The Renaissance Unchained, BBC 4, 9pm, 15 Feb.

[Stanley Stewart]

A propitious start to a promising series after a weekend when BBC 4 also screened the 2012 French version of Mauriac's 1927 novel, Therese Desqueyroux, with Audrey Tautou's enigmatic mastery of fleeting feelings as the antiheroine. I intend to partner this feature on DVD, with Part I of The Renaissance Unchained and the splendour of Botticelli's Venus which followed. I quickly connected to WJ's presentation once I grasped his tendency to comment 'by numbers' - as some actors also perform by numbers - but his passion and understanding of his subject overrode a lack of elegance which, say, the late Paul Scofield, would have brought to the presentation. WJ a genuine one-off with a rare presence, too.

[Nick Armstrong]

WJ a genuine one-off with a rare presence, too.

(I'll stop knocking him now, content in the knowledge that Mr & Mrs Corrigan and I form a select minority!)




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[Serial_Apologist]

Indeed- Waldemar is also very funny.


But don't forget Pugin, for whom God's original absence from Greek architecture damned it utterly. See his Contrasts for examples of Gothic architecture (good) contrasted with Renaissance (self-evidently bad):

https://www.fulltable.com/vts/c/contd/im/06.jpg

http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/images/uploads/contrasts_thumb.jpg

(Looks as though Waldemar has given up the huge bulbous rings!)

And there was me thinking you were in some obscure way referring to tree rings! Never mind: I'll leave my original post where it is!

I really must get my old VHS tapes of the 10-episode TV series from 1994 titled "Nature Perfected", which was a wonderful seriesdevoted to the history of gardening and landscaping... which btw had a good attempt at appropriately pastiched music to accompany, including some superb pseudo-Lully for the second episode titled "Japan to Versailles".

Which came first (if one can presumptuously distinguish for a moment) - architecture (as in buildings) or landscaping (agri/horticulture) also asks for consideration when it comes to music, and my guess would be that "Renaissance music" is probably viewed as a suborder, rather than leader in terms of cultural changes. But then I'm thinking as examples: Impressionist paintings (1860s?) - Impressionist music (Debussy's "L'apres-midi d'un faun", 1893). To my limited historical mind music always lags behind the rest of the arts.

Thanks for the link to the Saturday Classics, which I missed, jean.

[johncorrigan]

(I'll stop knocking him now, content in the knowledge that Mr & Mrs Corrigan and I form a select minority!)




.

I think I can safely speak on behalf of my good lady wife that we are delighted to remain part of that select minority, Cal...he's had his chances over the years and blew them.

[Daniel]

A glorious breath of fresh air. I hugely enjoyed the first episode and look forward to the rest. I loved the blend of light-hearted presentation style with really informative content.

Agreed. I found him delightful, intelligent and felt greatly enriched by his musings. As well as his love of the art, he was able to make all sorts of cultural and historical contexts leap out as vividly as the Durer watercolours that made him go so weak-kneed*.

*Edit - so weak-kneed he had to lie down in an Alpine meadow to mention them

[mangerton]

Not being particularly interested in, or knowledgeable about, art, I hadn't come across WJ before. In spite of the Cali and Corri conglomeration's comments, I thought I'd give this series a try. I recorded last night's episode, and watched it this evening. Yes, he is..... idiosyncratic?..... but still.

I must say I'm glad I did. That is, I'm glad I recorded and watched, as I found myself pausing and rewinding to look at the detail in these stunning pictures. I found it enthralling and am looking forward to next week's episode.

[Serial_Apologist]

Agreed. I found him delightful, intelligent and felt greatly enriched by his musings. As well as his love of the art, he was able to make all sorts of cultural and historical contexts leap out as vividly as the Durer watercolours that made him go so weak-kneed*.

*Edit - so weak-kneed he had to lie down in an Alpine meadow to mention them

I was thinking: it must be frustrating for him to have to wait until he is on the other side of the world before finishing his sentences!

[Serial_Apologist]

Not being particularly interested in, or knowledgeable about, art, I hadn't come across WJ before. In spite of the Cali and Corri conglomeration's comments, I thought I'd give this series a try. I recorded last night's episode, and watched it this evening. Yes, he is..... idiosyncratic?..... but still.

