WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

A striking work of art borne of the horrors of World War I

- CHARLOTTE HODGMAN

The Deluge

by Winifred Knights, 1920

Despite being painted more than a century ago, Winifred Knights' apocalyptic work could be reflecting some of the big issues of today. Her dramatic depiction of terrifying figures scrambling to reach higher ground as water levels rise around them has a strikingly modern feel against a 21st-century backdrop of climate change and the displacement of people all over the world.

"Knights was something of a star pupil during her time at the Slade School of Art, University College London," says Emma Chambers, curator of modern British art at Tate, "and in 1920, she was shortlisted for the prestigious Rome Scholarship. Her entry - this 5ft x 6ft interpretation of Noah and the biblical flood - wowed the judges, and she became the first woman to win the award. In October 1920, she took up the scholarship at the British School at Rome to study decorative painting and learn more about Italian classical and Renaissance art."

FEAR AND MEMORY