Search - The Private Life of Masterpieces Collection on DVD

Fun and Fascinating

JEP | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 03/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have seen but a few episodes of this series on the Ovation network. Those few hours were absolutely fascinating. As someone who knows the merest sliver about art, this series taught me so much. What each episode does is focus on one important work of art, like Michaelangelo's "David," and discusses the artist and the art. It shows the development of the piece, the history of the artist, the history of the piece, why it's important, and, most importantly, what you might want to look for if you could see the actual piece.

This is the exciting type of information you would want to know if you went strolling through a museum. Instead of zipping past a piece of art, you'd know to stop and what to look for. Now this may sound dull and dry, but this series (again, at least the few episodes I saw...and rewatched) is amazingly addictive because of its casual narrative, brimming with tons of fascinating information.

I've ordered this set and can't wait to soak it all up. Highly recommended. You'll learn so much."

Best series yet!

Artemisia | Los Angeles | 11/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As professor of Art History I have previewed dozens of art documentaries. This series stands above the others due to its format (40 min. in depth on one work), good overview of other works by the artists, great historical background to put the work in context, and demonstrations of the working process of the artist. I only wish there were more!"

Facinating and Fun!

A. Holland | 06/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a BBC series that devotes each hour episode to a single work of art - but in a fun, engaging, and interesting way. I read a glowing review of it in Entertainment Weekly and was not disappointed in the least. This is an absolutely *must have* for anyone who has an artistic interest and wants to better understand why some works of art are considered masterpieces, what their historical context is, the life of the person who created them, and what has happened to them - physically, culturally - from their creation to now."

Eye Candy for the Art Lover

C. Saxton | Seattle, WA USA | 10/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this after seeing one of the episodes on TV on Bravo or Showcase up in Canada. I was just flipping through channels, "what is this?". Then I waited for it to show up on Amazon.com, not just .uk.
I'm no art major, but I have taken a couple art history classes, and this went into details that put a psycho-social connection to a painting, rather than just studying the brushwork. Each episode feels like a chapter of an artists story that you get a glimpse into, if only for a blink of an eye.
BBC as always does a fantastic job of putting it all together. They've got several art historians who review the paintings, so you listen to a few interpretations. I also appreciated how they show the modern day take of the painting.
I've yet to finish them all, but so far I'm very happy with my purchase."