UK only - Interesting Beeb shows on iPlayer

[Flake]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...eauty_Matters/

Philosopher Roger Scruton presents a provocative essay on the importance of beauty in the arts and in our lives.

In the 20th century, Scruton argues, art, architecture and music turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into a spiritual desert.

Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the centre of our civilisation.

Might be of interest to some of you, link should work for a week or so.

UK only I'd think unless you can do some sort of web based voodoo trickery.

And from the other end of the spectrum, we present "School of Saatchi".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...chi_Episode_1/
Think "Britain's Got Talent" but with art.

One of the judges is Tracey Emin, which is sort of like having John Merrick as a guest judge on "Americas Next Top Model".
Watch it, if only to feel less bad about your life drawing skills..

Edit: Please feel free to add shows btw. It's incredibly easy to miss really good Beeb arts content as it tends to be tucked away on BBC 4 at midnight on a Tuesday..

[Chris Bennett]

Thanks for the heads up on this Flake.
That School of Saatchi thing however, leaves me in no doubt the Mandarins of the art establishment and their media accomplices are nothing but pimps and con men.

[Flake]

It's well worth a watch, if only to see Emin crit peoples life drawings.

It's not unlike Stephen Hawking offering handy hints for Gymnastics.

Things like this make me OK with the licence fee,

[Carbon Productions]

The BBC has had some interesting programs on art these past couple of weeks.

Thank you Flake - I totally missed this one

Did anyone else see What is Beauty? by any chance? Helped me understand abstract a teensy bit more.

As for School of Saatchi - all I can say is wow, just wow. I personally don't think I'll ever understand contemporary art.

[Slothboy3000]

It's well worth a watch, if only to see Emin crit peoples life drawings.

It's not unlike Stephen Hawking offering handy hints for Gymnastics.

That's just made my day.

[aefx]

I love these bbc programs. Apart from this one and the Saatchi there is also a re-broadcast of a documentary about the Medici family's influence on art in Florence.

I was curious to see how people on CA reacted to the Saatchi show though.

[ErikStorstein]

Thanks for sharing, I really appreciate this!

[Hunin]

The school of Saatchi was very amusing, the pompous way Saatchi stay's behind the scenes like a big brother voice was especially entertaining- as were the attempts at life-drawing last week. What took the biscuit though was the whistle hanging from the handle- why didn't I think of that?!!! Looking forward to tonight's ep.

I also watched Beauty matters. How did you respond to the show?

I found it very enlighting and agreed with his points about the ugliness of modern architecture- there are very few 'beautiful' pieces of modern building I can think of. It's shame people consider houses from the Victorian and Edwardian era old-fashioned, I love those types of houses.

It is good to question contemporary art, it's true that everything hinges on the title of a work. A shark in formaldehyde is just that, nothing more nothing less in the flesh and would fit in just as well in a natural history museum as in an art gallery. I'm not condemning all contemporary art, Anish Kapoor is one of my favourite sculptors- but the artistic value of a tin of artist's waste is more than questionable. Very interesting show, with a perspective you don't see that much these days. Sometimes it feels wrong simply to appreciate beauty in art, as if there has to be a satirical edge or it has to be a complete mystery to the viewer.

[Black Spot]

The Saatchi one was very amusing. Only two of the six are anywhere near competent and I doubt they'll get chosen. TE was hilarious, but she did advocate life drawing as a tool for spacial awareness.

Why Beauty Matters was wonderful. Maybe it might take one picture to change the market back - I wish. When he quoted 'Form must follow Function' and showed how abused that saying has become, I almost cheered.

[Nrx]

am i the only one who didnt hate the saatchi thing?

[Carbon Productions]

I found it very enlighting and agreed with his points about the ugliness of modern architecture- there are very few 'beautiful' pieces of modern building I can think of. It's shame people consider houses from the Victorian and Edwardian era old-fashioned, I love those types of houses.

Just finished watching Beauty Matters. Totally agree with you. Most modern architecture is so cold and emotionless. Older houses seem to have a lot more character in them, specially the Victorian ones

[Aly Fell]

Some great comments from the Saatchi thing... He is a bit of a berk, hanging around in the shadows trying to create a synthetic mystique.

