Art History

In this program, artists John Hoyland and Sir Anthony Caro; Charlotte Mullins, of the Irish Independent on Sunday; and others examine the history of Abstract Art. After a capsule summary of Impressionism and Cubism, the program tracks the full flowering of Abstract Art, stretching into Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Special attention is given to Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Jason Martin, and Fiona Rae. Footage of artists at work along with a wide selection of paintings and sculpture round out this concise and informative overview. A BBCW Production. (29 minutes)

In the villages of sub-Saharan Africa where traditions are still strong, art is an integral part of daily life. This illuminating program examines the symbolism, aesthetics, and functionality of African art through the vast region’s sculpture, masks, architecture, ornaments, clothing, and utensils. In addition, indigenous African religious beliefs are explored through rituals—a spiritual form of performance art—and funerary statuary. Prehistoric rock art is also presented, and the conceptual nature of African art is stressed. Location footage underscoring the rich mosaic of cultures to be found in sub-Saharan Africa provides the backdrop for the program. (22 minutes)

Belgium's Tervuren Museum contains the world's largest collection of Central African art, which consists of approximately 250,000 pieces. Noted journalist Paul Solman discusses the power and the true price of this collection with art historian Ramona Austin and journalist/author Adam Hochschild. In the immense Congo region, there are more than 250 different cultures, so there is a broad range of artistic styles to be found there. Austin is particularly drawn to the emotionally riveting abstracts, with their modernistic qualities and generalized forms that influenced Picasso and other European masters. She also admires the intricate detailing lavished on everyday objects like combs. But how did the Tervuren collect this body of art? Hochschild says that when Belgium's King Leopold II colonized and brutally exploited this territory during the late 1800s, ivory and rubber were not the only things sent back to Europe. (13 minutes)

Albert Paley is world-renowned for his metal work in jewelry and large-scale sculpture. This program provides a comprehensive overview of his life and work, including his studies at Temple University's Tyler School of Art, his early work in jewelry design, and more contemporary works such as the Renwick Gates and his decorative architectural sculpture for Bausch & Lomb. Commentary from Elizabeth Broun, director of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, and an examination of Paley's technique complete the detailed survey of this 20th-century luminary. (58 minutes)

Albrecht Durer, arguably the greatest artist of the northern Renaissance, was the primary conduit through whom Italian Renaissance forms and ideas were introduced into a Germany still dominated by the Gothic tradition. This program examines the life and work of the peerless painter and printmaker, focusing on some of his most important pieces. The influence of his father, a goldsmith; Anthony Koberger, Durer's godfather and one of Germany's finest printers and publishers; painter and illustrator Michael Wolgemut; and the humanist Wilibald Pirckheimer is considered as well. (21 minutes)

Art appreciation requires an understanding of the medium, the subject matter, and the subtexts inherent in the artists' techniques. In this program, correspondent Paul Solman and art historian Wen Fong visit an exhibit that is emblematic of Imperial China from the 8th century to the 17th. Styles discussed include the Imperial propaganda" of the Sung and Ming dynasties; the wild spontaneity of Qwai Su's calligraphy, akin to the action painting method of Jackson Pollock; the intensely personal works of Ni-Tsung; the bourgeois images of Chu Ying; and the subtly subversive imagery of Chu Ta, a prince who became a monk. To Wen Fong, art is the perfect bridge between cultures because everyone can respond to its mystical essence. All one needs to do is look deeply. (9 minutes)"

At once banal and provocative, the works of Andy Warhol sardonically comment on the ubiquity of mass media in modern America. This program takes a look at the Pop Art movement and the life of Warhol through a penetrating investigation of his deadpan Ten Lizes. The painting exemplifies his fascination with-and his indifference to-celebrities as objects no less commodified than a simple can of soup. (31 minutes)

