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J M W Turner (1775–1851) was the great genius of English landscape painting. This work typifies his use of abstraction and luminosity of colour.

This scene is from England’s other great landscape painter, John Constable (1776–1837). His scenes were set mostly in Suffolk and London, where he became obsessed with cloud formations.

Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) was a portrait and landscape painter and a favourite of the Royal Family. His family groups in landscapes are among the finest “Conversation pieces” in English art. An artistic interpretation of his native Suffolk, this is one of his earliest landscapes, painted in 1747.

Joshua Reynolds (1723–92) was the first president of the Royal Academy and a painter in the “Grand Manner” – as typified by this painting. He raised the international status of British art.

Liverpool-born and self-taught, George Stubbs (1724–1806) moved to London in 1759 and became the country’s greatest painter of horses. This painting is one of his finest.

Born in London and trained at the Royal Academy School, poet, mystic, illustrator and engraver William Blake (1757–1827) claimed to be guided by visions. Elohim Creating Adam is typical of his work, of which the Tate has a large collection.

This lively painting by William Hogarth (1697–1764) depicts the performance of a popular opera. Hogarth was a great satirist and much of his work provides sharp commentary on society of his day.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–82) was a leading member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of painters who harked back to the romance of the Middle Ages in their attempts to bring a moral and literary austerity into their art.

One of several 20th-century artists from Yorkshire, Henry Moore (1898–1986) was an outstanding sculptor whose work is on public display around London. This drawing by Moore shows two sleeping figures.

Leading light of the Soho arts scene, Francis Bacon (1910–1992) was uncompromising in his view of life. When first shown, this series of paintings caused an immediate sensation, shocking audiences with their savage imagery. They have become some of his best- known works.