This thread is for non-fiction TV, including but not limited to reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef: Masters, Project Runway), documentaries (The History Channel, The Discovery Channel), and sundry (Expedition Africa, Mythbusters), et al. [NAFDA]
I saw Caravaggio and Van Gogh, but only got David by accident. The overall feel I get is "Madness makes you a better artist, milk that torment, baby, milk it." Oh, and if you can put sexual themes in your religious stuff, all the better. There's a Bernini (?) statue of the Annunciation that has lots of erotic potential, but it's like Schama can only do the 12-year-old interpretation instead of acknowledging the frequent sublimination of erotic feeling into religious ecstasy.
He's all the worst kind of "sophisticated" art observer who wants to make sure you know he doesn't fall for that obvious pretty stuff and that only the truly intelligent and informed could appreciate a painting the way he does.
edit: I'd have great fun in the Renaissance castigating fellow observers of new art.
Yeah, I've been taping the series simply because I love his "History of England" series so much, but once I finally get around to watching all the eps, I think I'll be taping over them.
Ah, he's one of those, "See the magnificent variants in my tonalities, don't you see the savage commentary on gender relations?"
I truly do not get modern art.
edit: and I'm probably unfair to Rothko, those two landscapes are cool. I wonder which one Schama will rip apart.
I truly do not get modern art.
You and me both, connie, you and me both. That one landscape called "Sky" was nice, but nothing outstanding IMO.
But if it's PBS I suppose it's very likely that they'll repeat at some point.
You can often get these at the library after a bit, as well.
Most BBC series airing on PBS are also already on DVD.
I said it in natter, but I guess I can repeat it here. The Bernini episode of the Schama series is wonderful. (An episode not at all harmed by the intensely good looking actors playing Bernini and his brother.) I was confused by connie's post, were you saying that Schama is too austere for Bernini's Ecstasy sculpture? Because he was pretty gaga for it.
I think my favorite type of art is the intricate Old Master type, especially of the ilk of Durer
[link]
where you can admire the technique and consider the composition and the choice of elements and look at the picture itself and the story it's telling.
When I was working at the Huntington Library once month years ago, I was wandering the Renaissance section one afternoon and explaining to a bored guard about the elements of some medieval icons. I turned around, and a school group was standing behind me listening intently. Some of them were taking notes. it was kind of fun
I was confused by connie's post, were you saying that Schama is too austere for Bernini's Ecstasy sculpture
He seemed too tittilated by it. To be fair, I only saw the preview, but after sitting through his Carravagio episode and getting tired of what felt like a salacious enjoyment of the artist's troubles, his approach to the Bernini just felt too "Look! Sex! In a church! Tee hee!" for me.
