How to understanding Jackson Pollock. Learn about the man who shook the art world and came to symbolize the American spirit and even freedom itself.   Jackson Pollock is a difficult artist for many to appreciate. Understanding his influences & artistic process is key to understanding and enjoyment. Pollock was an artist fascinated with myth, and poetically, became a myth himself. The art of Jackson Pollock explained...

A brilliant artist at the height of his powers. A cautionary tale about the power of art. A tale of murder and martyrdom. Jacques-Louis David was a court painter turned radical revolutionary. "The Death of Marat" is painting made for the modern world.  Jacques-Louis David was the leading painter in France working in the neoclassical style.  His paintings would become emblems of the French Revolution, representing both the high ideals and the carnage.    

Opening Song: Les Enfants de L'autodestruction by Gwawl

The discovery at Sutton Hoo unlocked the darkest medieval age in Europe. The 1400 year old helmet was discovered in 1939 by Basil Brown on the estate of Edith Pretty in Suffolk, England.  This art history video discusses the impact the Sutton Hoo discovery had on our understanding of Anglo Saxon culture and provides a description of the helmet’s construction and symbolism.

References: The Anglo Saxons by James Campbell Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel The Inheritance of Rome by Chris Wickham The Anglo-Saxon World by Nicholas J. Higham An Eye for Odin? Divine Role-Playing in the Age of Sutton Hoo by Neil Price and Paul Mortimer The British Museum: www.britishmuseum.org

A colossus for the modern era. The Statue of Liberty represents America's promise of liberty to all its citizens.   This episode looks at the lofty political and artistic inspirations behind the statue as well as France's motivations for gifting the statue to the United States.

The 7th century gold buckle found at Sutton Hoo is one of the great treasures of early medieval Europe.

A quick take on Picasso's groundbreaking 1907 painting (Les Demoiselles d'Avignon) that changed the course of art history. Presented by Spencer Rabin who teaches art history and art appreciation at Union County College in New Jersey.