1
00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:03,200
- Hey, I'm Rick 
Steves back with more

2
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:04,500
of the best of Europe.

3
00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:06,833
This time rather than 
a particular place,

4
00:00:06,833 --> 00:00:08,600
we're going thematic 
and traveling

5
00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:10,500
wherever that theme takes us.

6
00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:12,900
In this episode, it's 
the Impressionists

7
00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:17,033
and those who follow from 
Monet to van Gogh to Alen.

8
00:00:17,033 --> 00:00:18,200
Thanks for joining us.

9
00:00:20,766 --> 00:00:23,900
(lighthearted music)

10
00:00:52,566 --> 00:00:54,666
Europe in the late 
1800s experienced

11
00:00:54,666 --> 00:00:57,566
the biggest revolution in 
art since the Renaissance.

12
00:00:57,566 --> 00:01:00,366
The Impressionists, with 
their passion for capturing

13
00:01:00,366 --> 00:01:01,633
shimmering light on canvas,

14
00:01:01,633 --> 00:01:03,566
turned the art 
world on its head.

15
00:01:03,566 --> 00:01:06,166
With the next generation, 
the Post-Impressionists,

16
00:01:06,166 --> 00:01:08,366
the art world just 
kept changing,

17
00:01:08,366 --> 00:01:10,800
as these rebels 
explored new frontiers

18
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:12,933
in artistic expression.

19
00:01:12,933 --> 00:01:15,566
We'll meet a rat pack 
of non-conformists

20
00:01:15,566 --> 00:01:17,266
armed with easels and brushes

21
00:01:17,266 --> 00:01:19,533
and determined to 
change the world of art.

22
00:01:19,533 --> 00:01:20,700
(lighthearted music)

23
00:01:20,700 --> 00:01:23,300
Monet with his fellow 
Impressionists,

24
00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:29,500
Rodin, who sculpted 
Impressionism into 
bronze and stone,

25
00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:32,566
and the Post-Impressionist 
taking art in a tangle

26
00:01:32,566 --> 00:01:34,233
of innovative directions.

27
00:01:34,233 --> 00:01:37,000
From Luca with his 
sinuous Art Nouveau,

28
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,933
to Seurat with his dots,

29
00:01:40,066 --> 00:01:42,633
Cezanne with his slabs,

30
00:01:42,633 --> 00:01:45,900
Gauguin with his 
exotic primitivism,

31
00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:48,966
and van Gogh, who, with 
his swirling brushstrokes,

32
00:01:48,966 --> 00:01:51,566
invigorated all he painted.

33
00:01:54,166 --> 00:01:57,033
In the late 19th century, 
the art world was dominated

34
00:01:57,033 --> 00:02:00,433
by the prestigious French art 
school called The Academie.

35
00:02:00,433 --> 00:02:02,500
But some independent 
artists struggled

36
00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:04,733
to be free from its 
stuffy dictates.

37
00:02:04,733 --> 00:02:07,433
The result, a period 
with both conservative

38
00:02:07,433 --> 00:02:09,833
and revolutionary 
art at the same time.

39
00:02:09,833 --> 00:02:11,333
(gentle music)

40
00:02:11,333 --> 00:02:14,966
Mainstream 19th century artists 
painted idealized beauty,

41
00:02:14,966 --> 00:02:17,666
while with plenty of nudes, 
this was conservative art

42
00:02:17,666 --> 00:02:19,566
popular throughout the 1800s

43
00:02:19,566 --> 00:02:22,200
because it was simply beautiful.

44
00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,833
Kavanagh's "Birth of Venus" 
was the quintessence of beauty.

45
00:02:25,833 --> 00:02:28,333
This love queen, 
reclined seductively,

46
00:02:28,333 --> 00:02:30,566
just born from the 
foam of a wave.

47
00:02:30,566 --> 00:02:33,333
At the time, sex 
was considered dirty

48
00:02:33,333 --> 00:02:37,600
and could be exalted only in 
a more pure and divine form.

49
00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,133
Such idealized beauty sold well.

50
00:02:40,133 --> 00:02:42,866
It was made to order 
for well-off customers

51
00:02:42,866 --> 00:02:44,700
who were afraid of change.

52
00:02:45,733 --> 00:02:47,966
But outside the 
conservative Academie,

53
00:02:47,966 --> 00:02:49,800
a new breed of 
artists was painting

54
00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,266
the real life of real people.

55
00:02:52,266 --> 00:02:55,933
Called the Realists, they 
captured honest snapshots

56
00:02:55,933 --> 00:03:00,233
of everyday life, from 
no-nonsense portraits,

57
00:03:02,533 --> 00:03:04,566
to peasant spinners of yarn,

58
00:03:06,333 --> 00:03:08,933
to gleaners bending 
low to scavenge

59
00:03:08,933 --> 00:03:11,866
what they can from an 
already harvested field.

60
00:03:12,866 --> 00:03:16,400
This unvarnished 
realism proved shocking.

61
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,066
Instead of painting 
more dreamy goddesses,

62
00:03:19,066 --> 00:03:22,400
Gustave Courbet gave a 
gritty behind-the-scenes look

63
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:23,466
at his studio.

64
00:03:25,033 --> 00:03:27,966
His model, not a goddess, 
but a real woman,

65
00:03:27,966 --> 00:03:30,966
takes a break to 
watch Courbet at work.

