A History of Art in Three Colours – official series poster, BBC Four

A History of Art in Three Colours

BBC Four Ended History

1 Season · 3 Episodes · Premiered September 15, 1984 · Ended August 8, 2012

Dr. James Fox explores how, in the hands of artists, the colours gold, blue and white have stirred our emotions, changed the way we behave and even altered the course of history.

Where to Watch: BBC Four

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Seasons & Episodes

Season 1

3 episodes
E01
Gold
Wed, Jul 25 2012 8:00 PM GMT+0000 60 min
For the very first civilisations and also our own, the yellow lustre of gold is the most alluring and intoxicating colour of all. From the midst of pre-history to a bunker deep beneath the Bank of England, Dr James Fox reveals how golden treasures made across the ages reflect everything we have held as sacred.
E02
Blue
Wed, Aug 1 2012 8:00 PM GMT+0000 60 min
When, in the Middle Ages, the precious blue stone lapis lazuli arrived in Europe from the East, blue became the most exotic and mysterious of colours. And it was artists who used it to offer us tantalising glimpses of other worlds beyond our own.
E03
White
Wed, Aug 8 2012 8:00 PM GMT+0000 60 min
In the Age of Reason, it was the rediscovery of the white columns and marbles of antiquity that made white the most virtuous of colours. For the flamboyant JJ Wickelmann and the British genius Josiah Wedgewood, white embodied all the Enlightenment values of justice, equality and reason.

Cast

James Fox
James Fox as Presenter
View all 1 cast members →

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