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Art of America Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
3 Episodes 2011 - 2011
Episode 1
Looking for Paradise
53 mins
Andrew Graham-Dixon deplores that the Precolombian native cultures I the Americas were annihilated by the European colonists, and mostly inadvertently by epidemics the Indian cultures lacked immunity against, so even what was preserved is usually impossible to appreciate expertly. Colonial art largely aped Europe, albeit generally in the modest price class, and recorded the glory of the New World's nature, and alas its progressive demise of pristine diversity as the West was won and railroads laid the tracks for a rise to wealth heralding the Boston Tea Party conflict leading to the War of Independence. The new nation used art -foremost in the brand new capital- to pose as an equal with great powers, and to cover up injustice, especially towards the gradually chased natives. Finally at recorded the near-suicidal Civil War.
Episode 2
Modern Dreams
52 mins
In part 2 of his exploration of American art, Andrew Graham-Dixon gets under the skin of the modern American metropolis. Starting at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, Andrew discovers how the ambitions of visionary artists and architects helped America remove itself from the shadow of Europe.
Episode 3
What Lies Beneath
53 mins
In the final part of his United States odyssey, Andrew Graham-Dixon feels the pulse of contemporary America. Beginning in Levittown - the first mass-produced suburb - Andrew uncovers the dark side of postwar consumerism and the role artists have played in challenging the status quo.