66
00:03:30,966 --> 00:03:33,933
And the little boy 
admires the brave artist

67
00:03:33,933 --> 00:03:35,933
for bucking conformity.

68
00:03:38,333 --> 00:03:41,633
Edouard Manet took 
realism to another level.

69
00:03:41,633 --> 00:03:45,566
He posed this prostitute 
like a classic goddess.

70
00:03:45,566 --> 00:03:49,433
But instead of golden 
skin and a radiant face,

71
00:03:49,433 --> 00:03:52,500
he made her shockingly ordinary.

72
00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:57,833
Her hand is a clamp. 
Her stare, calculating.

73
00:03:59,033 --> 00:04:00,866
Ignoring the flowers 
her servant brings

74
00:04:00,866 --> 00:04:02,500
from her last customer,

75
00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:06,066
she looks out as 
if to say, "Next."

76
00:04:07,366 --> 00:04:10,133
Manet innovated, he 
placed this woman

77
00:04:10,133 --> 00:04:12,500
alongside men in business suits,

78
00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:15,233
brazenly accentuating 
her nudity.

79
00:04:15,233 --> 00:04:18,000
Rather than the polished 
brushwork of The Academie,

80
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,933
he experimented with thick 
paint, sharp outlines,

81
00:04:21,933 --> 00:04:26,400
and odd perspective, further 
perplexing the critics.

82
00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:29,833
When Manet had his 
work rejected in 1867,

83
00:04:29,833 --> 00:04:32,033
he put on his own show,

84
00:04:32,033 --> 00:04:34,400
thumbing his nose at 
the establishment.

85
00:04:35,833 --> 00:04:39,433
Manet's boldness attracted a 
younger generation of artists.

86
00:04:39,433 --> 00:04:42,500
They admired him for 
his everyday subjects,

87
00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:47,033
experimental techniques, 
and his artistic integrity.

88
00:04:47,033 --> 00:04:49,966
Soon they'd strike 
out on their own.

89
00:04:49,966 --> 00:04:52,866
Let the Impressionist 
revolution begin.

90
00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,866
These artists were known 
as the Impressionists.

91
00:04:57,866 --> 00:05:00,800
Freed from the stifling 
constraints of The Academie

92
00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,633
and inspired by the realists,

93
00:05:02,633 --> 00:05:05,033
they took their easels outdoors.

94
00:05:05,033 --> 00:05:08,233
Their philosophy, like a 
Declaration of Independence,

95
00:05:08,233 --> 00:05:11,333
it was out of the 
studio and into nature.

96
00:05:12,566 --> 00:05:15,433
The Impressionists painted 
the French countryside,

97
00:05:15,433 --> 00:05:18,533
but the true subject 
wasn't so much the farms,

98
00:05:18,533 --> 00:05:20,333
rivers and forests. 
(gentle music)

99
00:05:20,333 --> 00:05:22,566
It was all about the light.

100
00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:28,133
They even studied which 
pigments would reproduce

101
00:05:28,133 --> 00:05:30,866
reflected light most accurately.

102
00:05:30,866 --> 00:05:34,433
And when the light was just 
right, they painted furiously

103
00:05:34,433 --> 00:05:36,800
to catch the scene 
before it was gone.

104
00:05:38,066 --> 00:05:40,633
The way the light reflected 
off the passing clouds,

105
00:05:40,633 --> 00:05:43,866
the waving grass, 
the billowing dress.

106
00:05:46,066 --> 00:05:49,533
The father of Impressionism 
was Claude Monet.

107
00:05:49,533 --> 00:05:52,500
The son of a grocer with 
little formal education,

108
00:05:52,500 --> 00:05:55,400
he dedicated his life 
to discovering new ways

109
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,400
of seeing things.

110
00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,066
With this quick impression 
of a harbor at sunrise,

111
00:06:01,066 --> 00:06:04,400
Monet helped give the 
movement its name.

112
00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,400
The real subject, the 
impression of the light

113
00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,033
reflected on the water, 
rendered in a few squiggly lines

114
00:06:11,033 --> 00:06:12,966
or broad strokes of paint.

115
00:06:14,166 --> 00:06:17,166
Impressionists used an 
innovative technique.

116
00:06:17,166 --> 00:06:20,066
They applied bright 
colors in thick dabs

117
00:06:20,066 --> 00:06:22,133
side by side on the canvas

118
00:06:22,133 --> 00:06:25,500
and let them mix as they 
traveled to your eye.

119
00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:30,500
Up close, it's a mess, 
but move back and voila.

120
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,800
Since the colors never 
completely resolve,

121
00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,333
they continued to 
vibrate in the mind,

122
00:06:37,333 --> 00:06:41,033
giving Impressionist paintings 
their shimmering vitality.

123
00:06:44,566 --> 00:06:47,133
With Impressionism, the 
physical object in the painting

124
00:06:47,133 --> 00:06:50,166
was now just the rack upon 
which the light, shadow

125
00:06:50,166 --> 00:06:51,866
and color would hang,

126
00:06:51,866 --> 00:06:54,400
and that's what the 
artist work to capture.

127
00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:56,133
(lighthearted music)

128
00:06:56,133 --> 00:06:58,666
Monet would paint 
the same subject at 
different times of day

129
00:06:58,666 --> 00:07:02,400
and in different weather to 
capture the different light.

