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The Cult of Progress

The Cult of Progress

Season 1 Episode 8
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Civilizations Season 1

What Is Art Good For?

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Art in Darkness

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Otto Dix's Definitive Artistic Statement

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Civilizations

Color and Light

Season 1 Episode 7

Explore the story of light and color in art - both in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy. Journey from Gothic cathedrals and Indian courtly painting to modern art.

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4/1/2026
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Civilizations Season 1
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52:50
Season 1 Episode 9
What Is Art Good For?
Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change.
The Cult of Progress
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53:18
Season 1 Episode 8
The Cult of Progress
Examine the rise and fall of “progress” as an ideology.
Paradise on Earth
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53:00
Season 1 Episode 6
Paradise on Earth
Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature.
Renaissances
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53:20
Season 1 Episode 5
Renaissances
Travel east and west— to Renaissance Italy and the contemporaneous Islamic empires.
Encounters
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53:30
Season 1 Episode 4
Encounters
See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time.
God and Art
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53:20
Season 1 Episode 3
God and Art
Consider how religion has inspired art and art has inspired divine representation.
How Do We Look?
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53:20
Season 1 Episode 2
How Do We Look?
Explore how we look at the human body in art.
The Second Moment of Creation
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53:00
Season 1 Episode 1
The Second Moment of Creation
Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity.
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