Smart Secrets of Great Paintings
2015
📺 1 Season
🎬 24 Episodes
📅 Returning Series
🌐 FR
⏱️ 26 min/ep
Documentary
The great works of the past portray abundant testimonies, and are imbued with secrets and are teeming with mysteries. Beneath the surface of the painting, details awaken, to recount the spirit of the times and the vagaries of History, such as wars, revolutions, economic transformation, scientific discovery, beliefs and schools of thought.
Where to Watch (US)
Stream
France Channel Amazon Channel
Seasons
Season 1
16th century Antwerp was like 1950s New York. The city of craftsmen and fishermen at the entrance to the North Sea became a leading finance hub, facilitated by European exploration and new trade routes. This work by Quentin Metsys is a subtle criticism of that world and its era, warning about the flow of money when it is detached from all forms of religious and moral considerations. This film examines the influences of Jan Van Eyck and Leonardo Da Vinci on the work; analyzes composition, painting technique, and object symbolism; and outlines events that would lead to the Dutch Revolt.
Crew
Director
Clément Cogitore, Jivko Darakchiev, Carlos Franklin
Writer
Yves Nilly
Network
ARTE