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The episodes outlines how this early Rothko work was completed in order to fulfil a commission for the Four Seasons in New York. Rothko withheld the work from installation at the restaurant, as he did not want his work as background to the wealthy. Schama outlines the inspirations surrounding Rothko and this work, specifically outlining his upbringing as a Russian emigrant. Rothko initially gained inspiration as an abstract expressionist. Heavily influenced by philosophy and mythology, these two influences culminated in Rothko using colour to form a different medium, liberating colour from the objects, so that objects no longer have colour, but the painting as a whole, does (Topu 9).

Ye’s report details the artistic premise of the documentary, examining individual episodes and the production details utilised.

As an accredited art researcher and filmmaker, Topu’s work was published under the title of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the number two university in India (Nirf, 2020) a university in India which leads in the liberal arts.

Polinedrio writes more about Caravaggio himself, rather than Schamas’s documentary (although does reference it occasionally), exploring the context of the painting within his lifestyle.

Published by the Sydney Morning Herald, John McDonald’s review of Schama’s work examines the work from a critical point of view, adding depth to the release and reception section of the documentary.

It is a credible source as only professional film critics (experts in their field) are allowed to give ratings on the website, these are people who work at journaling institutions where work is constantly edited and peer-reviewed. Answers to Module 7 Questions


 * Describe your media
 * It is a photo of Simon Schama taken on the 12th March, 2010, taken while he is sitting at a table at the New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week 2010
 * Is it your own work (Links to an external site.)?
 * No.
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 * Jpeg.
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 * I have not chosen any, the license attached to the photo is the Creative Commons 2.0 (Flickr)
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 * One regarding art history and Simon Schama.
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 * The file is one that is under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license and consists of Simon Schama sitting at a table during the New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week 2010. It is a jpeg file.

Formatting and citing actual research:

Production
The Power of Art by Simon Schama was released in 2006. It was produced and directed by Clare Beavan, in conjunction with BBC. The series is produced in chronological order from Caravaggio (David with the Head of Goliath, 1610) as the first episode, to Rothko (Black on Maroon, 1958) as the last artist. Schama used a variety of cinematic techniques to impress upon the viewer the context surrounding the artist, to explain artistic work through language. .The host wants to put viewers into the situations that these artists were facing at the time of painting their works. In some episodes, the series incorporated actors to re-enact or re-envision the moments or context that surrounded the artist when painting the selected artwork.

In these re-enactment scenes Paul Popplewell played Caravaggio, Van Gogh was performed by Andy Serkis and Mark Rothko played by Allan Corduner.

Release and Reception
The series was generally well-received. In terms of critical reception, John McDonald of the Sydney Morning Herald describes Schama as, “Like a Hollywood director, he has the ability to turn the most humdrum aspects of an artist's biography into high adventure.”. Christopher Smith of Bangor Daily News (Maine) posted to Rotten Tomatoes that, “If there's a criticism of the set, it's of Schama himself, who favours a heavy pen.” Smith also states, “Still, sift through the wordplay and the padding, and what you find is a mind bright with insight.” In terms of numerical reviews, IMDb (with a total number of ratings of 994) rated the series 8.6 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a rating of 93% (with a total number of ratings of 40).

1. Caravaggio (David with the Head of Goliath)
The host looked at what made Caravaggio paint this work and the message Caravaggio intended to show in his work. The episode reveals to viewers that Caravaggio was charged with murder and became a criminal, with Schama suggesting that this led to the darker themes found in his work. He details that the artwork’s intended message was as a plea for forgiveness from the Pope to remove the death by decapitation sentencing that Caravaggio had received following the murder of Ranuccio Tomassoni in 1606.

2. Bernini (Ecstasy of St Theresa)
The work was constructed in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome over a five year period between 1647-1652, depicting Teresa of Àvila. The narrator describes that he sought to portray the Saint’s overpowering joy or ecstasy in her servitude to God. The influence behind such a work came as a result of Bernini’s passion and devout belief in Christianity. This religious belief saw him place the work at the back of the chapel and construct a hidden window above where rays of sunlight dawned on the marble sculpture so as to give it a heavenly, religious touch.

3. Rembrandt (The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilius)
Schama outlines that the painting was commissioned by the Amsterdam City Council for the new Town Hall (Cavalli-Björkman, Görel, and Margaretha Rossholm-Lagerlöf 135-136). It was originally appointed to Govert Flinck who died before the project was undertaken. The project was then divided up, with Rembrandt being commissioned to paint a scene from the rebellion of the Batavians (former inhabitants of Holland) against the Romans. The host notes, the work was painted after the death of his wife and three of his children, describing that the etched, darker brush work was influenced by this. This style was also common of the Baroque period and Rembrandt’s style as a whole.

