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The Art Assignment
The Case for Surrealism
Season 4
Episode 1
"Surrealism" has become shorthand for the bizarre, the irrational, the hallucinatory. But what IS it? Or what WAS it? Today we delve into the history of Surrealism, as it formed in post-World War I Europe and as it has infiltrated our wider culture up to today. Here's our case for what Surrealism is, and why you should care about it.
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6:24
John Green discusses how Agnes Martin's paintings brilliantly capture emotion.

13:34
A look at "Girl with the Pearl Earring," with the use of innovative technology.

13:34
The good life is on display in 17th Century Dutch and Flemish still life paintings.

10:23
Banksy shredded his artwork the moment after it sold at auction.

17:50
The Diego Rivera mural, Heidelberg Project, MOCA, abandoned buildings, and much more.

10:20
Are artists really more tortured than the rest of us?

11:13
What's the point of making realistic paintings when photography can do the trick?

10:13
This one's in honor of all the art you used to love, and it's creators who behaved badly.

16:23
Let's cook our way through moments in Picasso's life and process our conflicted feelings.

8:17
Let's explore Edouard Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.

10:29
Sometimes art is paintings, and sometimes it's a chair. Why?.

10:50
Have you heard of Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentilschi? She's trending!