Art of the Western World (1989)

Creator: Perry Miller Adato
Stars: Michael Wood, Germano Celant, Rosalind Krauss

Film Distributor: Athena

Provides a panorama of 2000 years of architecture, painting and sculpture, and studies the art masterpieces as reflections of the Western culture that produced them.

Magnificent masterpieces of the Western world are presented in their cultural and historical settings. From the restrained classical tradition to energetic and spontaneous modern art, each artistic movement is interpreted through its major paintings, sculptures, and works of architecture. Comments from internationally known art experts and critics assist in understanding and appreciation of the works. This series is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject matter. Produced by WNET/New York (major producer). 1989.

S01E01 The Classical Ideal
October 2, 1989 PBS
The Greeks created a classical ideal against which all subsequent art would be measured; Rome's genius lay in architecture and civil engineering. Featured: the Parthenon, the Altar of Zeus at Pergamon, the Pantheon, the sarcophagus of Juius Bassus.

S01E02 A White Garment of Churches
October 9, 1989 PBS
Romanesque art and architecture were shaped by two powerful forces: pilgrimage and the monastic movement. Gothic cathedrals elaborated and improved upon Romanesque design. Includes: Gislebertus, St.-Denis, Chartres, etc.

S01E03 The Early Renaissance
October 16, 1989 PBS
In Florence, classical themes were reborn and merged with Christian values. In the north, the Flemish masters worked in a new medium: oils. Featured: Donatello, Fra Angelico, Brunelleschi's dome, Claus Sluter, the Isenheim altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, Durer.

S01E04 The High Renaissance
October 23, 1989 PBS
Rome became a vibrant center of art again with papal patronage. 16th-century Venice sought to present itself as the ideal city-state, infused with spectacle and idealism. Includes: Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, etc.

S01E05 Realms of Light: The Baroque
December 31, 1989 PBS
The Counter-Reformation inspired an artistic revival and an exuberant new style. In royal courts, artists expressed the power of the monarch. Featured: Caravaggio, Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa, Belvedere Palace, Rubens, Velazquez, Vermeer, Rembrandt.

S01E06 An Age of Reason, An Age of Passion
December 31, 1989 PBS
As society revolted against decadence and corruption, artists turned again to classical Greece. The romantic painters in turn elevated individual expression. Featured: Watteau, Syon House, David's The Death of Marat, Ingres, Delacroix, The Third of May.

S01E07 Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
December 31, 1989 PBS
Once scorned and despised, impressionist paintings today are among the most familiar images in art. Postimpressionists broke new ground with their radical use of color. Featured: Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Deurat's Sunday Afternoon.

S01E08 Into the Twentieth Century
December 31, 1989 PBS
Rapid advances in science, thought, and technology led to the secessionists, fauves, and cubists. Dada rejected everything, and architecture went international. Featured: Klimt, Matisse, Picasso, Mondrian, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye.

S01E09 In Our Own Time
December 31, 1989 PBS
The center of the art world moved to New York, home to abstract expressionism. Artists reacted to postwar society with a bewildering array of styles, and postmodernism mined the past for ideas. Featured: Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg, Warhol.