130
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,433
A cathedral, for 
example, in morning sun,

131
00:07:07,533 --> 00:07:08,433
full sun,

132
00:07:10,933 --> 00:07:12,333
and gray weather.

133
00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,333
The same building becomes 
a montage of subjects

134
00:07:16,333 --> 00:07:20,100
as it dissolves into 
pure light and color.

135
00:07:22,733 --> 00:07:24,400
Monet's friend, Renoir,

136
00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,300
also pioneered the 
Impressionist style.

137
00:07:28,266 --> 00:07:30,266
With his working 
class background,

138
00:07:30,266 --> 00:07:33,166
Renoir loved to paint 
everyday Parisians

139
00:07:33,166 --> 00:07:35,000
dressed in their Sunday best,

140
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:39,966
gathering at outdoor cafes 
to eat, drink and dance.

141
00:07:39,966 --> 00:07:41,566
Renoir's bright colors

142
00:07:41,566 --> 00:07:44,000
caught the glowing 
afternoon sunlight,

143
00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,133
filtering through the 
leaves, dabbling the dancers

144
00:07:47,133 --> 00:07:51,300
with darts of light like 
a 19th century disco ball.

145
00:07:51,300 --> 00:07:54,366
As if snapping a photo 
with a slow shutter speed,

146
00:07:54,366 --> 00:07:57,833
he created a 
waltzing blur of joy.

147
00:07:58,966 --> 00:08:01,733
With soft focus and 
broad brushstrokes,

148
00:08:01,733 --> 00:08:06,300
Renoir painted easygoing 
scenes of everyday people,

149
00:08:06,300 --> 00:08:07,433
especially women.

150
00:08:09,233 --> 00:08:11,500
His nudes were voluptuous.

151
00:08:13,066 --> 00:08:16,900
And he caught the innocent 
joy of middle class life.

152
00:08:18,633 --> 00:08:22,900
As Renoir himself said of 
his always happy paintings,

153
00:08:22,900 --> 00:08:26,000
"There are enough 
ugly things in life."

154
00:08:28,733 --> 00:08:30,466
Each of the 
Impressionists developed

155
00:08:30,466 --> 00:08:32,466
their own distinctive style,

156
00:08:32,466 --> 00:08:35,466
Pissarro with his 
grainy earthiness,

157
00:08:35,466 --> 00:08:38,200
Sisley with his 
cloudy landscapes,

158
00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,266
and Edgar Degas 
with his ballerinas.

159
00:08:42,266 --> 00:08:44,233
(dramatic music)

160
00:08:44,233 --> 00:08:46,066
With his knack for 
catching subjects

161
00:08:46,066 --> 00:08:50,366
at an unguarded moment, Degas 
showed dancers rehearsing

162
00:08:50,366 --> 00:08:53,166
hot, tired, and bored.

163
00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,733
But when the lights came on,

164
00:08:55,733 --> 00:08:58,766
Degas captured all 
the onstage glitter,

165
00:08:58,766 --> 00:09:02,166
the joie de vivre of 
France's beautiful age,

166
00:09:02,166 --> 00:09:03,666
the Belle Epoque.

167
00:09:05,433 --> 00:09:08,300
(gentle music) 
From his mansion in Paris,

168
00:09:08,300 --> 00:09:12,333
Auguste Rodin brought 
Impressionism to sculpting.

169
00:09:12,333 --> 00:09:16,433
His rough surfaces rippling 
with frosting like texture

170
00:09:16,433 --> 00:09:18,933
were like thick brush 
strokes on a canvas,

171
00:09:18,933 --> 00:09:23,600
capturing the effect 
of reflected light 
on stone or bronze.

172
00:09:24,733 --> 00:09:27,933
Rodin made ordinary 
people seem noble,

173
00:09:27,933 --> 00:09:30,666
and their nudity 
makes them universal.

174
00:09:32,033 --> 00:09:34,966
Like a modern Michelangelo, 
he sculpted human figures

175
00:09:34,966 --> 00:09:36,533
with powerful insight,

176
00:09:36,533 --> 00:09:40,433
revealing, through the body, 
their deepest emotions.

177
00:09:40,433 --> 00:09:43,300
Rodin's historic 
mansion, now a museum,

178
00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:46,433
shows off the full range 
of the artist's work.

179
00:09:46,433 --> 00:09:49,266
His early pieces reflected 
the Belle Epoque style

180
00:09:49,266 --> 00:09:53,300
of the late 19th century, noble 
busts of bourgeois citizens

181
00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:56,900
and pretty portraits 
of their daughters.

182
00:09:56,900 --> 00:09:58,766
But with his 
working class roots,

183
00:09:58,766 --> 00:10:02,933
Rodin forged a more down to 
earth raw and individual style

184
00:10:02,933 --> 00:10:05,633
that shocked the 
art establishment.

185
00:10:05,633 --> 00:10:08,666
Look at the intensity 
of this symbol of France

186
00:10:08,666 --> 00:10:12,600
as she screams, "Liberte, 
egalité, fraternite."

187
00:10:13,566 --> 00:10:16,000
with his groundbreaking 
bronze man

188
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,800
Rodin came into his 
own and was recognized

189
00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:20,900
as an artistic force.

190
00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:23,733
From this point on, he 
left convention behind

191
00:10:23,733 --> 00:10:26,366
and blazed his own 
artistic trail.

