BBC Four puts science at the heart of its Autumn/Winter schedule
Art
Art Of Italy Season
The Art Of Italy Season shines a light on some of the powerful individuals who funded, crafted and inspired the masterpieces behind arguably the most influential period in the history of art, changing its course forever.
In Travels With Vasari, Andrew Graham-Dixon goes in search of the world's first art critic. Giorgio Vasari was a complex, humane and entertaining individual whose pen-portraits introduced the idea of artists as celebrities possessing God-given genius.
Using Vasari's book as his guide, Andrew retraces the author's journey through Italy in an attempt to discover the man behind the lives of the artists.
The Medici – The Art Of Making Money explains how a family of humble money-lenders became incredibly rich through banking.
Andrew reveals how the artistic tastes of one grand family, with rivalry and murder jostling alongside the sumptuous works of genius, bankrolled some of the most wonderful art the world has ever seen.
The Perfect House, by director Tim Kirby, marks the quincentenary of the birth of Palladio. The film examines the architect's life, work and legacy and shows how Palladio's ideas have influenced architecture all over the world – from the 18th century stately homes of England to the White House.
TM
Baroque!
A major new three-part series celebrates the importance and impact of Baroque, the first global art movement, as it travelled from Catholic Rome to Protestant London.
Written and presented by Waldemar Januszczak, the series was filmed in locations across Europe and South America.
The first programme looks at the creative energy of the movement as it emerged in Italy.
In the second programme, Waldemar follows the Baroque as it spreads southwards to Spain and the Spanish colonies.
The final instalment looks at the movement's northern journey through Germany and Holland – culminating in its arrival in England and its influence on the architecture of Wren and Hawksmoor and the music of Purcell.
To accompany the series, BBC Four will be showing a selection of related archive material.
TM
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