Nice Series on Art and Old Civilizations

How Art Made the World (How Humans Made Art and Art Made Us Human) 2 discs presented by Dr. Nigel Spivey. An unusual series spanning 5 continents and 100,000 years. Consists of 5 episodes. The best ones are “More Human Than Human” (about how artists frequently picture the physical aspects and sizes they do), “The Art of Persuasion” (which traces how ancient world leaders used art to advertise themselves), and “Once Upon a Time” (about fusions between image and music in creating larger experiences). “The Day Pictures Were Born” and “To Death and Back” round out the series with the latter focusing on dual views of art culminating in crosses and crucifixes (slight Catholic and Western religious bias). Overall, though, the ideas are fairly original and off the beaten track normally taken by historical art documentaries. Visuals, narratives, and locales are all strong and evidence provided from ancient and modern cultures. Provocative in stimulating discussion and thought.

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