How Art Made the World (5 Parts)
- Synopsis
- Fusing anthropology, politics, neuro-biology, archaeology and religion, this series of five programmes looks at how and why human beings create images and tells the epic story of how the images that we surround ourselves with today come from a world that is thousands of years old. Presented by archaeologist, art historian and classicist Dr Nigel Spivey, the series investigates the far-reaching impact ancient art has had on contemporary society. Encompassing everything from cave paintings to ceramics, pyramids to palaces, icons to artefacts, the series ventures across five continents and 100,000 years of history to unravel the mystery of why humans have always made art and uncover universal truths about why images have such a profound effect on us.
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Year of release
- 2005
- Year of production
- 2005
- Notes
- Broadcast in five weekly parts on BBC2, beginning ?
May 2005 - Subjects
- Art; Classical studies; Psychology
- Keywords
- advertising; anthropology; art history; body image; cinema films; images; political campaigns; social psychology; story telling; Archaeology
Distribution Formats
- Type
- DVD
- Format
- Region 2 PAL
- Price
- £19.99
- Availability
- Sale
- Year
- 2005
Sections
- Title
- More Human than Human ...
- Synopsis
- One image dominates our contemporary world above all others - the human body. This opening programme in the series travels from the modern world of advertising to the temples of classical Greece and the tombs of ancient Egypt to solve the mystery of why humans surround themselves with images of the body that are so unrealistic.
- Title
- Day Pictures were Born, The
- Synopsis
- The discovery of prehistoric cave paintings in the last century led to the realisation that humans have been creating art for over 30,000 years. This episode reveals how the very first pictures ever made were created, and how images may have triggered the greatest change in human history.
- Title
- Art of Persuasion
- Synopsis
- The visual devices used by Tony Blair and George Bush to get themselves elected and maintain power come not from modern times, but a world that is thousands of years old. This episode ventures back to the creation of Stonehenge and the reign of Alexander the Great to reveal how imagery became an indispensable weapon in every leader’s political armoury.
- Title
- Once upon a Time
- Synopsis
- Each year over seven billion people across the world are drawn to see the latest feature films in the cinema. This episode reveals how the most powerful storytelling medium ever created exploits visual techniques invented by artists in the ancient world.
- Title
- To Death and Back
- Synopsis
- Today in the 21st Century people see fewer real dead bodies than at any time in history. Yet in the modern world we seem almost obsessed with images of death. In an investigation encompassing ancient Jericho, Aztec America and classical Italy, this programme in the series discovers what it is that has compelled human beings to surround themselves with images of death for thousands of years.
Production Company
- Name
BBC Television
Distributor
- Name
BBC Worldwide Publishing
- Web
- http://www.bbcworldwide.com External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 8576 3560
- Fax
- 020 8576 3570
- Address
- 80 Wood Lane
London
W12 0TT - Notes
- Since Spring 2005, for home video releases see BBC, 2 Entertain Video
Available from retail outlets
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