Simon Schama's Power of Art

Programs on art history are often staid, dry affairs, but that can't be said of this highly dramatic, visually extravagant series hosted by British-born Harvard historian and author Simon Schama (The History of Britain, Rough Crossings). The theme running throughout the eight 50-minute episodes—on Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko—suggests that at certain moments artists produce works of startling originality that inaugurate new stages of visual imagination (this shattering of convention—combined with innate genius—results in artworks that literally become iconic). Schama attempts to capture the passion giving rise to such exceptional works, flamboyantly dramatizing their lives (The Lord of the Rings Gollum star Andy Serkis, for example, plays Van Gogh), while concentrating in each case on one particularly illustrative piece. Simon Schama's Power of Art is a surprisingly vibrant but also idiosyncratic series, very much told from the personal perspective of Schama, who doesn't hesitate to express strong judgments (decrying David's Death of Marat as a lie, or describing Picasso's post-Guernica career as a 30-year decline, for example). Schama's narration is also extremely theatrical, incorporating colloquialisms and catty turns of phrase clearly meant to startle (and in the episode on Rothko, he even introduces a young version of his student self as a character), but Schama's no stuffy tour guide and this is no dull museum visit. DVD extras include audio commentaries (for the episodes on Bernini, David, and Van Gogh), as well as a featurette in which Schama discusses the series' conception. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)