Over the last few weeks (as of June 18th) I have been watching Simon Schama's Power of Art on PBS HD. The BBC website has a more informative site on the series. Catch it here. The series covers eight artists in total.
- Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and Wheatfield With Crows,
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Guernica,
- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) and David With the Head of Goliath,
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and The Ecstasy of St. Theresa,
- Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and The Conspiracy of the Batavians Under Claudius Civilis,
- Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) and The Death of Marat,
- J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) and Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On),
- Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and the Seagram murals.*
Instead of me going on about the series it is best you read it directly from the BBC site. I cannot explain it any better. However, my review of the series is all positive. Somehow Simon gets into the soul of each artist and puts it on the screen for you to see and feel. It is as if Simon had interviewed each artist at a defining moment in their lives. At times, though, it made me question how much of what was being portrayed was actual fact and what was just an educated opinion. Either way, if you have not seen this series, it is one to catch! Now, if you have missed this fantastic series, no worries, PBS is offering it for sale in their store. *List taken from PBS site
I’ve been meaning to watch more of that series – I only saw the Picasso one when it was screened here in the UK some months back – your entry reminded me of checking it out again – many thanks for that. Gesa