192
00:10:27,500 --> 00:10:30,333
Here, his "Hand of God" 
shapes Adam and Eve

193
00:10:30,333 --> 00:10:33,366
from the mud of the earth 
to which they will return.

194
00:10:35,066 --> 00:10:37,533
Unlike Michelangelo who 
selected a piece of marble

195
00:10:37,533 --> 00:10:39,333
and then carved a 
single work of art,

196
00:10:39,333 --> 00:10:42,300
Rodin created models which 
could then be reproduced

197
00:10:42,300 --> 00:10:44,733
and sold as authorized versions.

198
00:10:44,733 --> 00:10:48,100
In "The Kiss," a woman 
twines around her solid man

199
00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:50,733
seemingly lost in 
a forever embrace.

200
00:10:50,733 --> 00:10:52,333
While the stories from a legend

201
00:10:52,333 --> 00:10:54,033
and their lips never quite meet,

202
00:10:54,033 --> 00:10:55,966
the statue was controversial. 
(gentle music)

203
00:10:55,966 --> 00:10:58,033
That's because Rodin 
portrayed the woman

204
00:10:58,033 --> 00:11:01,433
as being equally passionate 
as the man in the love making.

205
00:11:01,433 --> 00:11:03,533
Though provocative, 
the statue proved

206
00:11:03,533 --> 00:11:05,800
to be a big hit with the public.

207
00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:12,066
Rodin's garden was a 
leafy impressionist 
scene come to life.

208
00:11:12,066 --> 00:11:14,333
Even today, visitors 
find it a place

209
00:11:14,333 --> 00:11:16,000
for peaceful meditation,

210
00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,333
a century after the artist 
last planted a statue here.

211
00:11:20,333 --> 00:11:24,200
Rodin's most famous 
legacy is his "Thinker,"

212
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,933
leaning forward, 
tense, and compact,

213
00:11:26,933 --> 00:11:29,066
every muscle working 
toward producing

214
00:11:29,066 --> 00:11:30,833
that one great thought.

215
00:11:30,833 --> 00:11:35,333
It captured the intensity of 
Rodin's own creative process.

216
00:11:35,333 --> 00:11:38,833
Said Rodin, "It is 
a statue of myself."

217
00:11:40,233 --> 00:11:43,400
Impressionism reached its 
culmination with the same man

218
00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,833
who started it, Claude Monet.

219
00:11:45,833 --> 00:11:49,233
Late in life, Monet moved 
to this garden estate.

220
00:11:49,233 --> 00:11:52,133
The colorful gardens were 
like his brush strokes,

221
00:11:52,133 --> 00:11:56,700
a bit slap dash, but part of 
a carefully composed mosaic.

222
00:11:56,700 --> 00:12:00,566
Monet made a pond and 
filled it with water lilies.

223
00:12:00,566 --> 00:12:02,633
(gentle music)

224
00:12:02,633 --> 00:12:06,833
He painted the water lilies 
in this ensemble of canvases,

225
00:12:06,833 --> 00:12:09,933
all focusing on the 
ever changing light

226
00:12:09,933 --> 00:12:13,800
from the pre-dawn darkness, 
to clear morning light,

227
00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:18,033
to afternoon lavender, 
to golden sunset.

228
00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:23,233
He'd start by laying down 
thick, big brush strokes

229
00:12:23,233 --> 00:12:26,700
of a single color, 
horizontal and vertical,

230
00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:30,133
to create a dense 
mesh of foliage.

231
00:12:30,133 --> 00:12:33,533
Then add more color for 
the dramatic highlights

232
00:12:33,533 --> 00:12:37,933
until he got a dense 
paste of piled up paint.

233
00:12:37,933 --> 00:12:39,866
Up close, it's messy.

234
00:12:39,866 --> 00:12:44,066
But back up, and the colors 
resolve into a luminous scene.

235
00:12:44,066 --> 00:12:48,333
Just pure reflected color.

236
00:12:48,333 --> 00:12:51,500
The true subject is 
not really the lilies,

237
00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:54,633
but the changing 
reflections on the pond

238
00:12:54,633 --> 00:12:58,766
where lilies mingle with 
the clouds and trees.

239
00:12:58,766 --> 00:13:01,433
Monet cropped his 
scenes ever closer

240
00:13:01,433 --> 00:13:04,833
until there was no 
shoreline, no horizon,

241
00:13:04,833 --> 00:13:07,600
no sense of what's up or down,

242
00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:10,166
until you're 
completely immersed.

243
00:13:11,766 --> 00:13:14,433
In his final paintings, 
the great Impressionist

244
00:13:14,433 --> 00:13:17,033
dissolved the physical 
subject more and more

245
00:13:17,033 --> 00:13:20,533
into purely abstract 
patterns of colorful paint

246
00:13:20,533 --> 00:13:23,800
anticipating the future of art.

247
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,300
The Impressionists 
were like a tribe.

248
00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:32,633
They spoke the same 
artistic language,

249
00:13:32,633 --> 00:13:34,366
but after that, more than ever,

250
00:13:34,366 --> 00:13:36,833
artists went in 
different directions

251
00:13:36,833 --> 00:13:39,233
creating art that was 
uniquely their own.

252
00:13:39,233 --> 00:13:43,066
And those artists were 
the Post-Impressionists.

