traveldk.com

This snapshot of brutal medieval life painted by Dirk Bouts (c.1420–75) in 1471–73, is a tale told in two panels – a kind of early comic strip. With brilliant clarity and detail, it depicts how Emperor Othon (Otto II) was fooled by his wife into beheading an innocent man for adultery.

Rogier van der Weyden was known for the disturbing emotional charge of his work, as in this painting of c.1420– 50 of the crucified Christ in his mother’s arms.

This work of 1567 by Pieter Brueghel the Elder wryly upstages the drama with prettified normality.

At his best, Rubens created works of staggering dynamism, compelling the eye to move through the painting, and inspiring a sense of exhilaration and awe. The savagery of this depiction of cruel martyrdom also conveys the power of redemption.

The French revolutionary Marat was murdered in his bath by a female assassin. This portrait by Jacques-Louis David is strikingly realistic.

This marvellous Pointillist scene of 1901 by Théo van Rysselberghe shows four girls walking along a windy beach.

There is no painting more expressive of the bizarre visual world and free-roaming imagination of James Ensor than this extraordinary little work of 1891.

This beautifully executed, strangely alluring work of 1898 by Fernand Khnopff is a celebrated classic of Symbolism, delving into the uncharted world of the imagination.

Rik Wouters’ charm lies in the domestic intimacy of his interiors. The brush-strokes are energetic, the colours Fauvist – yet they have a rare delicacy and balance. This painting of 1914 shows his mastery of composition and colour.

René Magritte poses visual conundrums. In this painting of 1962, ambiguous feelings of threat and protection are suggested simultaneously.