Ten-part series telling the story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day, for the first time on a global scale. It is now nearly half a century since Kenneth Clark's series Civilisation thrilled audiences with its authoritative interpretation of the glories of Western art. Inspired by that groundbreaking program, this new series of Civilisations introduces a new generation to the great masterworks of beauty, ingenuity and illumination created across the continents. It explores the visual culture of societies from around the globe, revealing alongside the magnificent objects made in the West the wealth of treasures created by other cultures, from the landscape scrolls of classical China and the sculpture of the Olmecs to African bronzes, Japanese prints and Mughal miniatures. Told by three presenters, each bringing their own skills and perspectives to the series - Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga.

The depiction of human bodies, in portraits and otherwise, is a revealing part of a cultural identity. Sometimes its a major or even the only source for many undocumented aspects of a civilization, as in the case of the Olmecs, who left more portraits -albeit mostly divinity and ruling class- then all other Central American Indians. Formalism and symbolism can express social order and religious beliefs, as in Ancient Egypt, as opposed realism and ideals of beauty as in Ancient Greece, where Praxiteles's 'invention' of the perfect erotic nude remains the reference of Western aesthetics. Sometimes nothing else remains of a forgotten people, as one coinciding with the Qing dynasty which was to unify China. Under the Romans, Hellenism was a crucial part in shaping an empire unified in controlled diversity. Written by KGF Vissers

Simon Schama looks into the artistic history of depictions of landscapes, both natural or idealized and man-altered. While often represented ad background, nature would only become a full Western genre in its own right during the religious wars between Catholics and protestants with Altendorfer, while in China it was ancient, especially in the form of cartoon-like scrolls. IN Islamic art, with its ban of depicting living creatures -still exceptions were allowed, as in Persian tapestry- nature was rather suggested in geometric motives and color patterns. The mills-won land was a subject of particular pride for the Dutch, the scenery of pioneer exploration and conquest in America from the Hudson Valley (NY) school of painting and again in photography especially around Yosemite Valley (California). Written by KGF Vissers

Religion is a major domain in art history, possibly from the start in cave paintings, with cosmogony, cultic and magical purposes, votive and funeral, even political practices. It could completely dominate a society and civilization, as in theocratic Pharaonic Egypt. Representation of divinity vary enormously, like zoomorphism, anthropomorphism, stylized or idealized, as in Classical Greek art. It could serve sacrificial, community-building, prestige and didactic purposes; even a whole theological and (socio-)political agenda. Fear of hubris may lead to banning depictions of divinity -and iconoclasm- or even of all life, as in strict interpretations of Islam, leading to alternative styles and promoting fitting techniques, such as stylized or geometric patterns as in Persian carpets, or elaborate abstract decorations in mosaics, tiles, carpentry - Religion-related controversy remains, as in pictorial arts and architecture, opposing novelty to traditions. Written by KGF Vissers

The fifth film in Civilisations goes east and west with Simon Schama: to Papal Rome but also to Ottoman Istanbul and Mughal Lahore and Agra.

Art plays a major part in recording or even shaping the cultural and general contacts between societies ad their civilizations. Sometimes it testifies to the lack of knowledge about each-other, even stuck in legend and superstition, notably when contacts are rare. Sometimes it's at the core of imperialist annihilation, as the Spanish Conquistadores intentionally crushed the pagan Precolumbian cultures but ironically in the process left precious rare records of largely destroyed Inca, Aztec and Maya empire heritages. Complex relationships develop in the course of exploration and colonization, as in Africa. Economical and military rapports tend to lead the way, but also missionary ambition and, diplomacy involve art. Written by KGF Vissers

Throughout art history, achieving radiance by color and light interacting has played major part. Colorite has its own history, linked to the symbolical meaning and material composition of pre-industrial natural (mineral, vegetal or animal) pigment ingredients, sometimes as precious and exotic as Afghan lapis lazuli (for ultramarine), often traded from the Orient, contributing to the wealth and artistic prowess of Venice. On the other hand, claire-obscure dominates certain traditions, notably Gothic architecture suggesting uplifting toward Heaven, which combines it with radiant stained glass and artists, like El Greco's dark depiction of grim times. Written by KGF Vissers

The world changed as it adopted the principles of Enlightenment -especially after the American and French revolutions- and was physically transformed by industrialization, stressing reason (science), technology and profit. Bonaparte's conquest of Egypt stirred the Western fascination for it and started an escapist fashion of Orientalism, albeit largely a fantasy version of a romanticized East, while colonies enabled continuous confrontations in reality, in Peruvian-French Gauguin's case a never-ending sequence of frustrations even on paradisiac Tahiti. As a substitute for the Ancient history of the Old World, art schools in the New were fascinated by native American cultures, landscape and wildlife. Photography would impose harsh, vulgar realism, pioneers deviated from traditional technique and POV to create new, less aesthetic styles like expressionism. Written by KGF Vissers

Not Available