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Monday, September 5, 2011

Art of the Western World: Review and Giveaway

Art of the Western World is a DVD set of the complete 9 episode series as it was shown on PBS.

I was excited about this review and have spent the last few days watching every single of the 513 minutes of this series.

It is geared towards an adult audience but would be applicable to a high school or mature junior high population. My 13 yr old daughter watched the series with me.

First off you need to know that it was filmed in 1989, has been available on VHS and is now being released on DVD.  If you have an older copy there have been no changes.

PROS:
Content wise it is excellent.  It provides a good overview of the history and significance of western art and architecture, from the Classical Ideal to Post Modernism.  It also strives to give you the overall feel of society at different periods of time so you can
connect the dots between what is going on in everyday life and how that relates back to the artist.  The addition of architecture is terrific as this is often a neglected area in other overviews of art history.

CONS:                                                                       My only issue with this DVD collection is the picture/film quality.  I don't know if it's due to our high expectations in this age of digital but I found the quality making me feel I was watching something much older than 1989.  This is unfortunate as most of us can only experience these great works of art in reproduction.  If you are looking to give yourself or your students a closer look at specific works I would advise you to seek additional resources.
Some episodes were truly winners though.  After a few minutes of "this looks really bad" in the very first episode both my daughter and I were quite enthralled by the "The Classical Ideal", we also enjoyed episodes 3 and 4 on the Renaissance, as well as the final 2 episodes on "Into the 20th Century". Especially the Picasso material and the conflict between the Bohemian lifestyle and the need for Bourgeois support, something that is relevant in today's art world.

There was also a preview for "Every Picture Tells a Story" which looks amazing, so much so my daughter is requesting a copy for her birthday.
On to the giveaway.  If you are interested in winning your own DVD copy of "Art in the Western World"  a $59.99 value, please leave me a comment on this post or email me at thatartistwoman@shaw.ca
I will make the random draw on Friday so you have until Thursday(11:59pm).  This giveaway is open to everyone, so all of you over in the UK, Australia, etc. please feel free to enter!

Good Luck everyone!

DISCLOSURE: Review and giveaway copies provided to me by Acorn Media Group

44 comments:

  1. I LOVE art history! (I'm such a nerd!) I'd love the chance to win this...thanks :)

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  2. I tried commenting once, but not sure if it worked so I'm trying again :P

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  3. This would be a great addition to my Art library!

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  4. As a novice art teacher for our homeschooling co-op and a resident of Tucson AZ, I would LOVE this series!

    Love your blog!!!

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  5. Oh I would SO LOVE this DVD - I caught one of the episodes on PBS and wished I'd seen the others.
    THANK YOU for this opportunity and for your FABULOUS blog (that I usually read via Google Reader)!

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  6. What a fantastic giveaway! I have never seen this series = would love to see it!
    Hope your first few days of school went well. I start tomorrow.

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  7. This DVD sounds enchanting -- just the thing for a quiet Sunday afternoon!!

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  8. I bet my family would love this, and then we could pass it along to others or to the school library. Thanks for this chance!

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  9. I love anything having to do with art history. How exciting! Thanks for the review and the give away opportunity!

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  10. I would LOVE to add this to my art history curriculum. Thanks for the giveaway! Fingers crossed :o)

    meganbenson81 at gmail dot com

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  11. I'd love to have a copy of this! Thanks for the opportunity to win! :o)

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  12. great!! i would like to know more about this history..hmm

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  13. I would love to win and study/view this with my whole family. Thank you for the chance!

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  14. I could learn so much from this set! As an art-enrichment teacher, I would love to be able to share this with my kids!!! Thank you for these awesome opportunities to win items I could not afford to actually purchase!

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  15. Thanks for the giveaway! I would love to win this DVD set!

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  16. I love art! I love art history!

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  17. Sounds lovely! Thank you for the opportunity to win such a prize.

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  18. I am always looking for good art history resources! I'd love to own this!
    Thanks,
    Tara

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  19. I am a PBS junkie and would love to share this series with my students!

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  20. I love PBS and would love to see all of this! Thanks for the opportunity!

    (Pls ignore if I double posted)

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  21. I'd love to win this. I'll bet our art teacher could use this to enhance our lessons!
    someluckydog at gmail dot com

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  22. Love your blog. So many good ideas here!

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  23. That is great! I would love to share this with my girls and their class. This is a fabulous show. I watched an episode my college art class. Thank ou!

    terilhack at gmail dot com

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  24. That looks like a fabulous video series. My daughter's school just started and they will be heavy on the arts this year. This would be a great addition to any home, or classroom.

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  25. Thank you for the opportunity to win such a prize! As an art teacher for children, I would like this series, to teach it. There is not here , in Greece, any work like this one.I hope we are lucky! Kisses from Greece.
    your blog is excellent! congratulations!

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  26. I'd definitely like to enter! Thank you for the opportunity!

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  27. I LOVE ART HISTORY!!! I'm currently back in school and thinking about get my major in Art HIstory. Thanks for the opportunity to win =)

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  28. I really enjoy your art projects! I hope I win the DVD set! I love PBS stuff like this!

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  29. This would be great to have when I graduate and get my first job teaching art. Thanks again for posting about it!

    Emily

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  30. This looks like a great resource. I'm still regretting giving away my art history book from college mmmmfh-years ago. I'll have to look for this one.

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  31. Looks fab!

    Charlene

    wocketinmypocket7@hotmail.com

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  32. This would be amazing to use as a source for my middle school classes!

    marycsaca at yahoo dot com

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  33. I would love this amazing source of information.

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  34. I would love to win this. I'm sure it is quite interesting. Thank you!

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  35. I love learning about art history! Almost majored in it in college, but didn't have to strength to fight for a job. Next best thing is being an art teacher! Now I get to do both!

    leighad8448 at gmail dot com

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  36. I am always taking apart videos to use in the elementary art classroom! great give away

    Marilyn

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  37. This looks great! Thanks.

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  38. I greatly enjoy and benefit from the art ideas and tutorials on your site. Thank you for the opportunity to own this video series! Please keep up the great work!

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  39. I love reading your blog and I LOVE giveaways! Thanks for all you do.

    Best wishes!

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  40. Wow, what an amazing giveaway! I'd love to win :)

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  41. What a wonderful resource for art teachers. I would be thrilled to win it!

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  42. Love this! I have been following your posts for about a year. Everything you share is so accessible for my kids. We appreciate your creativity and generosity!

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  43. Thanks for sharing the pro's and the cons. I really appreciate your review!

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