This program provides an outstanding historical overview of Bauhaus, the most controversial and forward-looking school of art and design of its time. The conflicting artistic philosophies of the school's key figures are considered, from Walter Gropius' espousal of expressionism to Laszlo Moholy-Nagy's overriding belief that fewer aesthetic ambitions would yield more functional products-that less is more. With a stellar faculty that also included Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Breuer, Josef Albers, and Mies van der Rohe, the Bauhaus inspired the artistic and constructivist principles that gave rise to many icons of 20th-century design and architecture. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (32 minutes)

A young Jewish immigrant, Ben Shahn fearlessly recorded in paint and on film a broad swath of America's social landscape, from the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Movement. This program presents the biography of an artist who fused political awareness with modernism, whose works were as likely to appear on the cover of Time as in the Museum of Modern Art. Rare television and radio interviews recorded before Shahn's death in 1969 complement a retrospective of his paintings, sketches, and photographs. Also featured are interviews with Shahn's biographer, Howard Greenfeld; his widow, Bernarda Bryson Shahn; and daughter Judith Shahn. (58 minutes)

Far from disappearing after the Hellenistic age, Greek art flourished with the rise of Christianity and the Orthodox church. This program explores the development of icon painting, the influence of Greek artists on later European movements, and the advent of neoclassical architecture as a manifestation of age-old cultural legacy. With historical context from the conversion of Constantine through Greece's post-WWII development period, Beyond the Classical provides a double portrait of a national art movement that has drawn on its own roots to reinvent itself, and set of aesthetic principles that have shaped societies around the world. (25 minutes)

This program spotlights 33 works of Chinese art seldom ever seen outside of the National Palace Museum. Spanning approximately 5,000 years of history, this diverse collection of pieces includes a Neolithic pottery jar; bronze fangzun and fangyi vessels from the late Shang-early Zhou period; a bronze ding vessel from the Late Western Zhou period; a Tang figurine in sancai glaze; a Ming cup in doucai enamels; and a Qing cylindrical curio cabinet. Displayed in chronological order and shown from numerous angles, these cultural artifacts comprise an indispensable educational resource for art history and Asian studies curriculums. Access points, provided in index form, make locating each artifact easy. (41 minutes)

Ranging from abstract art and Art Deco to Existentialism and fine-art photography, this eclectic nine-part series captures the essence of Western culture during the 20th century. A BBCW Production. 9-part series, 29 minutes each.

The Dada movement, born as a reaction to World War I, and its successor, Surrealism, opened new avenues for artistic creation by striving to bypass the reasoning process and tap directly into the unconscious mind. This program examines: • Kurt Schwitters' Merzbild 25 A (1920), from the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf • Hanna Hoch's Cut with the Kitchen Knife (1919), from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin • George Grosz' Untitled (1920), from the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf • Joan Miro's Dutch Interior I (1928), from the Museum of Modern Art, New York • Salvador Dali's The Burning Giraffe (1936), from the Kunstmuseum, Basel • Man Ray's La Fortune (1938), from the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (60 minutes)

Although an ardent Marxist, Diego Rivera cared little if a communist or a capitalist sponsored his murals and easel paintings, as long as the finished pieces were true to his convictions. In this program, NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Kaye surveys the life and artwork of Diego Rivera, a larger-than-life figure and one of the 20th century's truly revolutionary artists-both creatively and politically. Topics include Rivera's success in melding the painting styles of European Modernism with the art of ancient Mexico; his belief in the dignity of everyday life; the notorious Rockefeller Center mural; and, underpinning all, his deep love of Mexico. (12 minutes)

The leading painter of the Spanish Baroque period, Diego Velazquez covered a wide range of subjects, from royal portraits of King Philip IV and his family to perhaps the most celebrated of all self-portraits, Las Meninas. Filmed on location at The Escorial, The Prado, and in Velazquez's native Seville, this program chronicles the life of the artist through his work, examining his Classical education and apprenticeship under Francisco Pacheco as well as numerous canvases from his long career as court painter. (Spanish with English subtitles, 48 minutes)