Art Of Western World

Title, artist, medium, and dates. Usually, that's the only information offered by museum placards. But as historian Michael Wood demonstrates, art is so much more than paint on canvas or figures chipped from stone. From the bloody revolution that inspired The Death of Marat to the postwar exuberance of Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, Wood reveals how Western art mirrors Western culture, each work forever reflecting the cultural forces, historical events, and social changes that defined its era.

Beginning in ancient Greece and Rome, historian Michael Wood leads this eye-opening tour through 2500 years of Western art. Four years in the making and filmed at over 150 locations in 8 countries, this nine-part documentary travels from sun-bleached temples to soaring cathedrals, palaces to villas, galleries to gardens, and Soho's streets to the Arizona desert. The fascinating journey is complemented by close-up views of masterpieces, walks through important buildings, and informative commentary by historians and scholars.