Muristek
It may be familiar, but from Giotto to Manet, the extraordinary western religious art filmed for this documentary is a colossal cultural achievement
“We need to understand where we’ve been, in order to understand where we’re going,” says art historian Dr Jennifer Sliwka towards the end of this film about classical western art that focuses on the Easter story, and it neatly sums up the film’s basic proposition. This parade of masterpieces, from the Italian Quattrocento to German expressionism and beyond, speaks for itself as a colossal achievement of western civilisation that, as critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston points out, is predicated around suffering.
In fact the various renditions of the Jesus passion are spectacular in their variety, seen here as they are back to back, and connected by readings from the New Testament. Giotto’s Entry into Jerusalem, Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, Bosch’s Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns), Rembrandt’s The Descent from the Cross, Manet’s The Dead Christ with Angels, Caravaggio’s The Supper at Emmaus; this really is the sharp end of European cultural achievement, and one that is worth restating.
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