'How Art Made the World,' a Five-Part Documentary Series Co-Produced by KCET and the BBC, Premieres June 26, on PBS

'How Art Made the World,' a Five-Part Documentary Series Co-Produced by KCET and the BBC, Premieres June 26, on PBS

Acclaimed Cambridge University Lecturer Nigel Spivey Leads Viewers on a Fascinating Journey Through the History of Visual Imagery and Its Impact on the World Today

LOS ANGELES, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- "How Art Made the World," a lively and provocative investigation into the far-reaching influence of art on society, will air over five consecutive Mondays beginning June 26, (10-11 p.m.) on PBS.

Co-produced by KCET and the BBC, the series is hosted by acclaimed art historian and University of Cambridge lecturer Dr. Nigel Spivey, who takes viewers on a quest to comprehend mankind's unique capacity to understand and explain the world through artistic symbols. Speaking in colorful, non-technical language and aided by state-of-the-art computer graphics, Spivey explores the latest thinking by historians, neuroscientists and psychologists regarding the deep-seated and universal human desire to create art.

Each one-hour episode begins with a modern-day mystery which Spivey seeks to untangle through examinations of some of the most exquisite artifacts ever discovered. Combining aspects of history, archeology, forensics, sociology and aesthetics, Spivey leads an extraordinary video expedition that spans 100,000 years and five continents: from the vast galleries of prehistoric art in the caves of Altamira and Lascaux, to astonishing Native American and African rock paintings, to the treasures of Ancient Egypt and Classical Greece, right up to the pop culture and advertising imagery that bombards us in the digital age.

Far more than a survey of art history, "How Art Made the World" explores the essential functions art served in early civilizations and, in some cases, still serves in modern society. Beyond that, the series seeks answers to such vexing questions as: What made our ancient ancestors create art in the first place? What are the forces that subconsciously guide the artist's hand? Why, from the very beginning, have we preferred images of the human body with distorted or exaggerated features?

"The essential premise of the show," says Spivey, "is that of all the defining characteristics of humanity as a species, none is more basic than the inclination to make art. Great apes will smear paint on canvas if they are given brushes and shown how, but they do not instinctively produce art any more than parrots produce conversation. We humans are alone in developing the capacity for symbolic imagery."

In fact, scientists have found growing evidence that our brains are "hardwired" for art and that the shapes, colors and structures inherent in art originate deep within our collective psyche. The series uses the latest research to investigate the biological, social and political forces behind major artistic movements of the past. Spivey then demonstrates how these great turning points in art have reverberated down through the centuries to define the visual landscape we now inhabit.

The series' production team includes Mary Mazur, executive producer for KCET, executive producer Kim Thomas (BBC), series producer Mark Hedgecoe (BBC), Karen Hunte, executive in charge of production (KCET), and Megan Callaway, producer of European co-productions (KCET). Mazur's most recent credits include the powerful six-part documentary "Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State," which was also a KCET/BBC co-production, and the acclaimed drama series "PBS Hollywood Presents." Executive producer Kim Thomas has won five Emmy Awards(R), several Golden Eagles and the New York Festival Award. Her films include "George Elliot: A Scandalous Life," "In Search of the Brontes," "Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster" and the upcoming BBC miniseries "The Impressionists." Hedgecoe has won awards at the New York Film Festival, Montreal's Festival of Telescience and CRNS Festival International du Scoop et du Journalisme Scientifique. Among his credits are "Walking with the Cavemen" and "Mega Tsunami (Horizon Strand)."

Photos are available online at http://pressroom.pbs.org/. For further information, please contact:

Leah Krantzler
Jennifer Garnick
The Lippin Group/LA
(323) 965-1990
lkrantzler@lippingroup.comjgarnick@lippingroup.com

Source: KCET

CONTACT: Leah Krantzler, lkrantzler@lippingroup.com, or Jennifer
Garnick, jgarnick@lippingroup.com, both of The Lippin Group/LA,
+1-323-965-1990, for KCET

Web site: http://pressroom.pbs.org/

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