4. David (Death of Marat)
The artwork was as a tribute to his late friend and French Revolution leader, Jean-Paul Marat, who had been murdered by Charlotte Corday. The stylistic features of the work incorporated the history of Roman and Greek empires. This was to symbolise to the people of French Revolution that a future similar to these empires lay in front of them. While also forewarning what a misuse of freedom could lead to (death of their leader).

5. Turner (The Slave Ship)
Schama outlines the inspiration behind such a painting. Turner was compelled to paint the work after reading The History and Abolition of the Slave Trade by Thomas Clarkson, he learned of the Zong massacre, where in 1781, slaves were ordered to be thrown overboard in order to collect insurance payments. The episode examines development of Turner from a landscape painter to a symbolic expressionist painter, connecting the original landscape and transforming it into a more abstract piece which links together the natural environment. Specifically, it is noted how he transformed the natural environment using water colours, so that, “The storm is partially lulled, and the torn and streaming rain clouds are moving in scarlet lines to lose themselves in the hollow of the night.”

6. Van Gogh (Wheatfield with Crows)
The episode details the affect Van Gogh’s lack of wealth had on his work, where this combined with his undiagnosed epilepsy, saw him end up in a mental asylum. It was here that Van Gogh was inspired to, “Sadness, extreme loneliness,” while also wanting to show what he considered, “Healthy and fortifying about the countryside.”

7. Picasso (Guernica)
Schama outlines how the artwork was crafted in response to the bombing of a defenceless city, Guernica, by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The message intended from the artwork was to exemplify the horrors and damages of war and act as an anti-war symbol.

8. Rothko (Black on Maroon)
This early Rothko work was completed in order to fulfil a commission for the Four Seasons in New York. Schama outlines the inspirations surrounding Rothko and this work. Rothko initially gained inspiration as an abstract expressionist. Heavily influenced by philosophy and mythology, these two influences culminated in Rothko using colour to form a different medium, liberating colour from the objects, so that objects no longer have colour, but the painting as a whole, does.

! scope="row" rowspan="2"| BAFTA TV Awards
 * rowspan="2"| 2007

Production
Filming for the Power of Art by Simon Schama started in October of 2004 and was released in 2006. Schama constructed the series shortly after his previous work, “History of Britain.” The series producer was Clare Beavan, the executive producer was Basil Comely and the show was backed by the BBC. The series is produced in chronological order from Caravaggio (David with the Head of Goliath, 1610) as the first episode, to Rothko (Black on Maroon, 1958) as the last artist. Schama used a variety of cinematic techniques to impress upon the viewer the context surrounding the artist, to explain artistic work through language. (Ye 1) The host aimed to put viewers into the situations that these artists were facing at the time of painting their works. In some episodes, the series incorporated actors to re-enact or re-envision the moments or context that surrounded the artist when painting the selected artwork. In these re-enactment scenes Paul Popplewell played Caravaggio, Van Gogh was performed by Andy Serkis and Mark Rothko played by Allan Corduner.

Idea for the show
Schama was asked to create the series after talks with BBC executives. Initially, Schama suggested that others could take on the role stating, “You should have person X doing it.” (5:16) After listening to Schama’s suggestions for the series BBC appointed Schama to construct the show. The premise or the intended aim of the series was to pull viewers into the surroundings and context of the artist when they were painting their artwork. The aim of the series is described by Schama numerous times in a self-interview regarding the series. First, “Getting you (the viewer) out of the art gallery, out of the harsh world of the acoustic, where a guy tells you how long to stand in front of a painting and when to move on. And plunk you back down into Rome in the 17th century, or Amsterdam or the Spanish Civil War.” (4:10) Further he states that he aimed to make viewers feel the very situations of the painting, “To make the hair stand on the back of your neck, at this moment of panic or crisis, or drama, drama of the creative moment,” (4:30) explaining, “If it’s going to be done, especially if I’m going to do it, the viewer has to suspend disbelief, that’s what we do in writing history.” (5:53) Schama finally surmises the inspiration for creating the show. “What we’re trying to do in this series is to make you all that excited about paintings you may know and may want to look at again, sculptures you may know and want to look at again…We want to make this art as real to you as they were when the paint was still wet or before the marble was polished.” (19:38)

In the self-interview, Schama explains the reason for the structure of the show (why only one artwork was examined). “We knew for this sense of art as a drama to work… we would concentrate on one moment of trouble in the artist’s career, but also one particular work of art. And then we’d loop back from that work of art to explain how the artist got to that moment of trouble. And that freed us completely from having to do a program which covered every single greatest hit.” (10:55) In examining one major work of each artist, Schama required that special cameras were used to allow exclusive angles of the artworks to be captured. This was the case for the Bernini episode where a jib camera was necessary so as to capture his aforementioned intent for the series and, “Feel Bernini making the sculpture, modelling the smile of the angel.” (9:25)