CivilisationsThe story of art from the dawn of human history to the present dayâfor the first time on a global scale. Inspired by Civilisation, Kenneth Clarkâs acclaimed landmark 1969 series about Western art, this series broadens the canvas to reveal the role art and the creative imagination have played across multiple cultures and civilizations.
Second Moment of Creation
Apr 17, 2018
Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity itself. Images and artifacts found in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and South America testify to the urge to develop civilizations. Liev Schreiber narrates.
How Do We Look?
Apr 24, 2018
Explore the many functions of the human image in art. Portraits, paintings and sculptures, both life-size and colossal, perform a roleâassuaging loss, expressing strength, inspiring fearâand were instrumental in depicting the human body today.
God and Art
May 1, 2018
Trace the relationship between religion and art, which has inspired some of the most ingenious, affecting, majestic and breathtaking works of art ever made. Yet beneath great works of religious art often lie conflict, intrigue and divine mysteries.
Encounters
May 8, 2018
See how advances in seafaring and a thirst for trade and exploration sent human beings around the planet. Distant and disparate cultures met for the first time, and art became the great interface by which civilizations understood each other.
Renaissances
May 15, 2018
Travel east and west to explore the connections and rivalries between Renaissance Italy and the Islamic empires that experienced their own cultural flowering in the 15th and 16th centuries. Both spheres were open to influences flowing both ways.
Paradise on Earth
Jun 12, 2018
Explore one of humanityâs deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature. But landscape painting is seldom a straightforward portrayal of observed nature; it's a projection of dreams, idylls, escapes and refugesâthe elusive paradise on earth.
Color and Light
Jun 19, 2018
Explore the story of light and color in artâboth in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy. Journey from Gothic cathedrals and Indian courtly painting to modern art.
The Cult of Progress
Jun 26, 2018
Examine the rise and fall of âprogressâ as an ideology, and see how the âcivilizingâ project that arose from Enlightenment ideas was fraught with contradictions that troubled European artists in different ways.
What is Art Good For?
Jul 3, 2018
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change and consider the question: Should art create a separate realm, a place of escape, or should it plunge into the chaos, transforming the way we see and live in the world?
TriceratopsAU
@TriceratopsAU
My goodness, what an absurd attempt at a documentary. Tedious and full of factual errors. I can't believe I actually used to respect Simon Schama. Bizarre that he participated in this ridiculous nonsense for the BBC. Alas, yet another person who has bent the knee. If anyone would like to watch a much superior documentary about art and it's effects on the Western world I recommend the original version of this series, Civilisation (1969). It's hosted by Kenneth Clark, a gentleman who would be aghast at seeing what the BBC has turned into.
