Imogen Tilden, Guardian Unlimited arts editor
Hirst or Hogarth? Constable or Caravaggio? While they might not all be British, their works are in British public collections, and therefore part of our rich cultural inheritance. Now the National Gallery and BBC Radio Four want us to engage further with these riches. They are calling upon us all to vote for the Greatest Painting in Britain, and debate what this says about us as a nation. Introducing the project in yesterday's Guardian, Tristram Hunt plumped for Piero della Francesco's The Baptism of Christ, JMW Turner's The Fighting Temeraire and Simone Martini's Annunciation - all works in the National Gallery's collection. But don't forget the Tate Galleries (perhaps Duchamp's notorious Fountain, aka Urinal, is an apt comment on the state of the nation today?) and the many delights in collections outside London.
Although Plastic Glass, by David Denby, is not eligible as it is in a private collection, I can't resist taking this opportunity to link to Julian Gough's wonderful piece of writing on his favourite piece of art.
As for me ... I can't choose. But the Arnolfini Portrait by Van Eyck would feature in my top 10, as would Rembrandt's tender and beautiful portrait Woman Bathing in a Stream. And I'd find a place somewhere for Stanley Spencer's Swan Upping at Cookham, which has a particularly personal resonance for me: Cookham is where my father grew up and some of my family still live. As a child I would go for walks under this very bridge. I'm still not entirely sure what swan upping is, but, hell, it's part of my cultural identity.
What would you choose? Post your answers in as comments below.
