Andrew Graham-Dixon shows how the art of Renaissance Flanders evolved from the craft of precious tapestries within the Duchy of Burgundy into a leading painting school in its own right. Starting his journey at the magnificent altarpiece of Ghent Cathedral created by the Van Eyck brothers, Andrew explains their groundbreaking innovation in oil painting and marvels at how the colors they obtained can still remain so vibrant today. Andrew describes how,...

It seems appropriate for a portrait to be a fair representation of its subject. However, problems can arise when the sitter does not perceive himself or herself in the same way the painter does. In this program, Tai-Shan Schierenberg paints a portrait of a wealthy English gentleman in two 3-hour sittings, under the intimidating stare of portraits by Holbein, Reynolds, Rembrandt, and Van Dyck. As an artist, Schierenberg is drawn to his subject's natural...

The technological innovations pioneered by chemists and engineers during the 1940s and 1950s soon began to be used in other industries. Art historians, for example, began to use x-ray techniques and chemical compounds to restore the work of master painters or to repair artwork that had been damaged.

The 17th century was a time of religious conflicts, political struggles, and great scientific advances. This upheaval contributed to the Baroque period's relatively unrestrained, overtly emotional, and more energetic style that is reflected, to varying degrees, in paintings from all across Europe.This program examines:o Caravaggio's The Young Lute Player (circa 1596), from The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburgo Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal...

The painter's studio: at once an open forum for exchanging skills with other artists and a private retreat for experimenting with technique. Beginning with the Renaissance and concluding with the 20th century, this program covers an assortment of studio-related topics, including life as a painter's apprentice; the birth and growth of art schools and academies; the progress of the painter's status in society; the development and proliferation of art...

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.

While they allow the viewer into the artist's workshop, paintings of the painter's studio are always a stylized portrayal where what is not shown is just as important as what is. This program surveys a number of examples of this classic theme, drawing attention to some of the different approaches artists have used to convey the space in which they work.

This richly detailed film journeys through the epic history of still life painting, featuring a range of delights from the earliest existing mural paintings discovered at Pompeii to the cubist masterpieces of Picasso. Awash with rich imagery of fruit and flowers as well as humble domestic objects, this lively take on the story of still life encompasses the work of some of the genre's greatest artists, from Caravaggio to Cezanne. Still Life is also...

Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin and Child with Saint Anne had already been disfigured by attempts at repairs when the controversial decision was made in 2009 to once again attempt a clean-up and refurbishing. Complicating the decision was the fact that da Vinci had never finished the painting, but returned to it year after year to modify it. Could a restoration remain true to da Vinci's intentions? Might the masterpiece be further damaged by trying to...

Raffaello Santi earned a level of admiration equal to that of his older contemporaries. Raphael is renowned for the beauty of his portraits and the perfectly balanced composition of his larger historical paintings. Known for his numerous paintings of the Madonna and Child, Raphael became a favorite of the papal court, undertaking commissions from popes Julius II and Leo X. In his short life Raphael achieved an unprecedented level of artistic maturity....