Civilizations
Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in forging of humanity.

The Second Moment of Creation
S1 Ep1 | 53m
Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity.

God and Art
S1 Ep3 | 53m 20s
Consider how religion has inspired art and art has inspired divine representation.

Encounters
S1 Ep4 | 53m 30s
See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time.

Renaissances
S1 Ep5 | 53m 20s
Travel east and west— to Renaissance Italy and the contemporaneous Islamic empires.

Paradise on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 53m
Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature.

Color and Light
S1 Ep7 | 52m 44s
Explore light and color in art in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy.

What Is Art Good For?
S1 Ep9 | 52m 50s
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change.

The Protector of Civilization
S1 Ep1 | 2m 45s
A Syrian museum curator sacrificed his life trying to save artifacts in Palmrya.

An Early Step on the Road to Civilization
S1 Ep1 | 1m 11s
Cave paintings in Castillo Spain represent some of the first paintings made by humans.

The Cognitive Revolution
S1 Ep1 | 1m 49s
The cognitive revolution stirred early humanity from its creative slumber.

The Lady of Brassempouy
S1 Ep1 | 1m 38s
This 25,000 year-old sculpture found in France represents the dawn of the idea of beauty.

The Most Enduring Art Form
S1 Ep2 | 1m 39s
Our compulsion to create images of ourselves is a defining artistic motif of humanity.

Recording Social Norms
S1 Ep2 | 38s
Athenian vase painters recorded and then re-enforced ideas of what wives were meant to do.

God and Art
S1 Ep3 | 30s
Consider how religion has inspired art and art has inspired divine representation.

The Sacred Mountain
S1 Ep3 | 2m 58s
A spectacular place where the symbolism of the sacred mountain is embodied in art.

New Forms of Spirituality
S1 Ep3 | 4m 5s
Art has found new ways to engage with our spiritual impulses.

The Day of the Dead
S1 Ep3 | 1m 42s
The Conquistadors attempted to eradicate all traces of indigenous Mexican culture.

Encounters
S1 Ep4 | 30s
See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time.

Montezuma and Cortes
S1 Ep4 | 4m 8s
The riches intended to buy off the Spanish only intensified their lust for gold.

Paving the Way for Maruyama Okyo’s Masterpiece
S1 Ep4 | 2m 42s
"Cracked Ice" combines everything Okyo knew from both Eastern and Western traditions.

Maria Sibylla’s Encounter with the Natural World
S1 Ep4 | 2m
Maria Sibylla's illustrations brought to light the true life cycle of insects.

Renaissances
S1 Ep5 | 30s
Travel east and west— to Renaissance Italy and the contemporaneous Islamic empires.

Building the Suleymaniye Mosque
S1 Ep5 | 2m 26s
Mimar Sinar always felt destined for something greater than building bridges.

The Madonna Di Loreto
S1 Ep5 | 1m 55s
In Rome, Caravaggio breaks the social and aesthetic rules of his generation.

The Distinction Between Craft and Genius
S1 Ep5 | 2m 3s
The Renaissance creates a contrast between ars and invenio.

Artemisia’s Most Subversive Work
S1 Ep5 | 2m 8s
Artemisia rebels against any notion that women shouldn't speak until spoken to.

Paradise on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 30s
Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature.

Heavenly Paradises on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 55s
In Islamic architecture, landscapes reflect a mastery over the natural world.

Nature Becomes the Story
S1 Ep6 | 3m 1s
Albrecht Altdorfer sidesteps religious conflict by using nature.

Color and Light
S1 Ep7 | 30s
Explore light and color in art in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy.

Three Aspects of the Absolute
S1 Ep7 | 2m 8s
Out of Hindu metaphysics comes the nearest visualisation you can get to of a trance.

Goya’s Harmony and Chaos
S1 Ep7 | 2m 7s
Goya bares witness to the irrational forces unleashed by Napoleon's invasion of Spain.

Japan’s 18th Century Commercial Art Revitalizes Color
S1 Ep7 | 1m 53s
Ukiyo-e demonstrated that every day transitory objects could be considered art.

Venetians Embrace Color Over the Drawn Line
S1 Ep7 | 1m 56s
For Renaissance art theorists, drawing always came before color.

Capturing Unspoiled Landscape
S1 Ep8 | 4m 20s
Thomas Cole regarded the US landscape as being what he called the undefiled work of Gods.

Manet Twists the Conventions of Art
S1 Ep8 | 2m 30s
Edouard Manet created a masterpiece famed as a masterclass in visual subversion.

George Catlin’s Indian Portraits
S1 Ep8 | 2m 18s
Despite his interest in portraiture, Catlin he said the Native Americans must perish.

Otto Dix’s Definitive Artistic Statement
S1 Ep8 | 3m 44s
Otto Dix and his generation had borne witness to the horrors of World War I.

What Is Art Good For?
S1 Ep9 | 30s
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change.

Flights of Fancy
S1 Ep9 | 3m 9s
In December 1942, a Jewish teacher brings art supplies to children held by Nazis.

Mondrian’s New Visual Language
S1 Ep9 | 2m 20s
In the autumn of 1914, Mondrian had an epiphany that would bring true abstraction.

Art from Fiery Immolation
S1 Ep9 | 3m 43s
Some of the strongest contemporary art has the magical power of transformation.

The Multitudes of the Displaced
S1 Ep9 | 1m 43s
For artist Ai Weiwei, the calamity of our time is the disaster of the displaced.
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