Art That Made Us
An alternative history of the British Isles, told through art. Looking at 1,500 years and eight dramatic turning points, acclaimed artists and thinkers encounter key historic art works from across the UK that have shaped the history of the British Isles and inspired their own work.
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Ep 1Lights in the Darkness
Episode one immerses us in the turbulent era that followed the Roman occupation of Britain. After the Romans leave, waves of invasion reshape the Isles and their cultures: from glittering jewellery to carved stones to intricate manuscripts. Battles over identity and faith play out in art and culminate in the rise of a new vernacular language.
Ep 2Revolution of the Dead
Episode two traces an alternative history of the Black Death of the Middle Ages. From the chaos of the Black Death comes creative renewal; survivors finding their voice through satire and a revived literature in English, including breakthrough works by women, and through new craft in cathedral building and stained glass.
Ep 3Queens, Feuds and Faith
Episode three looks at the story of the 16th century religious revolution, as England and other parts of the British Isles turned to Protestantism.
Ep 4To Kill a King
A splintering of politics and religion in the British Isles under the Stuart kings leads to more questioning art, new science and architecture.
Ep 5Consumers and Conscience
In the 18th century, trade and conquest funds an explosion of creativity, and art stirs a growing social conscience.
Ep 6Rise of the Cities
With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, cities and country are divided and artists respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape.
BBC Two
GB
