colour?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Stories in Colour:

1. Stories of Art
2. ill-advised by Bill Nighy
3. Free Thinking
4. The Week in Art
5. The Great Women Artists

How many episodes of Stories in Colour are there?

Stories in Colour launched a year ago and published 22 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Stories in Colour?

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What guests have appeared on Stories in Colour?

Recent guests on Stories in Colour include:

1. Alexandra Loske
2. Zeynep Sagir
3. Chloë Ashby
4. Kassia St Clair
5. Evie Hatch
6. (None others)
7. Jamie Ward
8. Deborah Pritchard

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