The Private Life of a Masterpiece
tv show
29 total episodes
-
9 seasons
First Aired December 08, 2001
Genres:
Overview
Private Life of a Masterpiece is a BBC arts documentary series that tells the stories behind great works of art reaching from the Renaissance to modern art. David by Michelangelo, The Scream by Edvard Munch, The Third of May 1808 by Francisco Goya, The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn, Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso, The Annunciation by Jan van Eyck, ... The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer. For behind the beautiful canvases and sculptures are tales of political revolution, wartime escapes, massive ego clashes, social scandal, financial wrangling and shocking violence. The series reveals the full and fascinating stories behind famous works of art, not just how they came to be created, but also how they influenced others and came to have a life of their own in the modern world.
Paolo Uccello: The Battle of San Romano
Season 5 - Episode 3 - 1h 50m
Air Date
April 16, 2005
Overview
An armoured knight in the thick of battle astride his white charger forms the central figure of a dramatic 15th-century masterpiece by Paolo Uccello. The painting, in three panels, depicts scenes from the battle of San Romano fought between Florence and Siena in 1432. Using one-point perspective Uccello achieved one of the greatest portrayals of men in close combat. Coveted through the centuries the panels became the victims of an extraordinary art crime.