The Cult of Progress
If David Olusoga's first film in Civilisations is about the art that followed and reflected early encounters between different cultures, his second explores the artistic reaction to imperialism in the 19th century. David shows the growing ambivalence with which artists reacted to the idea of progress – both intellectual and scientific - that underpinned the imperial mission and followed the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Advances in knowledge and technology imbued Europeans in the 19th century with a sense of their civilisation's superiority. It justified their imperial ideology. But it created among artists a deep fascinations with other civilisations which in turn produced a scepticism about their own. By contrast, as European artists questioned their civilisation's ‘advance', in America painters sought to capture an idea of their new nation's ‘manifest destiny' in landscapes. And in their representation of the Native Americans they sought to record for posterity the world and the cultures they were violently displacing. But this was not always the case.
David shows how in New Zealand one artist was co-opted by the Maori who used his sills to record their culture and celebrate their ancestors. As the 19th Century came to an end, the certainties of industrial and scientific advance were increasingly questioned; many artists (Gauguin and Picasso amongst them) turned to non-Western art and culture for inspiration. And in the face of the catastrophic conflict of the First World War, the idea that progress, reason and industrial advance were guarantors of higher ‘civilisation' was rejected.
David ends the film with a powerful meditation on Otto Dix's nightmarish and ironic evocation of the horror of the trenches, the triptych Der Krieg (The War).
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler
The eight-episode fast-paced, nostalgia-fueled series will take viewers on a thrilling ride through America's past.
The Mega-Brands That Built America
The Mega-Brands That Built America is the newest series in History's "That Built" franchise, telling the origin stories of some of the most successful businesses in history: from mega-stores like Costco and Walmart to sporting goods giants like Spalding and Wilson, titans like Ivory Soap, Schick and Gillette, to shipping giants like Fedex and UPS, and countless more of the biggest brand names in history. Each story is told through the "That Built" franchises' signature blend of expert interviews and archival, mixed with original premium recreations. Through the eyes of the visionaries and entrepreneurs behind the brands, the series takes viewers on a journey; starting with how it all began, following the innovations, the failures, and all the incredible achievements that forever changed the way Americans live. It's everything you didn't know about the colossal brands you know so well.
Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing
Twelve of Naked and Afraid's toughest and most experienced all-stars take on South Africa's punishing Oribi Gorge in a completely new type of challenge. For the first time ever, survivalists will compete head-to-head through a grueling, multiphase challenge and have their primitive skills tested for the chance to win $100,000. The competition is fierce, as survivalists can use any means necessary - even sabotage - to take home the grand prize. At the end of 45 days, only one can be crowned the Last One Standing.
History's Greatest Mysteries
History's Greatest Mysteries will investigate a wide range of historically compelling topics and the mysteries surrounding each including the Titanic, D.B. Cooper, Roswell, John Wilkes Booth, and more. Each program within the franchise will showcase fresh, new evidence and perspectives including never-before-released documents to the general public, personal diaries and DNA evidence to unearth brand-new information about these infamous and enigmatic chapters in history.
