Simon Schama's Power of Art
- TV Mini Series
- 2006
- 1h
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Focusing on eight iconic works of art, Power of Art reveals the history of visual imagination through the ages.Focusing on eight iconic works of art, Power of Art reveals the history of visual imagination through the ages.Focusing on eight iconic works of art, Power of Art reveals the history of visual imagination through the ages.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 4 nominations total
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Did you know
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Art of Arts TV: The Landmark Arts Series (2008)
Featured review
popular art
If there is such a thing as popular science probably the best name one can give to the genre this series belongs to is popular art. Simon Schama's series of commentary on eight masters and their masterpieces in the history of art have a uniting theme - how art can influenced by power and how power influences art - but yet seems to address mostly the non-initiated audience. The language of the series is sometimes the one of an specialist but no deep aesthetic lessons are given, and the central thread of the commentaries in most of the episodes is around the anectdotic explanation of the works, combined with actors rendering the central figures, in many cases with a very thick palette to use a plastic arts term.
The best moments of the series are in my opinion when the commentary raises atop the banal to create a real and veridical connection between works and times as in the episode about Picasso, or when the camera work of the director fits well the painters style as in the Van Gogh's episode. Yet some contemporary hints could have been avoided in the first, and the acted scene of Van Gogh's folly from the second. Schama is eloquent and catches the attention. Each episode in itself seems to have its better and its worse moments. As such series build in time, eight episodes may not be enough for a definitive conclusion, and the overall impression can improve if further artists and masterpieces will be explored in follow-up seasons.
The best moments of the series are in my opinion when the commentary raises atop the banal to create a real and veridical connection between works and times as in the episode about Picasso, or when the camera work of the director fits well the painters style as in the Van Gogh's episode. Yet some contemporary hints could have been avoided in the first, and the acted scene of Van Gogh's folly from the second. Schama is eloquent and catches the attention. Each episode in itself seems to have its better and its worse moments. As such series build in time, eight episodes may not be enough for a definitive conclusion, and the overall impression can improve if further artists and masterpieces will be explored in follow-up seasons.
helpful•24
- dromasca
- Dec 25, 2007
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- Also known as
- Сила искусства
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
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Top Gap
By what name was Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006) officially released in Canada in English?
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