The Reading Paintings Podcast cover art

The Reading Paintings Podcast

The Reading Paintings Podcast

Written by: Reading Paintings
Listen for free

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 2 Months for ₹5/month

About this listen

Welcome to the Reading Paintings podcast created and presented by David Johnson and Harry Baxter. In these podcasts they will be visiting museums, galleries and cultural institutions, exploring works of art through live description and discussion. their primary focus is on paintings, but they will also be investigating other forms of art such as sculpture and installation.

The conversations they record are unscripted, informal and spontaneous. They consist of two artists intuitive verbal responses to a work of art. David is a blind artist, Harry is a sighted artist and audio describer. Through this interplay between conversation and audio description Harry’s verbalisations are led by David's blindness. This process leads to unexpected insights into works of art which are then shared with the listener. Implicit within this process is the concept of 'Disability Gain', where the creation of a disability accessible society benefits everyone.

Reading Paintings, Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
Art
Episodes
  • Black Painting, and Still Life and Wedding Photo
    Feb 6 2026
    Introduction

    In this the third part of David and Harry's trip to the Royal Academy of Arts they look at two more of Kerry James Marshalls work.

    Kerry James Marshall biography, part 3

    Beyond painting, Marshall works in drawing, printmaking, collage, and installation. His graphic works often explore similar themes but with a sharper emphasis on line, symbolism, and mass-media aesthetics. Across all media, his practice is underpinned by rigorous research into art history, Black cultural history, and critical theory. Marshall has frequently spoken about the responsibility of artists to understand the traditions they inherit—and to intervene in them thoughtfully. As a teacher, lecturer, and public intellectual, he has shaped conversations about representation, value, and power in the art world. By combining technical mastery with conceptual clarity, Marshall has reshaped contemporary painting and expanded the possibilities of what historical art can be—and whom it can serve.

    Credits

    Content and creative lead: David Johnson and Harry Baxter

    Producer: Ian Rattray

    Audio production: Clear Voice Enterprises

    Our thanks to the Royal Academy of Arts for allowing the recording of this episode of Reading Paintings.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • School of Beauty, School of Culture
    Feb 6 2026
    Introduction

    In this second part of three episodes, David and Harry continue to explore the work of Kerry James Marshall at the Royal Academy of Arts .

    Kerry James Marshall biography, part 2

    Kerry James Marshall is best known for large-scale figurative paintings that place Black subjects at the centre of scenes traditionally reserved for white figures in European and American art history. His figures are often painted in a deep, opaque black, a deliberate aesthetic and conceptual choice. By pushing blackness to an extreme, Marshall challenges assumptions about beauty, representation, and visibility, forcing viewers to confront how race operates visually and ideologically within his paintings. Text frequently appears in Marshall’s work, guiding interpretation while complicating meaning. His use of language underscores his belief that images and words together shape historical memory.

    Credits

    Content and creative lead: David Johnson and Harry Baxter

    Producer: Ian Rattray

    Audio production: Clear Voice Enterprises

    Our thanks to the Royal Academy of Arts for allowing the recording of this episode of the Reading Paintings podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • Knowledge and Wonder
    Feb 6 2026
    Introduction

    This month David and Harry visit the Kerry James Marshall, The Histories exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London. This is the first of 3 parts exploring the artist’s work.

    Kerry James Marshall biography, Part 1

    Kerry James Marshall is one of the most influential contemporary painters working today, renowned for a practice that confronts the historical absence of Black figures from Western art. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955 and raised in Los Angeles, Marshall came of age during the civil rights movement. This social and political context profoundly shaped his understanding of art as a tool for cultural visibility, historical correction, and political agency. A defining feature of Marshall’s practice is his sustained engagement with the canon of Western art. He draws on the compositional strategies, formats, and genres of Old Master paintings, while reworking them to include Black subjects who were historically excluded.

    Credits

    Creative lead and contents: David Johnson and Harry Baxter

    Producer: Ian Rattray

    Audio production: Clear Voice Enterprises

    Our thanks to the Royal Academy of Arts for allowing the recording of this episode of the Reading Paintings Podcast.

    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
No reviews yet