The Cognitive Revolution
Civilizations
The Cognitive Revolution
Civilizations
Air Date: 04/17/18 | Rating: NR
The cognitive revolution stirred early humanity from its creative slumber, and the images it produced continue to humble even our greatest modern artists, including Pablo Picasso.
The Second Moment of Creation
S1 Ep1 | 53m
Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity.
God and Art
S1 Ep3 | 53m 20s
Consider how religion has inspired art and art has inspired divine representation.
Encounters
S1 Ep4 | 53m 30s
See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time.
Renaissances
S1 Ep5 | 53m 20s
Travel east and west— to Renaissance Italy and the contemporaneous Islamic empires.
Paradise on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 53m
Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature.
Color and Light
S1 Ep7 | 52m 44s
Explore light and color in art in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy.
What Is Art Good For?
S1 Ep9 | 52m 50s
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change.
The Protector of Civilization
S1 Ep1 | 2m 45s
A Syrian museum curator sacrificed his life trying to save artifacts in Palmrya.
An Early Step on the Road to Civilization
S1 Ep1 | 1m 11s
Cave paintings in Castillo Spain represent some of the first paintings made by humans.
The Cognitive Revolution
S1 Ep1 | 1m 49s
The cognitive revolution stirred early humanity from its creative slumber.
The Lady of Brassempouy
S1 Ep1 | 1m 38s
This 25,000 year-old sculpture found in France represents the dawn of the idea of beauty.
The Most Enduring Art Form
S1 Ep2 | 1m 39s
Our compulsion to create images of ourselves is a defining artistic motif of humanity.
Recording Social Norms
S1 Ep2 | 38s
Athenian vase painters recorded and then re-enforced ideas of what wives were meant to do.
God and Art
S1 Ep3 | 30s
Consider how religion has inspired art and art has inspired divine representation.
The Sacred Mountain
S1 Ep3 | 2m 58s
A spectacular place where the symbolism of the sacred mountain is embodied in art.
New Forms of Spirituality
S1 Ep3 | 4m 5s
Art has found new ways to engage with our spiritual impulses.
The Day of the Dead
S1 Ep3 | 1m 42s
The Conquistadors attempted to eradicate all traces of indigenous Mexican culture.
Encounters
S1 Ep4 | 30s
See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time.
Montezuma and Cortes
S1 Ep4 | 4m 8s
The riches intended to buy off the Spanish only intensified their lust for gold.
Paving the Way for Maruyama Okyo’s Masterpiece
S1 Ep4 | 2m 42s
"Cracked Ice" combines everything Okyo knew from both Eastern and Western traditions.
Maria Sibylla’s Encounter with the Natural World
S1 Ep4 | 2m
Maria Sibylla's illustrations brought to light the true life cycle of insects.
Renaissances
S1 Ep5 | 30s
Travel east and west— to Renaissance Italy and the contemporaneous Islamic empires.
Building the Suleymaniye Mosque
S1 Ep5 | 2m 26s
Mimar Sinar always felt destined for something greater than building bridges.
The Madonna Di Loreto
S1 Ep5 | 1m 55s
In Rome, Caravaggio breaks the social and aesthetic rules of his generation.
The Distinction Between Craft and Genius
S1 Ep5 | 2m 3s
The Renaissance creates a contrast between ars and invenio.
Artemisia’s Most Subversive Work
S1 Ep5 | 2m 8s
Artemisia rebels against any notion that women shouldn't speak until spoken to.
Paradise on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 30s
Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature.
Heavenly Paradises on Earth
S1 Ep6 | 55s
In Islamic architecture, landscapes reflect a mastery over the natural world.
Nature Becomes the Story
S1 Ep6 | 3m 1s
Albrecht Altdorfer sidesteps religious conflict by using nature.
Color and Light
S1 Ep7 | 30s
Explore light and color in art in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy.
Three Aspects of the Absolute
S1 Ep7 | 2m 8s
Out of Hindu metaphysics comes the nearest visualisation you can get to of a trance.
Goya’s Harmony and Chaos
S1 Ep7 | 2m 7s
Goya bares witness to the irrational forces unleashed by Napoleon's invasion of Spain.
Japan’s 18th Century Commercial Art Revitalizes Color
S1 Ep7 | 1m 53s
Ukiyo-e demonstrated that every day transitory objects could be considered art.
Venetians Embrace Color Over the Drawn Line
S1 Ep7 | 1m 56s
For Renaissance art theorists, drawing always came before color.
Capturing Unspoiled Landscape
S1 Ep8 | 4m 20s
Thomas Cole regarded the US landscape as being what he called the undefiled work of Gods.
Manet Twists the Conventions of Art
S1 Ep8 | 2m 30s
Edouard Manet created a masterpiece famed as a masterclass in visual subversion.
George Catlin’s Indian Portraits
S1 Ep8 | 2m 18s
Despite his interest in portraiture, Catlin he said the Native Americans must perish.
Otto Dix’s Definitive Artistic Statement
S1 Ep8 | 3m 44s
Otto Dix and his generation had borne witness to the horrors of World War I.
What Is Art Good For?
S1 Ep9 | 30s
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change.
Flights of Fancy
S1 Ep9 | 3m 9s
In December 1942, a Jewish teacher brings art supplies to children held by Nazis.
Mondrian’s New Visual Language
S1 Ep9 | 2m 20s
In the autumn of 1914, Mondrian had an epiphany that would bring true abstraction.
Art from Fiery Immolation
S1 Ep9 | 3m 43s
Some of the strongest contemporary art has the magical power of transformation.
The Multitudes of the Displaced
S1 Ep9 | 1m 43s
For artist Ai Weiwei, the calamity of our time is the disaster of the displaced.
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