Valentine Day Art Poll Results

Valentine's Day Poll

Art Fund Asks

The Art Fund's Valentine's Poll has now closed. Thank you for all of your votes. Sign up for our members' Newsletter here. Listen to Marina Warner talking about romance in art, and her choice of Poussin’s Rinaldo and Armida, on Classic FM’s Arts Daily podcast.

Paul Gauguin, Nevermore, 1897	29%
Samuel John Peploe, Roses, 1920	26%
Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434	19%
Nicolas Poussin, Rinaldo and Armida, 1629	14%
Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-3	12%

Matthew Collings Artist and art writer Paul Gauguin, Nevermore, 1897 The Courtauld Gallery, London, © The Samuel Courtauld Trust "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 m ... More '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

Kirsty Young Presenter and Art Fund Prize 2010 chair of the judges Samuel John Peploe, Roses, 1920 Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, © Culture & Sport Glasgow (Museums) '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 ... More '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

Grayson Perry Artist Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434 © National Gallery, London “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 expressi ... More “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

Marina Warner Writer, critic and professor of literature at University of Essex Nicolas Poussin, Rinaldo and Armida, 1629 Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, © Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery '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 i ... More '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

Andrew Graham-Dixon Writer and broadcaster, whose new biography of Caravaggio comes out in the summer of 2010 Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-3 © National Gallery, London '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 artis ... More

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Valentine Day Art Poll Results