I must say I'm glad I did. That is, I'm glad I recorded and watched, as I found myself pausing and rewinding to look at the detail in these stunning pictures. I found it enthralling and am looking forward to next week's episode.

It's never too late to start a new interest in life, mangers.

[ardcarp]

I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot. I do have a problem with what I can only assume are producer-generated gimmicks (e.g. the suitcase and the hurried walking-and-talking). This is all part of thinking they have to appeal to an audience with the attention span of...well, a squirrel. They don't, of course. At least they do cut swiftly to far flung locations without doing the car/train/plane thing. They made do with a compass! Having said all that, WJ does carry off all the gimmicks extremely well (I couldn't suppress a chuckle at the hat and the glasses)...like a Jeremy Clarkson of the Fine Arts?

[Nevilevelis]

Written AND directed by Waldemar, so the "gimmicks" may be his idea, which may be why he carries them off well.

[Stanley Stewart]

Delighted to catch up with Part 2, Mon, 22 Feb, although frustrated by a rare 10 mins power cut which sabotaged my recording until I realised that there was a BBC 4 repeat a few hours later! Set my recorder and did an instant transfer to DVD later on Tuesday morning to catch the awesome experience of the Sistine Chapel footage, presented concisely and clarity by WJ. Incidentally, he also had the accolade of a six page double-spread in the ST Culture magazine, (21 Feb), where he and the Culture team have done a useful '100 artworks to love' feature of one-para vignettes. Handy for quick reference, each entry names the gallery where the paintings can be seen.

A learning curve in the programme to be told that the sculptures were not made of stone but terracotta like putty! Fascinating, too, to grasp the background to the Bonfire of the Vanities and the participation of Savonarola, Dominican Friar and Preacher.

Next week's programme, 29 Feb, moves to Venice.

[Richard Tarleton]

....to catch the awesome experience of the Sistine Chapel footage, presented concisely and clarity by WJ.

Indeed - a fascinating contrast in presentational style to an interpretation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a few years ago, by his polar opposite Andrew Graham-Dixon - by coincidence currently enjoying a rather self-consciously posy travelogue series around Italy with his mate, chef Giorgio Locatelli, who seems to be forever trying to jolly AG-D into being less buttoned-up. AG-D went from image to image in the Sistine Chapel, constructing a scholarly narrative in his refined manner, and most impressive it was too; WJ went straight for the jugular - the main theme was fear. It's WJ's narrative I think I'll remember, for what it's worth, not being likely to see the original.

Surprisingly he spared us the gorier details of Savonarola's execution

[Daniel]

Indeed - a fascinating contrast in presentational style to an interpretation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a few years ago, by his polar opposite Andrew Graham-Dixon ... WJ went straight for the jugular - the main theme was fear. It's WJ's narrative I think I'll remember, for what it's worth, not being likely to see the original.

... 'the main theme was fear' .. and guilt, you could feel him almost relishing their intensity as a matter of personal compulsion.

I like WJ a lot, at least I like him talking about the Renaissance, a lot. There is perhaps a parallel to be drawn with a conductor getting in the way of the music or not. For me, colourful as he is, he really brings the works he discusses to life, allows you to marvel at them and not just at him (for those that do ...) As interesting as AGD may be, I get a faint feeling of him almost being part of that rarefied world portrayed in the paintings etc, whereas WJ standing well outside of it, seems to highlight it more vividly.

[Keraulophone]

I like WJ a lot, at least I like him talking about the Renaissance, a lot. There is perhaps a parallel to be drawn with a conductor getting in the way of the music or not. For me, colourful as he is, he really brings the works he discusses to life, allows you to marvel at them and not just at him (for those that do ...) As interesting as AGD may be, I get a faint feeling of him almost being part of that rarefied world portrayed in the paintings etc, whereas WJ standing well outside of it, seems to highlight it more vividly.

Completely agree with this.

The beaver was scuttling about even more than usual during last night's visit to Venice, with low camera angles of his loping tread though the passageways and across the bridges of that labarinthine cityscape. He managed to scuttle between the five plague churches in a twitch of his snout.

[Richard Tarleton]

Completely agree with this.

The beaver was scuttling about even more than usual during last night's visit to Venice, with low camera angles of his loping tread though the passageways and across the bridges of that labarinthine cityscape. He managed to scuttle between the five plague churches in a twitch of his snout.

The camera direction and editing last night nothing short of inspired. I learnt a lot too.