This program travels to four locales to examine technical aspects of how frescoes have been painted: a villa in Pompeii, where walls saturated with figures, dense colors, and ornamental motifs functioned both decoratively and ritually; the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo, home of della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross; the Salle des Saisons at the Louvre, to view Romanelli's frescoes combined with richly gilded stuccowork; and the Residenz...

This program concentrates on the importance of drawing to the different artistic disciplines as it addresses ongoing debates surrounding the representation of space. Drawing tools and materials are presented, and special attention is given to the application of geometry, the principal science of image construction. Classical and Renaissance theories of perspective are considered, as is the progressive disintegration of these theories by artists of...

Should brushstrokes be allowed to show-or even be shown off, like a signature-or should they be carefully effaced whenever possible, leaving the surface of a painting smooth? This program looks at both the mechanical side of the question-the influence of pigments and brush types on the traces of a brush's passage-as well as the long-running doctrinal tension between exponents of visible and hidden brushstrokes.

Color is perhaps the most powerful artistic element, but it is also the most difficult to control. In this program, artist June Redfern goes to Venice to see one of her favorite paintings-Titian's Assumption of the Virgin. Analyzing Titian's innovative use of color, Redfern traces other color innovations pioneered by artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Mark Rothko.

The centuries-long era of painting on wooden panels culminated in magnificent works such as Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece and van der Weyden's Beaune Altarpiece. But then canvas finally came into its own: light in weight, low in cost, easy to prepare, and an ideal replacement for frescoes where climatic conditions did not easily permit mural painting, over time it became the artist's medium of choice. This program traces the evolution of painting...

Everyone has the desire to arrange things in a way that is most pleasing to the eye. In painting, composition involves arranging every ingredient-shape, color, texture, and light-so that working together, they create artistic balance. In this program, artist Ray Richardson deliberately chooses a long, slim canvas to challenge his compositional abilities. As he confronts his quest to create a cinemascopic work, students begin to appreciate the composition...

Called art by some and vandalism by others, street art transforms the depersonalized, over-commercialized urban landscape into a forum for self-expression. Filmed in New York City, Pittsburgh, and Toronto, this edgy program documents the exploding underground art form of street stenciling and explores its roots in political street art, industrial signage, and freehand graffiti. John MacPhee, author of Stencil Pirates, and other stencil artists pose...

The abstract geometric paintings of Helen Hardin beautifully illustrate the artist's struggle to depict aspects of her native heritage yet depart from the Santa Fe/Dorothy Dunn model of her predecessors-including her mother, the acclaimed Pablita Velarde. This program takes a close look at the work of a gifted Santa Clara painter and printmaker who acted almost as if she knew that her time to make a mark in the art world would be short. Her multi-layered...

Filmed in Japan, this program pushes beyond the stereotypes to objectively examine the history of manga, how manga are drawn, and manga's influence on Japanese life as illustrated by cosplay bars, where people dress up as their favorite characters; manga kissa, 24/7 manga cafes; and Comicket, the twice-annual comics market that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The program also introduces viewers to a cross-section of mangaka icons: Vagabond...

Where do abstract painters and fashion designers find their muses? To what extent does the creative process differ between video artists, sculptors, and fine art embroiderers? How do illustrators and mixed media artists handle the business side of their work? Using capsule interviews with contemporary figures on the U.K. visual arts scene, this program draws viewers into the studio space and immerses them in the hands-on processes and limitless possibilities...