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Every Picture Tells a Story
Behind the Mona Lisa’s smile is a fascinating tale and Le déjeuner sur l’herbe has a history more scandalous than the painting itself. With considerable wit and an educated eye, Sunday Times
(UK) art critic Waldemar Januszczak explores 8 great paintings by da Vinci, Manet, van Eyck, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Giorgione, Botticelli, and Caravaggio, exposing secrets long held within their gilded frames. SDH subtitles; 8 episodes; approx. 187 min. on 2 DVDs plus viewer’s guide.
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Disc 1
Episode 1: Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough
Why didn’t the artist finish this masterpiece of 18th-century British portraiture? And why was the painting never seen outside the subjects’ family for more than 150 years?
Episode 2: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp by Rembrandt
The subjects of this gruesome painting—both the surgeon and the cadaver—prove just as fascinating as the Dutch master’s use of symbolism.
Episode 3: The Tempest by Giorgione
Decoding this tension-packed painting requires searching beyond the artist’s contemporaries and exploring little-known tales from Greek mythology.
Episode 4: The Birth of Venus by Botticelli
The ravishing goddess emerging from the sea turns out to be far more than the Renaissance’s most famous sex symbol.
Disc 2
Episode 5: Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio
As the only great artist to commit murder, Caravaggio knew a little about the impetuosity of youth, and he portrays his hard-won wisdom on canvas.
Episode 6: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
More than a masterpiece, the lady with the enigmatic smile turned into a pop-culture icon after a heist captured the world’s attention.
Episode 7: Le déjeuner sur l’herbe by Édouard Manet
Luncheon on the Grass created a scandal when Manet showed it in 1863. The story behind the painting proves even more scandalous.
Episode 8: The Arnolfini Marriage by Jan van Eyck
A simple wedding portrait? The artistic testimony to a disputed marriage? A religious allegory? A bold new interpretation answers this painting’s many mysteries. |
- "The Rest of the Story": Stories behind the story
- Artist biographies
- Exclusive web extras
- Viewer’s guide
| Packaging: Thinpak
Run Time: 187 minutes
Format: Letterboxed
Number of discs: 2
Language: English
Subtitles: N/A
Color or B&W: Color
CC: No
SDH: Yes
Region Code: 1
Aspect Ratio:
Rating: N/A | "They are all engaging. They are all very well reasoned, and very thought provoking"—Blogger News Network
"Succinct, easily approachable and highly engrossing"—Film Intuition | | Writer and filmmaker Waldemar Januszczak, host of this presentation, has been the art critic for The Sunday Times (U.K.) since 1992. He has twice been honored as Critic of the Year by the Press Association of the United Kingdom and Ireland. |
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