Speakers: Martin Gayford, Jan Dalley,

Juxtaposing a rich variety of images Martin Gayford, in conversation with Jan Dalley, arts editor of the FT, offers a dazzling and original account of art history, posing fascinating questions about the nature of art and artistic creation. A History of Pictures is the result of Gayford’s collaboration with David Hockney to explore how and why pictures have been made? Their artistic journey takes them from the Lascaux cave drawings to state-of-the-art computer imagery. Why are we so preoccupied with making marks on a flat surface, and why do we find them so captivating? How do you show movement in a still picture, and how do films and television connect with old masters? What are the ways in which time and space can be condensed into a static image? What do pictures show – truth or lies? Do photographs present the world as we experience it? The answer they come up with are every bit as exhilarating as their questions.