253
00:13:43,066 --> 00:13:45,300
George Seurat took the 
Impressionist technique

254
00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:48,933
to its logical conclusion, 
reducing the brushstroke

255
00:13:48,933 --> 00:13:50,966
to a brush dot. 
(gentle music)

256
00:13:50,966 --> 00:13:52,566
This was pointalism.

257
00:13:53,533 --> 00:13:55,333
All the dots would 
blend in the eye

258
00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:58,166
like a shimmering mosaic 
of reflected light.

259
00:14:03,733 --> 00:14:06,833
Paul Cezanne built his 
scenes not with dots

260
00:14:06,833 --> 00:14:08,466
but with thick slabs.

261
00:14:09,966 --> 00:14:12,900
His subjects were 
simple and familiar,

262
00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:16,733
objects reduced to their 
basic geometrical forms:

263
00:14:16,733 --> 00:14:21,300
spherical apples, 
rectangular houses,

264
00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:24,066
and people posed in triangles.

265
00:14:25,566 --> 00:14:29,000
By simplifying reality 
into fundamental shapes,

266
00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,233
Cezanne inspired future artists

267
00:14:31,233 --> 00:14:34,633
to see ordinary 
things in a new way.

268
00:14:44,333 --> 00:14:47,000
Paul Gauguin sailed 
to exotic Tahiti

269
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:48,933
where he painted 
the native people.

270
00:14:52,866 --> 00:14:57,000
What may seem primitive and 
simple is actually intentional.

271
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:00,733
Flat scenes with no shading,

272
00:15:01,933 --> 00:15:04,800
black outlines filled 
in with bright colors.

273
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,500
The space decks up 
rather than recedes

274
00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:10,033
when he uses the same 
colors in the foreground

275
00:15:10,033 --> 00:15:11,233
and the background.

276
00:15:13,466 --> 00:15:16,966
His women, so different from 
the establishment Venuses

277
00:15:16,966 --> 00:15:18,966
of The Academie back in Paris,

278
00:15:18,966 --> 00:15:22,733
lounge innocently 
giving uptight Europeans

279
00:15:22,733 --> 00:15:25,466
a glimpse of a pacific 
Garden of Eden.

280
00:15:27,833 --> 00:15:30,866
And among the boldest of 
these Post-Impressionists

281
00:15:30,866 --> 00:15:33,266
was Vincent van Gogh.

282
00:15:33,266 --> 00:15:36,600
For van Gogh, his life 
and art were intertwined.

283
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,300
A humble pastor's son 
from a small Dutch town,

284
00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:43,900
he spent time helping 
poor coal miners

285
00:15:43,900 --> 00:15:46,433
in search of his calling.

286
00:15:46,433 --> 00:15:48,866
He gave farm laborers 
the same dignity

287
00:15:48,866 --> 00:15:51,300
usually afforded aristocrats.

288
00:15:51,300 --> 00:15:54,433
Through his art, he 
portrayed a vibrant world

289
00:15:54,433 --> 00:15:56,733
he felt so intensely.

290
00:15:58,233 --> 00:16:00,100
He moved to Paris, 
and the City of Light

291
00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:02,466
opened up a whole 
new world of color.

292
00:16:02,466 --> 00:16:05,033
Vincent hobnobbed with 
the Impressionists.

293
00:16:05,033 --> 00:16:07,700
He studied their bright 
colors, rough brush work,

294
00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:09,300
and everyday scenes.

295
00:16:09,300 --> 00:16:10,833
(gentle music)

296
00:16:10,833 --> 00:16:13,666
He painted shimmering 
reflections like Monet,

297
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,700
cafe snapshots like Degas, 
still life's like Cezanne,

298
00:16:21,466 --> 00:16:24,300
and self portraits 
like nobody else.

299
00:16:27,266 --> 00:16:29,666
He set out for the 
south of France,

300
00:16:29,666 --> 00:16:31,733
energized by the 
sun-drenched colors

301
00:16:31,733 --> 00:16:34,066
and the breathtaking vistas.

302
00:16:34,066 --> 00:16:35,366
In just two years,

303
00:16:35,366 --> 00:16:38,866
Vincent produced an 
explosion of canvases:

304
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,766
sunshine, rolling hills, 
the patchwork farms.

305
00:16:45,433 --> 00:16:46,633
Working in the open air,

306
00:16:46,633 --> 00:16:48,733
he feverishly painted 
the landscape,

307
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,400
the simple workers and 
the starry, starry nights.

308
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,366
His unique style, thicker 
paint, brighter colors,

309
00:17:00,366 --> 00:17:04,233
and swirling brush work 
made everything he painted

310
00:17:04,233 --> 00:17:05,666
pulse with life.

311
00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,933
Vincent's ecstasy 
alternated with dark times.

312
00:17:11,933 --> 00:17:14,666
He painted the loneliness 
of his own room.

313
00:17:14,666 --> 00:17:18,100
He drank too much and 
suffered bouts of depression.

314
00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:22,533
He was admitted to a local 
hospital where he found peace

315
00:17:22,533 --> 00:17:25,566
painting calm scenes of nature.

316
00:17:25,566 --> 00:17:28,733
But it seems he also wrestled 
with his inner demons,

317
00:17:28,733 --> 00:17:32,066
capturing spiritual scenes 
with surreal colors,

318
00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:34,933
twisted forms, 
and dark outlines.

