An overview of the best documentaries on artists

Simon Schama’s, Power of Art is a three disc set that explores eight key figures of Western Art. The series is by far the best produced, most insightful, and well told of any art series I have yet to see. Schama is a passionate story-teller, capturing our attention at the beginning of each segment with a dramatic presentation of a particular work by the featured artist. After rousing the viewer’s interest with the premise of a mystery, Schama then takes the viewer back to an earlier time in the artist’s life, eventually tying it in with the original work. Through keen observations, he skillfully weaves the chronicles of both art and artist.

There are several other factors that make this series so compelling. For starters, Schama has chosen a wide variety of artists whose careers collectively span from the Italian Renaissance through the Modern Art era: Disc 1 features Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Rembrandt van Rijn; Disc 2 with Jacques-Louis David, Joseph Mallord William Turner and Vincent Van Gogh; and Disc 3 has Pablo Picasso and Mark Rothko.

In addition to the diverse assemblage of artists, what makes Power Of Art more intriguing relative to other documentaries within the genre is that it provides an acute viewpoint, enabling the viewer to dig deeper into details without being overwhelmed by them. Each artist’s unique story focuses on a single work (and in one case, a single series of works) that the viewer may or may not be familiar with. Other documentaries tend to offer more expansive narratives complicated by amassed events, romances, characters, and larger bodies of work. This comprehensive perspective often leads to ambiguous and dry presentations. Power Of Art, on the contrary, offers a smart and stimulating approach not only for those new to art history but for seasoned art connoisseurs as well.

Schama’s verbal descriptions are supported with cropped shots and close-ups focusing on the nuances of each work of art. This, coupled with full-view images of the work, really provides the viewer with an intimate look of the artwork, making up for the inability to see it first-hand. The biographies are further augmented by occasional character acting and on-location scenes that really help the viewer immerse visually into the artist’s world.

An interesting point to mention is though Schama certainly respects all the artists and work shown here, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is necessarily fond of all of them. That said, he never lets his own opinions get in the way of revealing each individual’s significance in the greater context of art and history.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, learning more about artists I wasn’t all that familiar with while discovering more still about those I thought I knew a great deal of. Simon Schama’s passion for art is contagious. Power Of Art is a must-see artist documentary.