Painters on Paintings is an ongoing conversation between artists.

Each essay features an artist writing about a work of art that informs or inspires them. Launched in 2014 by Julie Heffernan and Virginia Wagner, the platform investigates painting and other visual media across time and temperament, style and trends.

PoP has become an online salon for some of the most interesting contemporary artists working today. Over 200 contributors have written on work spanning from cave paintings to Renaissance frescos, Hindu manuscripts to contemporary art.

These essays are revelations beyond conventional critical discourse, parsing in print the influence and impact of a wide range of works from a practitioner’s point of view. It is a chance for us to meet the muses that have made powerful impressions on our fellow artists.

Please join our forum in investigating the history and potential of visual art today.

[Illustration by Julie Heffernan featuring Honoré Sharrer, Workers and Paintings, 1943]