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As part of BBC's agenda to generate public awareness about art history's relevance to contemporary culture, the documentary series How Art Made the World is a landmark. Host Dr. Nigel Spivey, a Classical Archaeology professor from Cambridge, asserts over five episodes that not only have cultures thrived according to their abilities to communicate visually, but also that, though art, we can historically trace human needs and desires because our minds drive us to create images. Questioning how and why art influences society, Spivey employs art criticism, archaeology, political theory, and anthropology in order to posit theories in each hour-long segment. Episode one, "More Human than Human," traces our obsession with the human body by analyzing the Venus of Willendorf, Egyptian art, and Ancient Greece's preoccupation with athleticism. "The Day Pictures Were Born" discusses the birth of cave painting. "The Art of Persuasion" contextualizes Tony Blair and George W Bush's political communication strategies with those in ancient cultures. "To Death and Back" ponders our preoccupation with death. "Once Upon A Time", the highlight in the series, insightfully connects our fascination with feature films to the cultural beginnings of storytelling. Starting with Mesopotamia's birth of the written tale, the Grecian invention of theater, and the Assyrian invention of pictorial narrative, this episode also stars BBC champion David Attenborough discussing the Australian Aborigine's use of art to trigger ancient cultural memories and myths. Potent, smart, and interdisciplinary, this series, filmed mostly on location for full effect, really does prove that culture dictates art. --Trinie Dalton
DVD Description
Embark on a thrilling journey through time and five continents to the heart of creativity. Fusing social history, politics, science, nature, archaeology and religion, this international landmark series unravels a universal mystery - why the world around us looks like it does. Modern-day mysteries are answered by journeying back to the beginning of civilisation via some of the most amazing man-made creations in the world. A strong narrative thread drives through each film as exciting scientific demonstrations reveal how our minds, and those of our ancient ancestors, relate to art. Beautiful, surprising, compelling and above all, relevant, with a visual ambition worthy of its epic subject-matter, this awe-inspiring adventure will appeal not only to art lovers, but to anyone who has ever wondered about humanity's place in the world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is great television, a real journey. Not since Kenneth Clark's epic televisual history of art, 'Civilisation', has there been such ambition and engagement with art from its inception and archaeological discoveries to the present day. It makes for fascinating television. While serious art students will find nothing new, for the general viewer and those with more than a passing interest in art history it provides arguments and conjectures concerning the 'why' and 'when' of art.
A few criticisms: Spivey, the presenter, presents some very personal views and it is clear that his favourite pieces are European, in fact Italian. Uncontroversial. More seriously, the tricksy editing and fancy photography sometimes works but is often too fussy. But it is never offputting, and we must remember this series is designed to have broad public appeal rather than sit in the Open University slot. All in all, a thrilling rollercoaster ride through milennia of art history, one that I will recommend to my (university) students as well as to my family.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is an enjoyable series that is informative for an audience fresh to art theory. But there are some caveats. Firstly, its contention that the "images in people's minds" led to the development of agriculture, and therefore the modern world, is philosophical idealism of the sort that got shelved in the 19th century.
Secondly, it loves to builds up to absurd dramatic climaxes, wasting a great deal of time in the process. As another reviewer has pointed out, Nigel Spivey puts one rhetorical question after another, leaving the poor viewer begging for him to get on with it. A great chunk of programme five is dedicated to a huge build-up to the 'great storytelling secret' of the Aborigines, only to reveal that they combined stories with music. Oh.
Thirdly it makes a number of unfounded assertions, such as, "it was Augustus's use of images that enabled him to maintain his power". Actually no - his political actions did that. The images are another expression of it, but images just don't have that sort of power. Idealism again! Images rarely, if ever, change history, although they may seem to by reflecting the social forces that actually change things.
Still, you'll enjoy it so long as you keep a critical mind.
Secondly, it loves to builds up to absurd dramatic climaxes, wasting a great deal of time in the process. As another reviewer has pointed out, Nigel Spivey puts one rhetorical question after another, leaving the poor viewer begging for him to get on with it. A great chunk of programme five is dedicated to a huge build-up to the 'great storytelling secret' of the Aborigines, only to reveal that they combined stories with music. Oh.
Thirdly it makes a number of unfounded assertions, such as, "it was Augustus's use of images that enabled him to maintain his power". Actually no - his political actions did that. The images are another expression of it, but images just don't have that sort of power. Idealism again! Images rarely, if ever, change history, although they may seem to by reflecting the social forces that actually change things.
Still, you'll enjoy it so long as you keep a critical mind.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
there are three other series that i would like to compare this series to - kenneth clark's 'civilisation', robert hughes' 'shock of the new', and simon schama's 'the power of art'. sadly, i can't make any meaningful comparisions. the gap is just too great. for whereas clark's, hughes', and schama's works are all worth the time of looking, this series simply fails into unsupported thoughts that emerge from nowhere and lead back into nothing. i even looked at the series twice, thinking that I must have missed something. I didnt.
anyone thinking of looking at this programme would be better off looking at other programmes more worthwhile, such as clark's or schama's or hughes (if you can get a hold of it), for in spite of their faults, they still give good value. 'how art made the world' just left me waiting...
anyone thinking of looking at this programme would be better off looking at other programmes more worthwhile, such as clark's or schama's or hughes (if you can get a hold of it), for in spite of their faults, they still give good value. 'how art made the world' just left me waiting...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing
With such a challenging and inspiring title, I looked forward to watching it. However, for many of the reasons given in previous reviews (which I will not repeat here), I was... Read more
Published 9 months ago by RR Waller
Enjoyable, interesting but too much theatrics
There was a good set of interesting but as the BBC must now bow to an American audience for after sales, this series goes big on silly theatrics, which are presumed to be needed to... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Dusty Bill
Brilliant
Bought this to watch when doing the ironing. Have found it is so interesting and well presented. My husband has requested we both watch it together. Read more
Published 19 months ago by H. Farndon
mind opener
This is one of the best documentaries I have seen. My sons 16 and 14 at the time hated art museums but were glued to this show asking to see a new episode every night during the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Thegar
Disappointing
Unfortunately, the makers of this series have tried to string out one fact for each episode. So whilst this is an extremely fascinating topic, it is dragged out in the hope of... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2009 by giraffe23
How religion made art make the world
I have to say at the outset that I've only seen one episode, the one about cave painting. I started with great enthusiasm but by half-way through I had lost interest - except for... Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2008 by Bambi
Important Series - Highly Educational
This series really makes you think. It's a different take on art and why art is important to us all. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2007 by David Lusher
really great stuff
Im a proffesional artist and I must say I find this documentary really eye opening.
each episode is a completly diffrent view on art and there all very interesting.
each episode is a completly diffrent view on art and there all very interesting.
Published on 25 April 2006 by Niklas B
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