Play your cards right

A child gazes intently into a deck of fortune-telling cards. Hamed Nada's works depict ordinary Egyptian lives, but often include mystical Sufi symbols. Is the child seeking a better fortune?

Feline fortunes

The wise-looking cat seems to know something. Is the cat a fortune-teller, too? Where is it looking?

Strange symbols

The cat's eyes lead us to this hand in the top left of the image. Nada used symbols from the Sufi culture of Islamic mysticism to add depth to his work. This hand is a symbol of good fortune.

It's still life

Agostinho José da Mota pioneered outdoor painting from life in Brazil, much like the Impressionists did in Europe. He also excelled at these more domestic still lifes, though here you can also see clouds and sky in the distance.

Fantastic fruits!

This tasty platter includes a spiky jackfruit, juicy-looking pomegranate seeds, and some avocados. Tuck in!

Memento mori?

In Brazilian Portuguese, 'still life' paintings are referred to as 'natureza-morta', or 'dead nature', because life has been frozen dead in paint. Are the quickly-rotting fruits also a reminder of our mortality?