How Art Made The World

How Art Made The World, released on PBS in 2005, is an engrossing five-part documentary series that takes viewers on a global journey through human history to explore the fundamental role of visual art in shaping our civilization. This stimulating narrative is guided by renowned British art historian and professor Dr. Nigel Spivey of the University of Cambridge. Equipped with an infectious enthusiasm and vast knowledge, Spivey skillfully deconstructs the complex language of images and shows how art, since the genesis of humanity, has been an intrinsic element of our cultural DNA.

The series is grounded in the belief that the human propensity for image-making is what has fundamentally set us apart from all other mammals. As the title suggests, the program explores how arts have not only influenced but shaped the course of human development, constantly influencing how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Each episode dissects a unique central theme to delve into the enduring impact of visual culture on human life while rolling out a panoramic view of world history's significant moments observed through the lens of art.

Over five one-hour episodes, How Art Made The World takes viewers far and wide. It traverses vivid ancient cave paintings in France, monumental structures in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, depicted dramas from the Bible, intricate Pre-Columbian sculptures in Mesoamerica, to modern advertising images bombarding 21st-century audiences. The documentary intersperses this visual feast with interviews with leading art theorists, historians, psychologists, and cognitive scientists, providing multiple perspectives on the role of images in society.

The series opens with 'More Human than Human,' which delves into the perennial fascination with exaggeration in art, questioning why humans have, since prehistoric times, consistently depicted the world around them in distorted and stylized visuals. It suggests that our instinctual preference for specific visual traits has influenced the concepts of beauty exaggerated in art forms throughout history.

'Once Upon A Time' assessively brushes upon the transformative power of stories, the compelling narratives that have sculpted human behavior, and their influence on art. The third episode, 'The Art of Persuasion,' delves into the relationship between art, politics, and propaganda, demonstrating how images have been used as powerful tools to manipulate public perception, from the colossal statues of the Egyptian Pharaohs to modern political advertising.

The penultimate episode, 'To Death and Back,' quite intriguingly explores societies' obsessive pictorial representation of death and afterlife, extensively a manifestation of human fear and hopes induced by the inevitable end. The series concludes with 'The Day Pictures Were Born,' skillfully transporting viewers back around 35,000 years to the creation of the first known images, the inception point of the art-history chronicle itself.

How Art Made The World incorporates the concepts of evolutionary biology, psychology, and massive archaeological evidence to coalesce a broad and complex synthesis of art’s relevance across history. Every episode effortlessly balances the historical narrative with the intellectual premise, making it an accomplished piece of historical storytelling and an invigorating scientific exploration. It unfurls the profound idea that art and our human instinct to express through imagery is not merely a cultural phenomenon, but an evolutionary trait deeply rooted in the origins and advancement of Homo Sapiens.

From the early cave artists to today's creatives devising commercials, the series validate that the compulsive human drive to communicate visually is influenced by shared biological responses, societal norms, and political contexts across time and geography. It cultivates a new appreciation for the world of images enveloping us by peeling back the layers of time to reveal the pulsating heart of humanity's unique ability to express itself through art.

Highly informative and visually immersive, How Art Made The World is a thought-provoking exploration of art's significant but frequently unacknowledged impact on the evolution of human society. It stimulates critical reflection on our pre-existing ideas about art and its function, inspiring an enriched understanding that goes beyond the conventional aesthetic appreciation.

The series, which marries quality storytelling with academic rigor, offers an engaging and illuminating watch for a wide audience range— from casual viewer to art connoisseur, history buffs to students. The thought-provoking premises, expert insights, modern production value, and Dr. Spivey's charismatic presentation merge seamlessly to create an unforgettable analytical voyage that elucidates how, indeed, art has made our world.