How to Look at and Understand Great Art

Season 1, Episode 2: Where Am I? Point of View and Focal Point

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Explore how point of view—the artist's positioning of the viewer with respect to the image—works in painting and sculpture, paying particular attention to differences in angle and spatial relation. Then, continue with focal point, or the artist's centering of attention on a key area of the work.

All Episodes - Season 1

The Importance of First Impressions
Episode 1
The Importance of First Impressions
 Where Am I? Point of View and Focal Point
Episode 2
Where Am I? Point of View and Focal Point
 Color—Description, Symbol, and More
Episode 3
Color—Description, Symbol, and More
 Line—Description and Expression
Episode 4
Line—Description and Expression
 Space, Shape, Shade, and Shadow
Episode 5
Space, Shape, Shade, and Shadow
 Seeing the Big Picture—Composition
Episode 6
Seeing the Big Picture—Composition
 The Illusion—Getting the Right Perspective
Episode 7
The Illusion—Getting the Right Perspective
 Art That Moves Us—Time and Motion
Episode 8
Art That Moves Us—Time and Motion
 Feeling with Our Eyes—Texture and Light
Episode 9
Feeling with Our Eyes—Texture and Light
 Drawing—Dry, Liquid, and Modern Media
Episode 10
Drawing—Dry, Liquid, and Modern Media
 Printmaking—Relief and Intaglio
Episode 11
Printmaking—Relief and Intaglio
 Modern Printmaking—Planographic
Episode 12
Modern Printmaking—Planographic
 Sculpture—Salt Cellars to Monuments
Episode 13
Sculpture—Salt Cellars to Monuments
 Development of Painting—Tempera and Oils
Episode 14
Development of Painting—Tempera and Oils
 Modern Painting—Acrylics and Assemblages
Episode 15
Modern Painting—Acrylics and Assemblages
 Subject Matters
Episode 16
Subject Matters
 Signs—Symbols, Icons, and Indexes in Art
Episode 17
Signs—Symbols, Icons, and Indexes in Art
 Portraits—How Artists See Others
Episode 18
Portraits—How Artists See Others
 Self-Portraits—How Artists See Themselves
Episode 19
Self-Portraits—How Artists See Themselves
 Landscapes—Art of the Great Outdoors
Episode 20
Landscapes—Art of the Great Outdoors
 Putting It All Together
Episode 21
Putting It All Together
 Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
Episode 22
Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
 Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
Episode 23
Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
 High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
Episode 24
High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
 Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
Episode 25
Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
 Going Baroque—North versus South
Episode 26
Going Baroque—North versus South
 18th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
Episode 27
18th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
 Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
Episode 28
Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
 From Realism to Impressionism
Episode 29
From Realism to Impressionism
 Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
Episode 30
Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
 Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
Episode 31
Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
 Cubism—An Experiment in Form
Episode 32
Cubism—An Experiment in Form
 Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
Episode 33
Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
 Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
Episode 34
Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
 Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer
Episode 35
Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer
 Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!
Episode 36
Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!
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