Christianity and the Visual Arts

Directed by Carol Reed.
138 minutes; released 1965.
Pope Julius II and the artist Michelangelo disagree with each other about the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Based on the novel by Irving Stone. Starring Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison.

Directed by Jeremiah Munce.
48 minutes; released 2005.
At the age of fifty, Alma Rumball had a vision in which Christ told her to bring a message to the world. Soon after, she began to produce hundreds of mystical, mythical drawings, full of astonishingly vivid detail.

Produced by Driftwood Productions, Inc. and WNED-TV.
62 minutes; released 2005.
Provides a fascinating, emotional, and informative visual tour of some of the greatest houses of worship in the U.S. It is geographically diverse and represents many different faiths. Some buildings are shown for their architecture, history, and beauty.

Produced for the Tretyakov Gallery.
26 minutes; released 1997.
A documentary about the role of icons in traditional Russian Orthodox life based on the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
205 minutes; released 1966.
A 15th-century monk perseveres in painting icons despite the civil disruptions and cruel turmoil of his times. In Russian with English subtitles.

Produced by St. Innocent/Firebird Videos.
18 minutes; released 1991.
A documentary about the Savior-Andronikov Monastery in Moscow and its museum of icons.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2007.
No matter what form visual art takes - as symbolic images carefully drawn on a cave wall, thick colorful oils on wood or canvas, cold stone carved and crafted into an intricate form, or tonal qualities of a single black-and-white photograph - a single constant remains: Art speaks, and to be able to understand its language is to be privy to an artistic conversation thousands of years old - a conversation that will lead you to a better understanding not only of art but also of the time in which it was created and the humans who created it.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2007.
Throughout the 36 lectures of The Art of the Northern Renaissance, Professor Scallen guides you through 200 years of remarkable art and artists. Although the term "the Renaissance" is most commonly associated with an era of artistic bounty in Italy, the massive cultural transformations that were remaking the world were having as significant an impact on art throughout northern Europe as well, and both traditions were highly admired at the time, with significant contact between the two. Italian artists were aware of Northern innovations. Northern artists increasingly traveled to Italy where they were exposed to the art of antiquity as well as the art of Renaissance Italy.

Directed by Murray Grigor.
60 minutes; released 2001.
"The Book of Kells" tells the story of this magnificent masterpiece. Created on the windy Hebridean island of Iona thirteen centuries ago, it now rests in the Trinity College library in Dublin. The manuscript has mystified, and motivated writers from W.B. Yeats to James Joyce and Umberto Eco, and its intricate Celtic knotwork continues to influence artists and craftsmen today.

Directed by Tim King.
58 minutes; released 1986.
The construction of a fictional but representative Gothic cathedral, showing how the building was shaped by cultural and religious forces. Hosted by David Macaulay.

Directed by Michael Gill et al.
30-minute programs; released 1969.
Art historian Sir Kenneth Clark examines the breadth of Western European culture, defining what he considers to be the crucial phases of its development. This lavish series was hailed as a masterpiece when it was broadcast in 1969.

Directed by Ben McPherson.
60 minutes; released 2001.
A documentary about the 92 illustrations produced by Sandro Botticelli to accompany an edition of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.

Directed by David Grubin.
90 minutes; released 1990.
Journalist Bill Moyers travels to Florence to explore how the city's rich Reniassance legacy affects the way people think and feel today. Features the frescoes of Massaccio and Masolino, the sculpture of Donatello, Ghiberti and Michaelangelo, and the architecture of Brunelleschi.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2007.
"In this course, internationally recognized Michelangelo expert, author, and professor William E. Wallace provides a fresh and insightful perspective on the life and work of Michelangelo, even including the Master's poetry. The 36 lectures feature more than 900 visuals, including stunning reproductions of the his sculptures, paintings, and architecture, as well as rough sketches, preparatory drawings, and photographs of the places he lived and worked" --Publisher's website.

Directed by Andy Thomas.
50 minutes; released 1994.
A documentary about the architecture of Gothic cathedrals including Notre Dame in Paris, Notre Dame in Chartres, and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2004.
Course of 36 lectures introduces the art of the Italian Renaissance.

Directed by L. Schwartz.
498 minutes; released 1992.
An 18-part series covering world history through the medium of the art on display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Directed by Nicholas J. Furris.
57 minutes; released 1989.
Filmed at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, this documentary focuses on icons as objects of religious worship and artistic achievement.

Directed by Harry Rasky.
90 minutes; released 1977.
A documentary portrait of the Russian painter Marc Chagall, with photographs of over 300 of his paintings, murals and stained-glass windows. Also includes interviews with the artist and his wife.

Directed by Robin Dashwood et al.
58-minute episodes; released 2005.
A series about how the first big artistic discoveries were made and how they have cascaded down the centuries to define the look of the present day.

