65 m. ago ‘I tried to capture her inner world – but couldn’t’: Tom de Freston on painting his wife pregnant and nude

The artist and his wife, novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave, lost seven pregnancies before their daughter was born. They explain how his nude paintings of her helped them process their grief – and eventual joy‘The subject comes with huge baggage and I like that,” says Tom de Freston. The painter and I are in his studio in a village outside Oxford, surrounded by nude portraits of his wife, the novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave. “I wanted to ask, ‘What does it mean as a male artist to be looking at the female figure? And where does the agency sit?’”We have been talking about Titian’s Poesie series, how those paintings – commissioned by the most powerful man in the world at the time, King Philip II of Spain – fetishise the naked female body. “Obviously there’s other things going on in them I think Titian’s often prodding at morality and power,” De Freston says. Continue reading...

Politics

68 m. ago Previously unknown Renoir painting sells for 1.8m euros at Paris auction

The oil painting depicting the artist’s son Jean had never been exhibited or sold before.A previously unknown work by French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir depicting his son Jean sold for €1.8m ($2.08m) at a Paris auction, according to the auction house.The oil painting – L’enfant et ses jouets – Gabrielle et le fils de l’artiste, Jean (The Child and His Toys – Gabrielle and the son’s artist, Jean) – had never been exhibited or sold before. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘It is a dream come true!’ Meet Britain’s bus driver of the year – and six other unsung heroes

From the top lollipop person to the most dedicated convenience store managers, we celebrate the winners of the year’s most unusual accoladesMichael Leech, from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, has been named the UK bus driver of the year Continue reading...

Transport

4 h. ago ROLAND WHITE reviews Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking: Dame Mary baking in Titchmarsh's garden

You might remember that John Major once defined Britishness as warm beer, long shadows on cricket grounds, and old ladies cycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist.

Events

8 h. ago Can M&S’s £42 cast iron casserole dish rival Le Creuset’s £355 pot? I found out

A cast-iron casserole dish is a kitchen essential, so I put the two designs to the test

Economics

8 h. ago US to send envoy to Moscow to discuss proposals to end Ukraine war

Despite recent efforts and White House optimism, recent negotiations have failed to secure a breakthrough on key issuesDonald Trump said he would send special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss developing proposals to end the Ukraine war, but despite White House optimism there was little sign of progress on core sticking points.The US president said negotiations had left “only a few remaining points of disagreement” but there was no breakthrough on the issues of territorial control and security guarantees and he dampened expectations of immediate peace summits. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago West Lothian man facing terminal diagnosis meets Rangers heroes at club's training centre

Graham Glasgow joined other Rangers fans living with terminal or life-changing illnesses at the club’s Auchenhowie training to meet players and coaching staff, thanks to the club’s Charity Foundation.

Politics

9 h. ago Mum ordered to tear down £170k garden extension after 'snotty' neighbours complain

Clair Birch, 58, had initially requested permission for a single-bedroom annexe to replace an existing garage at her semi-detached home - but neighbours were left gobsmacked

Economics

9 h. ago Met Police ‘don’t want to know’ about Muriel McKay case, says daughter

A High Court judge ruled that the family cannot perform a radar scan of a shared back garden in east London where they believe she is buried.

Events

10 h. ago Donald Trump sends trusted envoy to Putin in scramble to save Ukraine peace deal

Donald Trump has confirmed which of his top officials will be heading to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow as he tries to push through a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine

Politics

10 h. ago Housing Minister to meet West Lothian RAAC home owners next week

Local campaigner Kerry Macintosh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she had received an email confirming the meeting for December 3.

Politics

10 h. ago Karoline Leavitt’s son meets turkey before it is pardoned by Trump

Karoline Leavitt brought her son Nicholas to meet Waddle, one of the National Thanksgiving turkeys, prior to the pardoning ceremony with Donald Trump on Tuesday, 25 November.

Politics

11 h. ago Wes Streeting vows to 'quickly' launch national prostate cancer screening programme if experts give it green light

The UK National Screening Committee will meet on Thursday to consider the latest evidence on the costs and benefits before issuing a highly anticipated recommendation.

Science

12 h. ago Meet the world’s most epic gingerbread house: 165 pound of sugar, 1,000 gumballs and 25 cooks

The giant gingerbread mountain cabin is on display at the Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, now until January 1

Society

13 h. ago Meet the artist behind 'Muriel's garden': Painter who gave flower

Jon Minshull, 61, has painted thousands of murals around the UK and the US with his themes usually featuring nature and wildlife.

Politics

13 h. ago Millions of workers to be £900 better off a year after minimum wage rates hikes confirmed

'Too many people are still struggling to make ends meet'

Economics

13 h. ago Meet the world’s most epic gingerbread house: 2,000 pounds and fully walkable

The giant gingerbread mountain cabin is on display at the Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, now until January 1

Politics

14 h. ago Judge denies family of Muriel McKay injunction to search east London garden for her body

Mr Justice Richard Smith described the behaviour of some of Muriel's relatives as 'appalling' and 'possibly unlawful' after the family initially used deception to access the premises.

Events

15 h. ago Turner & Constable review – boiling portentous skies versus two men and a dog

Tate Britain, London JMW Turner is beaten by John Constable in this mighty show. But who cares when the work is so sublime you can hear the squelching and smell the river?Turner or Constable: who’s the boss? Tate Britain’s exhibition of work by the two artists, subtitled Rivals and Originals, fudges the question. Born a year apart and both alumni of the Royal Academy schools in London, each was keenly aware of what the other was doing, in a British art world that was as febrile and competitive, if immeasurably smaller, than it is today (although you should try the Italian Renaissance if you want full-blooded rivalries and enmities). Sometimes, they sought the same collectors and painted the same subjects. Turner was encouraged from an early age by his father, a Covent Garden wigmaker and barber; Constable was the son of a Suffolk mill owner and grain merchant who wanted him to take over the family business.As well as their contrasting backgrounds, their temperaments could not have b...

Politics

15 h. ago Muriel McKay’s family cannot scan London garden for her remains, judge rules

Ms McKay was kidnapped for ransom and murdered in 1969 but her body has never been discovered.

Events