319
00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:39,533
In one of his last works, 
the canvas is a wall

320
00:17:39,533 --> 00:17:42,566
of thick paint with 
roads leading nowhere

321
00:17:42,566 --> 00:17:45,100
and ominous crows taking flight.

322
00:17:45,866 --> 00:17:47,533
Overwhelmed with life,

323
00:17:47,533 --> 00:17:50,433
Vincent walked into 
a field like this one

324
00:17:50,433 --> 00:17:51,966
and shot himself.

325
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:55,733
With his paintings, van Gogh,

326
00:17:55,733 --> 00:17:58,066
though unappreciated 
in his own time,

327
00:17:58,066 --> 00:18:02,533
inspired his fellow artists 
to seek a new kind of beauty.

328
00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:09,166
The year before van 
Gogh died in 1889,

329
00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:11,766
Paris erected its Eiffel Tower.

330
00:18:11,766 --> 00:18:13,666
The centerpiece 
of a World's Fair,

331
00:18:13,666 --> 00:18:15,866
it was a symbol of 
Europe's progress,

332
00:18:15,866 --> 00:18:18,866
celebrating how technology 
could merge with art

333
00:18:18,866 --> 00:18:22,000
to be both functional 
and beautiful.

334
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,533
The mighty tower proclaimed 
the can-do spirit

335
00:18:24,533 --> 00:18:26,266
of the industrial age. 
(regal music)

336
00:18:26,266 --> 00:18:29,200
Its no-nonsense iron beams 
were not plastered over

337
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,966
with older styles like 
neogothic or neoclassical,

338
00:18:32,966 --> 00:18:34,800
but proudly displayed.

339
00:18:36,033 --> 00:18:37,466
With its graceful curves

340
00:18:37,466 --> 00:18:40,233
and unabashed embrace 
of technology,

341
00:18:40,233 --> 00:18:44,633
the tower helped inspire a 
new style of art, Art Nouveau.

342
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,200
This new art turned 
modern technology,

343
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,633
iron glass ceramic 
tiles, into beauty.

344
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,400
Inspired by the curves of 
plants, artists made columns

345
00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,300
and ribs feel like a forest.

346
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,333
They decorated humdrum 
metro entrances

347
00:19:03,333 --> 00:19:06,900
with artistic iron work, 
employed a playful blend

348
00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:09,600
of organic swoops 
and vertical lines.

349
00:19:10,533 --> 00:19:12,166
Facades are colorful.

350
00:19:13,833 --> 00:19:17,100
And interiors glow 
with stained glass.

351
00:19:24,733 --> 00:19:26,800
Art Nouveau was an 
epoch of beauty.

352
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,766
It celebrated creativity 
and the notion that art,

353
00:19:29,766 --> 00:19:33,266
design, fine living, 
it all flowed together.

354
00:19:33,266 --> 00:19:35,700
(lighthearted music) 
In their homes,

355
00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:38,766
the wealthy decorated 
with leafy designs.

356
00:19:40,233 --> 00:19:43,833
They added curves and 
beautiful inlays to furniture,

357
00:19:43,833 --> 00:19:45,600
and even added a graceful touch

358
00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:47,633
to the latest home technology,

359
00:19:47,633 --> 00:19:50,800
turning even the most 
practical everyday objects

360
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:52,200
into works of art.

361
00:19:53,633 --> 00:19:57,500
The sumptuous beauty of Art 
Nouveau was wearable as well.

362
00:19:59,466 --> 00:20:03,366
In Paris, a struggling Czech 
immigrant named Alphonse Mucha

363
00:20:03,366 --> 00:20:07,766
created a theatrical poster 
with a uniquely sinuous touch.

364
00:20:07,766 --> 00:20:10,100
It was an overnight sensation,

365
00:20:10,100 --> 00:20:13,566
and Mucha had set a 
template for Art Nouveau.

366
00:20:14,833 --> 00:20:18,533
Willowy maidens with elegant 
gowns and flowing hair,

367
00:20:20,266 --> 00:20:24,166
immersed in a background 
of flowery pastel designs,

368
00:20:25,333 --> 00:20:29,100
visions of the good 
life and pure beauty.

369
00:20:31,033 --> 00:20:34,233
The flowery style 
blossomed all over Europe.

370
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,733
While in France it was 
called Art Nouveau.

371
00:20:38,733 --> 00:20:42,933
In Germany and Austria, it 
was Jugendstil, young style.

372
00:20:48,933 --> 00:20:52,366
And in Barcelona 
it was modernisma.

373
00:20:52,366 --> 00:20:54,200
(gentle music)

374
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,233
Upscale neighborhoods 
shimmered with colorful,

375
00:20:57,233 --> 00:20:59,666
leafy and organic shapes.

376
00:21:01,066 --> 00:21:03,566
On this street, several 
mansions jostled

377
00:21:03,566 --> 00:21:05,833
to outdo each other 
in creativity.

378
00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:09,666
Galloping gables,

379
00:21:11,933 --> 00:21:13,333
molded concrete,

380
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,733
colorful ceramic tiles 
and shards of glass.

381
00:21:18,733 --> 00:21:21,200
Perhaps the most 
innovative mansion of all

382
00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,266
with its roller coaster curves 
and melting ice cream eaves

383
00:21:25,266 --> 00:21:28,766
was by hometown 
boy Antoni Gaudi.