Directed by Perry Wolff.
52 minutes; released 2001.
Traces the various ways in which Jesus has been portrayed in art from the fourth century to the present day. Documents the wooden icons from the Eastern church, the stained glass windows of the great cathedrals, fresco paintings, woodcuts on paper, silk paintings from the east, by famous and unknown artists.

Directed by Peter Kershaw.
26 minutes; released 1997.
A documentary about this seventh century illuminated manuscript. Part of the Memorable Leaders in Christianity series.

Directed by Rodolphe Caron.
52 minutes; released 2008.
Nun and professional sculptor Marie Hélène Allain describes how she has united her spirituality with her art.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2008.
A nation's identity is expressed through its art. Great painters capture the essence of a culture's brightest hopes, deepest anxieties, and most profound aspirations. They provide an aesthetic road map to a nation's history, recording the lives - and reflecting the personality - of its people. But all too often, Americans themselves are unfamiliar with the great artistic legacy of their own country. Many of us study the great artists of Europe—Leonardo and Rubens, Degas and Monet—but neglect the remarkable painters of our own national tradition.

Directed by Justin Hardy.
220 minutes; released 2003.
A documentary about the Florentine family who helped ignite the Renaissance in Italy. In English.

Directed by Barbara F. Freed.
67 minutes; released 2003.
A documentary about the relationship between Henri Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie, the woman who inspired him to create the Chapel of the Rosary in the village of Vence.

Directed by Jon Leven.
30-minute lectures; released 2006.
This series of lectures introduces the greatest of universal museums. Its aim is not comprehensive. The focus is narrowed to just one of the seven curatorial departments of the Louvre: the single most famous, the Department of Paintings, which is responsible for European paintings from the Middle Ages until the mid-19th century. These works of art form an encyclopedic summary of the achievements of painters that can be called the single most important such collection in the world. Alone, they require a day of walking to survey adequately; the aim of these lectures is to both prepare new viewers for this visit and to be a "study aid" for those who have been and gone before.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2008.
In these 24 visually rich, half-hour lectures, Professor Brettell takes you through The Metropolitan Museum of Art from front to back, from bottom to top, introducing practically every department in the museum. Each is a museum unto its own, representing one of the world's finest collections in its field. You will see an astonishing number of works - more than 400 in all - focusing on Professor Brettell's favorites, and in the process touching on virtually all of the best-known pieces in the museum, and many more besides. His is a personal tour, driven by his enthusiasm and a ceaseless curiosity to see riches of The Metropolitan Museum of Art unknown even to him.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2009.
The rise of French art: Poussin and Claude; Flemish masters: Rubens and Van Dyck; A golden age of Spanish painting; Dutch history, portraiture, genre scenes; Dutch still lifes, townscapes, landscapes; The genius of Rembrandt -- Venetian and Spanish masters, c. 1740-1820; The charms of 18th-century French painting; British painting comes of age; British and French masters, c. 1785-1860; Impressionism in France; Post-impressionism: The story of the National Gallery, London, etc.

Directed by Brian W. Scott.
30 minutes; released 2003.
A documentary about the history, art and spirituality of nativity scenes.

Directed by Martin Johnson.
57 minutes; released 2006.
An examination of paintings, mosaics, and sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Narrated by Jane Seymour.

Produced by DominICON.
75 minutes; released 2007.
Fr. Brendan McAnerney introduces Western Christians to the art, spirituality, history and tradition of "holy iconography" as practiced in the churches of the East.

Directed by David Nunn.
40 minutes; released 1999.
Host Nunn takes viewers to Turkey on a tour of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation chapters 2-3.

Directed by Clare Beavan et al.
400 minutes; released 2006.
Simon Schama introduces eight major artists: Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko.

Directed by David Kremer.
58 minutes; released 2006.
Sister Wendy Beckett and Dr. George Pattison conduct a tour of the King's College Chapel, Cambridge, and provide explanations of the significance of the stained glass windows in the chapel.

Directed by Tim Lewis.
23-minute episodes; released 2005.
A guide to the Donovan Collection of contemporary Canadian art with spiritual themes owned by St Michael’s.

Directed by Aurélien Bouchard.
60-minute episodes; released 1993.
A step-by-step instructional tool on the process of creating traditional Byzantine icons.

Directed by Nino Criscenti.
30-minute programs; released 2002.
A series about the rich artistic history of Tuscany, including works by Cimabue, Giotto, Duccio, Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Angelico, and Michelangelo.

Directed by Luca De Mata.
410 minutes; released 1995.
An overview of the Vatican Museums and of five hundred years of papal art collecting.

Produced by DOM multimedia and Kultur International Films.
45 minutes; released 1999.
A documentary about the life and work of the 17th-century Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer.