Civilizations

Episode 4 Preview | Encounters

See how advances in seafaring and a thirst for trade and exploration sent human beings around the planet. Distant and disparate cultures met for the first time, and art became the great interface by which civilizations understood each other.

Episode 4 Preview | Encounters

30s

  • What Is Art Good For?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Is Art Good For?

    S1 E9 - 52m 50s

    Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change and consider the question: Should art create a separate realm, a place of escape, or should it plunge into the chaos, transforming the way we see and live in the world?

  • The Cult of Progress: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Cult of Progress

    S1 E8 - 53m 18s

    Examine the rise and fall of “progress” as an ideology, and see how the “civilizing” project that arose from Enlightenment ideas was fraught with contradictions that troubled European artists in different ways.

  • Color and Light: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Color and Light

    S1 E7 - 52m 44s

    Explore the story of light and color in art - both in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy. Journey from Gothic cathedrals and Indian courtly painting to modern art.

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