I know very little of the visual arts world, however I could not stop watching this series. It held my interest like some of the better editions of Frontline. Has anyone else found this to be so?
share Lacking a formal education in fine arts, satisfying my interests on topics that piqued my curiosity usually meant browsing through the best available information online or cruising a bookstore at random. I gave this series a try through a movie rental cross-reference recommendation. My verdict is - brilliant. On this occasion I did not read reviews or a synopsis of the program beforehand. I somewhat expected an historical perspective given in a lecture format with examples of period pieces. From the prelude of the first episode, I was entranced. No stuffy pedagogic lessons here. Art's significance made fascinating and compelling for the everyday man.
This was my first exposure to Schama, and he's made a lasting impression on me. The choice of artists, the sense of appreciation for what they expressed and how so, the clever script and sly delivery were fantastic. Especially significant was Schama having the role of writer and presenter, feeling attuned to the significance surrounding the pieces and the people behind them all the more so from this sincerity. No matter how talented a narrator/presenter of documentaries, there is always a detachment I can't overcome when a lecture or anecdote does not originate from the critic or historian themselves. Wonderful stuff, and I will be eager to learn more from Simon Schama.
I like your fairness in rating the Power of Art series. I am also respectful of your open admittance of lacking art history. I always wonder what people in general think of a film about art and artists if those viewers have never really engaged in the artistic process. I mean suffering to produce it, not say, playing a musical instrument for fun. I mean really strained in effort to produce award winning visual art, paintings, pastel sketches internationally published, etc. Schama is a great articulate lecturer, especially in the visual arts and about the true story behind these artists lives.
I called into NPR's Talk of the Nation on December 20th 2006 to speak to Schama. NPR, I think instead wanted people to reflect on their early art influences. I spoke of accidentally finding a 1939 Life magazine in my parents basement and how this effected my interest in art as a 13 year old. Ironically, Schama refered to Dali in one of the episodes, and I did not know this when I spoke to him, as the series was not aired yetr in America. I cannot remember which episode now.
Those past Talk of the Nation discussions are available for audio review in the NPR archives online. Backspace to the date in their site.
-Mark Seibold, Retired Artist-Astronomer, Portland Oregon (feel free to google my name and or see markseibold dot com)