Masterpieces 1851-1900

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[edit] General Information

Arts Documentary hosted by Samuel West and published by BBC broadcasted as part of BBC The Private Life of a Masterpiece series in 2004 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

This award-winning series, Private Life of a Masterpiece, 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. The works of art featured here are both instantly familiar and profoundly mysterious. Revolutionary in their conception, and iconic years after their execution, they each have their own compelling stories. For behind the beautiful canvases and sculptures are tales of political revolution, wartime escapes, massive ego clashes, social scandal, financial wrangling and shocking violence. In this fascinating series key works of art are investigated and the intricate details of their lives revealed - the history, contemporary reactions, and legacies of each are illustrated.

Part 4: Masterpieces 1851-1900 Three iconic artworks of French, American and Norwegian art from 1851 to 1900 are examined in this trio of fascinating documentaries, starting with the Edouard Manet's controversial Le Déjeuner Sur L'Herbe. The other two paintings, both widely and frequently referenced in popular culture, are American artist James Whistler's Portrait of the Artist's Mother and Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's seminal Expressionist gem The Scream.

[edit] Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe

Two men sitting on the grass, with a picnic nearby. They are not looking at a naked woman seated nearby, who stares brazenly out of the canvas at the viewer. In the background a second woman is doing something hard to quite see. Just what is going on? The full story of the painting that many believe is the beginning of modern art.

[edit] Portrait of the Artist's Mother

The stark portrait, mainly in greys and black, that James McNeill Whistler painted of his mother is now a picture that is widely lampooned as a portrait of a prim Victorian lady. She is shown smoking reefers, wearing trainers, having a tatoo. But Whistler's approach was revolutionary in its time, wholly departing from the Victorian tradition of sentimental narrative painting. His relationship with his mother was also an intriguing study in contrasts.

[edit] The Scream

The Scream tells the life-story of the painting more widely reproduced than any other, even the Mona Lisa. It shows exactly how and why the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch arrived at his extraordinary image and how that image of the screaming person has reverberated down the decades to become an icon in modern culture.