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  3. Television

  4. The World's Greatest Paintings - Season 1

TELEVISION

The World's Greatest Paintings - Season 1

Series: World's Greatest Paintings
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Episodes
24
Rating
NRC
Year
2010
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Embark on a compelling tour of some of the most significant paintings in Western art with the 24 richly illustrated lectures of The World's Greatest Paintings. Distinguished art historian and Professor William Kloss reveals a group of works that span the 14th century to the 20th and that-in his expert judgment-rank among the greatest paintings ever made.

Related Subjects

  • Arts & Culture

Episodes

1. Greatness in Painting

31m

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What makes a masterpiece? Look at criteria for defining greatness in painting, including a work's uniqueness and the quality of its impact, both immediate and cumulative.

2. The Majesty of Duccio and Giotto

29m

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Your exploration begins with two composite masterworks of Italian painting. In the "Maestá" altarpiece by Duccio, grasp the elements of the painting's visual impact and spatial carrying power, its dramatic composition and imagery. In the Arena Chapel frescoes by Giotto, study the powerful depictions of devotion and grief in two narrative scenes.

3. Acts of Faith-Masaccio, Van Eyck, Van der Weyden

32m

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Trace landmark religious imagery in 15th-century painting. Define Masaccio's narrative ability in two biblical fresco scenes from the Brancacci Chapel. Then discover Jan van Eyck's brilliant melding of realistic portraiture and sacred images in "Madonna of the Canon van der Paele," and the emotional intensity and compositional richness of Rogier van der Weyden's "Deposition of Christ."

4. The Diversity of Piero, Mantegna, Botticelli

31m

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You now encounter three major painters of the Italian Renaissance. In Piero della Francesca's "Resurrection," reflect on the fresco's commanding image of the risen Christ and its mathematical composition. Later, contemplate Andrea Mantegna's extraordinary innovations in "illusionistic" painting and the luminous mysteries of Botticelli's "Primavera."

5. The Devotion of Bellini, Geertgen, Dürer

32m

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You continue with three extraordinary evocations of religious devotion. In Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert," witness the portrayal of the saint's passion for nature by means of divine light. Study the multilayered pictorial details enriching Geertgen's "Madonna with Musical Angels" and the spiritual import in Dürer's monumental "Self-Portrait."

6. Masterworks by Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio

30m

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Track the dramatic interaction of the human figures in Leonardo's iconic "Last Supper" and the composition's rich theological symbolism. Then define Raphael's embodiment of High Renaissance ideals in "Baldassare Castiglione," and the poetic eroticism of Correggio's illusionistic "Jupiter and Io."

7. Great Ensembles-Michelangelo and Grünewald

32m

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In scenes from Michelangelo's stunning Sistine Chapel ceiling, study the compositional power of "The Creation of Adam" and the weighty emotion of the ominous "Prophet Jeremiah." Continuing with a highly contrasting masterwork of German art, penetrate the mystical evocation of suffering and ecstasy in Matthias Grünewald's "Isenheim Altarpiece."

8. Ideal and Real-Giorgione, Titian, Holbein

30m

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You encounter the "Concert Champêtre" (1510-1511), worked on by both Giorgione and Titian, uncovering the enigmatic imagery of its Arcadian scene. Then study Titian's radiant portrayal of the Virgin Mary in the "Assumption" and the richly detailed execution of Holbein's portrait, "Charles de Solier."

9. Living and Dying-Bruegel, El Greco, Caravaggio

30m

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Explore three contrasting 16th-century masterworks. In Bruegel's "Hunters in the Snow," investigate the artist's layering of descriptive scenes within a vast space. Conclude with the haunting details and symbolic compositions of El Greco's "Burial of Count Orgaz" and Caravaggio's "The Entombment."

10. Life Stories by Ter Brugghen, Rubens, Steen

30m

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Probe Hendrick Ter Brugghen's tender, understated evocation of the healing of St. Sebastian. Then learn about Rubens's ingenuity as a court painter in his operatic "Landing of Marie de Medici in Marseilles," and the masterful organization and roguish imagery of Jan Steen's "The way you hear it, is the way you sing it."

Extended Details

  • SeriesWorld's Greatest Paintings
  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector
The Great CoursesProducer
William KlossActor