Every Picture Tells A Story

Decoding this tension-packed painting requires searching beyond the artist'scontemporaries and exploring little-known tales from Greek mythology.
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Length: 23:00
Posted: 7/23/2009

With characteristic wit, art critic Waldemar Januszczak turns his educated eye to eightmasterpieces of European painting, unraveling the secrets behind each. What did Gainsborough intend for the conspicuous void in Mr and Mrs Andrews? Why did Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa capture the world's imagination? How did Manet shock French society with his Le d?jeuner sur l'herbe ("Luncheon on the Grass")? From New York City to Paris to Rome, Januszczak searches out the art experts, literary and artistic allusions,and historical records--not to mention juicy gossip--to expose long-held secrets within the gilded frames. Works by Botticelli, Rembrandt, Giorgione, Caravaggio, and van Eyck also take on new and deeper meanings in this lively, engaging eight-part series.
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Posted: 6/27/2009

Luncheon on the Grass created a scandal when Manet showed it in 1863. The storybehind the painting proves even more scandalous.
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Length: 25:00
Posted: 6/27/2009

A simple wedding portrait? The artistic testimony to a disputed marriage? A religiousallegory? A bold new interpretation answers this painting's many mysteries.
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Length: 24:00
Posted: 6/25/2009