What great paintings say

Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray by David Martin, c1779.

What great paintings say Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray by David Martin, c1779

A painting showing a man and woman side by side with somber expressions. The man holds a pitchfork.

What great paintings say American Gothic By Grant Wood, 1930

Marriage à-la-mode: 2. The Tête à Tête.

What great paintings say Marriage à-la-mode: 2. The Tête à Tête by William Hogarth, c1743–45

The Arnolfini portrait painting – oil on wood – appears to depict a wealthy couple holding hands in a domestic setting, the bed perhaps indicating that they are in a bedchamber

What great paintings say The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, 1434