简介
Consists of segments: (1) “The Classical Ideal“. The origins of Western art are traced to ancient Greece through Kouroi and Korai figures, as well as by the architectures of the Pantheon. From Greece to Rome through the Hellenistic period, the program focuses on the new artistic approach to human form and violent emotions that reached its pinnacle with the altar of Zeus at Pergamun. (2) “A White Garment of Churches“. Examines Romanesque and Gothic churches as evidence of the values of the societies that created them. Shows the effect of monasticism and pilgrimage on Romanesque church architecture. Uses Gislebertus's sculpture at St. Lazare in Autun to show the medieval focus on Heaven and the afterlife. The Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass at St. Denis and Chartres are discussed as evidence of a new theology and profound social changes during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. (3) “The Early Renaissance in Italy and the North“. (4) “The High Renaissance“. Covers key aspects of the High Remaissance, including the advent of the artist as genius (Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael), the rise of Rome as a center of artistic vitality, and Venetian preoccupation with the quality of light (Giorgione and Titian). Also examines the social turbulence of the late sixteenth century and the reinterpretation of classical architectural principles. (5) “Realms of Light“. Examines the divergent themes of the baroque period, including a new emotional appeal as seen in Bernini's 'The Ecstasy of St. Teresa,' Caravaggio's naturalism, Velasquez's multilayered works, and the rise of bourgeois values as seen in Rembrandt's works. (6) “An Age of Reason, an Age of Passion“. Covers the move from the rococo period to neoclassicism and romanticism. Relates stylistic changes to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. Covers the work of David, Géricault, Turner, Delacroix, and Goya. (7) “Realists, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists“. Contrasts Courbet's treatment of subjects from everyday life with the innovations and techniques used by the impressionists. Examines the impressionists characteristic concern with color and changing light and contrasts this with the very individualistic visions of the postimpressionists. (8) “Into the Twentieth Century“. Covers the work of the Fauves, the Cubists, the international style, and the Surrealists. Discusses how these movements relate to modern life. (9) “In Our Own Time.“ Examines why the appearance of abstract expression caused the United States to become a center for the visual arts. Reviews the diversity of styles in the postwar period, including the work of Pollock, Warhol, Oldenburg. Also examines the explosive internationalization of the art world in the 1970s and 1980s.