384
00:21:30,833 --> 00:21:33,833
With his Casa Mila, the 
organic sensibilities

385
00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:35,766
of motorist architecture flowed

386
00:21:35,766 --> 00:21:38,466
into practical everyday living.

387
00:21:38,466 --> 00:21:40,566
This apartment for a 
wealthy businessman

388
00:21:40,566 --> 00:21:42,866
shows how the affluence 
of the industrial age

389
00:21:42,866 --> 00:21:44,933
was enjoyed on a personal level,

390
00:21:44,933 --> 00:21:47,200
at least by the upper class.

391
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,266
Now, an apartment could 
be a small palace.

392
00:21:58,300 --> 00:22:01,400
Barcelona's Park Guell 
shows a more playful side

393
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,566
of Gaudi's architectural genius.

394
00:22:03,566 --> 00:22:04,966
(jovial music)

395
00:22:04,966 --> 00:22:07,833
While today, the grand stairway 
and its welcoming lizard

396
00:22:07,833 --> 00:22:10,266
feels like a park 
for fun seekers,

397
00:22:10,266 --> 00:22:12,700
Gaudi intended 
this 30-acre garden

398
00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:15,700
to be a housing development 
for 60 residents,

399
00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:18,200
a kind of gated community.

400
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,200
Fanciful viaducts compliment 
the natural landscape.

401
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,233
As a high-end 
housing development,

402
00:22:24,233 --> 00:22:25,966
the project flopped.

403
00:22:25,966 --> 00:22:30,233
But a century later, as a 
park, it's a huge success.

404
00:22:30,233 --> 00:22:33,400
As you wander, imagine that 
the community succeeded

405
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,800
and you were one of 
its lucky residents.

406
00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,700
Here at the hall of 
the a hundred columns,

407
00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:40,433
the intended produce market,

408
00:22:40,433 --> 00:22:43,000
you'd enjoy the fanciful 
columns in decor

409
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,400
while you did a little shopping.

410
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,533
Heading home, you'd 
stroll through what feels

411
00:22:47,533 --> 00:22:49,866
like the barrel of 
a cresting wave,

412
00:22:49,866 --> 00:22:53,266
another nature-inspired 
Gaudi fantasy.

413
00:22:53,266 --> 00:22:55,166
And on such a beautiful day,

414
00:22:55,166 --> 00:22:58,200
you'd sit a spell on 
Gaudi's organic benches

415
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,800
to enjoy a grand view 
of this grand city.

416
00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:11,633
Gaudi's grandest work is his 
church of the Sagrada Familia,

417
00:23:11,633 --> 00:23:13,400
or holy family. 
(gentle music)

418
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,933
He worked on this mega 
structure for over 40 years

419
00:23:16,933 --> 00:23:20,100
and left it to later 
architects to finish.

420
00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:22,666
With its soaring 
honeycomb towers,

421
00:23:22,666 --> 00:23:25,966
it radiates like a 
spiritual lighthouse.

422
00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:30,566
The stone ripples and the 
surface crawls with life,

423
00:23:30,566 --> 00:23:34,200
animals, birds, 
trees, and people.

424
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,233
Gaudi combined Christian 
symbolism, images from nature

425
00:23:38,233 --> 00:23:40,966
and the playful 
flare of modernisma.

426
00:23:42,866 --> 00:23:45,366
Like a concrete forest, 
the church seems

427
00:23:45,366 --> 00:23:48,733
to grow organically 
reaching to heaven.

428
00:23:50,100 --> 00:23:53,633
The soaring nave features 
columns that blossom with life.

429
00:23:53,633 --> 00:23:57,500
Wandering here, you can almost 
feel the futuristic spirit

430
00:23:57,500 --> 00:24:00,700
of the entire late 
19th century age,

431
00:24:00,700 --> 00:24:04,433
the dappled light so beloved 
by the Impressionists,

432
00:24:04,433 --> 00:24:07,866
the bold creativity of 
the Post-Impressionists,

433
00:24:07,866 --> 00:24:10,800
the sinuous curves 
of Art Nouveau,

434
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,733
all of which Gaudi 
captured and set in stone

435
00:24:13,733 --> 00:24:15,433
on an epic scale.

436
00:24:16,666 --> 00:24:19,466
Europe offers a lifetime 
of artistic treasures,

437
00:24:19,466 --> 00:24:21,100
and the more you 
understand its art,

438
00:24:21,100 --> 00:24:24,266
the more you'll appreciate 
the society that created it.

439
00:24:24,266 --> 00:24:26,933
I hope you've enjoyed our 
look at the Impressionists

440
00:24:26,933 --> 00:24:29,600
and Post-Impressionists 
who primed the world

441
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:30,900
for what would follow,

442
00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,933
the wild and crazy art 
of the 20th century.

443
00:24:33,933 --> 00:24:37,500
I'm Rick Steves. Until next 
time, keep on traveling.

444
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,566
Hey, I'm Rick Steves.

445
00:24:42,566 --> 00:24:45,933
Remember, this station 
is unique on the dial.

446
00:24:45,933 --> 00:24:50,233
It's public and made 
possible with your support.

447
00:24:50,233 --> 00:24:53,100
Public television 
is quality media.

