Calendar

This series of 10 half-hour programs shows how a painted image echos the spirit of its time and relates to a particular historic event. It reveals the poetic, sociological and political potential of the picture by penetrating inside the painting and examine the underlining details, thanks to work of computer graphics which livens up characters, objects and sets. Each film tells a fascinating story of a creator and the painting process.

Las Meninas (1656) by Diego Velázquez

27 min

During the golden age of the Spanish empire artist Diego Velázquez served as the official painter for they royal court of King Phillip IV and his family. In 1656 he completed "Las Meninas", a portrait with a unique composition and a mysterious subject that has since become revered as a masterpiece.  This episode of Smart Secrets of Great Paintings anaylzes and unlocks many of the clues hidden within Velázquez's celebrated portrait.

The Moneylender and His Wife (1514) by Quentin Metsys

27 min

16th century Antwerp was rather like 1950s New York. The city of craftsmen and fishermen at the entrance to the North Sea became a leading finance hub, facilitated by European exploration and new trade routes. This work by Quentin Metsys is a subtle criticism of that world and its era, warning about the flow of money when it is detached from all forms of religious and moral considerations. This film examines the influences of Jan Van Eyck and Leonardo Da Vinci on the work; analyzes composition, painting technique, and object symbolism; and outlines events that would lead to the Dutch Revolt.