2020

Hokusai was a painter during Japan's two centuries of self imposed isolation. He painted in the ukiyo e style which was quite popular with the rising merchant class. Ukiyo e paintings were reproduced as wood boack prints in large numbers. "The Great Wave" is part of a series of 35 views of Mount Fuji painted later in Hokusai's life. It represents the Japanese fear of the outside world showing the waters that had protected them in the past turning against them.

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S2.E8 ∙ Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night: Great Art Explained

Tue, Jun 29, 2021

Vicent Van Gogh was fortunate to be committed to the mental Asylum at Saint-Rémy which had a progressive director who allowed him to paint as therapy. This approach was very nurturing to Van Gogh and in his seven year painting career produced over 850 oil paintings and more than a thousand other works of art.

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S2.E9 ∙ Nighthawks by Edward Hopper: Great Art Explained

Thu, Jul 22, 2021

Painted shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the Nighthawk's mood of social isolation and dread my seem to reflect the feelings of the nation. But it is a common theme of Hopper's work. He was a man who felt isolated himself and his unhappy marriage is reflected in the disconnected couples he often painted.

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S2.E10 ∙ SPIRAL JETTY BY Robert Smithson: GREAT ART EXPLAINED

Mon, Aug 23, 2021

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S2.E11 ∙ The Kiss by Gustav Klimt: Great Art Explained

Mon, Oct 04, 2021

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S2.E12 ∙ Mona Lisa (Full Length) by Leonardo da Vinci: Great Art Explained

Wed, Nov 03, 2021

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S2.E13 ∙ Great Art Cities Explained: London

Thu, Nov 18, 2021

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S2.E14 ∙ Salvador Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory': Great Art Explained

Thu, Dec 09, 2021

Ingrigued by Sigmund Freud's concepts of the subconscious Salvadore Dali said his art was inspired by his dreams. I order to recall more dreams he had a process to awaken himself when he fell into a dream state. But he was also inspired by the works of other artists. Although his paintings are surrealist they are also photo-realistic which was Dali's unique style.

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