448
00:24:53,100 --> 00:24:56,033
It sees us not as 
shoppers or eyeballs

449
00:24:56,033 --> 00:25:00,466
on some ratings chart, but as 
neighbors and fellow citizens.

450
00:25:00,466 --> 00:25:02,333
Considering how 
influential media

451
00:25:02,333 --> 00:25:04,000
is in our community these days,

452
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,700
the value of this channel 
has never been greater.

453
00:25:07,700 --> 00:25:11,300
I'm haunted by a belief that 
there are powerful forces

454
00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:13,866
in our society that 
would find it convenient,

455
00:25:13,866 --> 00:25:15,566
more profitable, frankly,

456
00:25:15,566 --> 00:25:19,700
if we were all just 
disengaged, dumbed down.

457
00:25:19,700 --> 00:25:22,633
Commercial stations 
seem to do just that.

458
00:25:22,633 --> 00:25:26,533
But here in public television, 
the programming is positive,

459
00:25:26,533 --> 00:25:30,133
it's uplifting, and it 
expands our horizons.

460
00:25:30,133 --> 00:25:34,200
Public media inspires 
us to be not afraid,

461
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,633
but to be confident, not 
disillusioned but engaged,

462
00:25:38,633 --> 00:25:41,266
not discouraged but encouraged.

463
00:25:41,266 --> 00:25:45,433
And it only happens with 
support from viewers like you.

464
00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:47,333
Pledge your support 
to this station

465
00:25:47,333 --> 00:25:51,166
and you also get great 
benefits, including Passport,

466
00:25:51,166 --> 00:25:53,733
which gives you even 
more access to stream

467
00:25:53,733 --> 00:25:55,966
even more shows right here.

468
00:25:55,966 --> 00:25:58,533
Consider the value that 
the programming you enjoy

469
00:25:58,533 --> 00:26:02,333
adds to your life, and 
then scan or go online

470
00:26:02,333 --> 00:26:04,400
and make your donation now.

471
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:05,700
(bright music)

472
00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:07,666
- [Announcer] Invest in 
your local PBS station

473
00:26:07,666 --> 00:26:10,133
by becoming an $8 
monthly sustainer,

474
00:26:10,133 --> 00:26:13,433
or make a $96 annual 
contribution right now,

475
00:26:13,433 --> 00:26:16,633
and we'll say thanks with a 
wonderful collection of gifts.

476
00:26:16,633 --> 00:26:19,566
You'll receive Rick Steve's 
book, "For the Love of Europe,"

477
00:26:19,566 --> 00:26:21,333
which shares his 
favorite memories

478
00:26:21,333 --> 00:26:24,333
from decades of 
travel in 100 essays.

479
00:26:24,333 --> 00:26:28,233
It's 400 pages of fun and 
inspirational travel stories.

480
00:26:28,233 --> 00:26:30,233
On top of that, 
you'll receive a copy

481
00:26:30,233 --> 00:26:32,033
of "Europe Through 
the Back Door."

482
00:26:32,033 --> 00:26:34,433
This book is packed 
with practical tips

483
00:26:34,433 --> 00:26:36,166
from chapters on packing light

484
00:26:36,166 --> 00:26:38,133
and planning a smart itinerary,

485
00:26:38,133 --> 00:26:41,500
to eating your way through 
Europe and finding great hotels.

486
00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:43,600
We'll also send you 
this map Europe,

487
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,533
which is perfect for 
pre-trip planning

488
00:26:45,533 --> 00:26:48,400
and using while you're on 
the vacation of your dreams.

489
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:50,766
Plus, you'll receive 
Rick Steve's newsletter,

490
00:26:50,766 --> 00:26:52,466
which is packed 
full of travel tips

491
00:26:52,466 --> 00:26:54,533
about European destinations.

492
00:26:54,533 --> 00:26:57,400
And don't forget, with your 
qualifying contribution,

493
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,400
you'll be able to enjoy a 
terrific member benefit,

494
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,866
PBS Passport, which lets you 
watch every one of Rick's shows

495
00:27:03,866 --> 00:27:06,000
that's available on the PBS app.

496
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,900
With PBS Passport, you'll 
also be able to stream

497
00:27:08,900 --> 00:27:11,933
a treasure trove of your 
favorite dramas, history,

498
00:27:11,933 --> 00:27:13,733
arts, music, and more.

499
00:27:13,733 --> 00:27:18,800
So don't wait. Go to 
pbs.org/rick to give now.

500
00:27:19,300 --> 00:27:20,033
Thank you.

501
00:27:23,966 --> 00:27:26,433
- As you can see, 
it's easy to donate

502
00:27:26,433 --> 00:27:28,133
to support public television,

503
00:27:28,133 --> 00:27:30,100
whether you're watching 
the station on the air

504
00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:32,933
or streaming shows 
like this right here.

505
00:27:32,933 --> 00:27:35,900
Please take a moment 
to make your donation.

506
00:27:35,900 --> 00:27:38,500
Doing so, you'll support 
your local station

507
00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:41,200
and the great programming 
it brings your way.

508
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,000
And again, as a bonus,

509
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,733
you'll enjoy great benefits 
including Passport.

510
00:27:46,733 --> 00:27:47,733
Thanks a lot.

511
00:27:47,733 --> 00:27:50,400
(bright music)

512
00:28:18,466 --> 00:28:23,533
(bricks pounding) 
(door slamming)

513
00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:26,400
(bright music)