"Some artists clearly have talent and skill, but that's not enough to be selected." Lol!

The girl who was a very competent painter made me laugh when she said: "I stand for good British art, not shite."

"What we want you to do... is a life drawing..!" I'm stunned that life drawing is, and I quote, "no longer taught in art schools!" Say what you like about Tracy Emin, she at least recognises the importance of life drawing.

It’s very easy though to sound as pompous and elitist as the art establishment themselves by constantly criticising the easy targets programs like this provide us with. It seems that Duchamp had a great idea, and every conceptual artist since has tried to emulate him. However that girl with the whistle and handle is taking the Michael I reckon.

[Chris Bennett]

It’s very easy though to sound as pompous and elitist as the art establishment themselves by constantly criticising the easy targets programs like this provide us with.

To quote Kev Ferrara, "you play in the non-judgemental sandbox if you want to" - but these things need to be said, and said with no fear of the post modernist relativism police calling you names.

[Aly Fell]

Do I detect some kind of rebuke ... I'll play in whichever sandbox I choose Chris, however the last one I played in I lost my mole out of Thunderbird 2.

[B u r l]

I'd have found the Saatchi program amusing if it wasn't real. It's just sad. :C

[Flake]

Three parter on Spanish art, I haven't seen the first part yet but the second two were interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...Moorish_South/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...he_Dark_Heart/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ystical_North/

I didn't realise Goya was a painter of happy peasants frollicking in grassy meadows until he lost the plot a bit..Decent show, I learned something.

[Aly Fell]

Another episode tonight at 9 pm BBC2. I know how many people here LOVE conceptual art, so thought I'd bump this!

Should be fun. Our budding Damien Hirsts have to produce a work of art to feature next to 'old masters' in a stately home. I tremble with excitement.

[aefx]

am i the only one who didnt hate the saatchi thing?

I dig it. I think the young girl was incredibly clever or incredibly lucky. Her whistle/handle hit the right spot(g spot?) with Tracy Emin with it's strong sexual over tones, a much better showing than that dude's wheel and treadmill. The last episode with the Hastings bit she was quite lucky there, she was riding her partners coat tails and even when they created a piece of shit they still got top marks, quite funny.

[Hunin]

More Saachi tonight! Last ep was really good, I thought the ghost huts were pretty well executed and the idea worked well in the setting, well, at least not all contemporary conceptual work is crap. The patchwork rock was very funny, especially when seagulls started to land on it.

On the other end of the art spectrum, check this show about Kit Williams out http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...he_Masquerade/ Brilliant man, beautiful stuff

[Leonor]

"Why Beauty Matters" was no longer available.

And from the other end of the spectrum, we present "School of Saatchi".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...chi_Episode_1/

Now you know what my room 101 is.

I personally don't think I'll ever understand contemporary art.

There's no objectivity whatsoever to it. As you could watch yourself it's about pleasing people that have authority in the scene.

Also, it's also about doing something that shocks people in some way, because it wouldn't be expected as art and then being able to justify with impsing authority (but not objectivity) why it's art.

[Black Spot]

I liked the Ghost Huts too and I think those two have the most talent of the 6 chosen. If they had a budget that would go to smoked perspex it would have been better.

I seem to hear the old Charlies Angels music in the background when Charles plumbs for the least accessible piece.

[B u r l]

I really liked that wine/jelly filled globe that was hanging in the chapel, from the recent episode.

[Leonor]

On the other end of the art spectrum, check this show about Kit Williams out http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...he_Masquerade/ Brilliant man, beautiful stuff

Wow. I loved this!

Some of his themes are a bit "pervy old man" for me, but there's surrealist beauty in there that really appeals.

I didn't know about the the book puzzle with a real treasure! Fantastic. What a shame that the people that solved the puzzle didn't get the hare.

I also envy his house and his lifestyle.

[Hunin]

Yeah, that orb was amazing. I thought the food stacks in the library worked too, they were funny and sculptural at the same time.

Leonor Yeah, Kit William's paintings really have a glow to them and a weird kind of appeal. I thought the naked women and old men in his paintings were absurdly British!

It was a shame about the hare, but how incredible was it that it ended up in the middle east!? And it was such a fantastic piece of gold work, I really admire William's process and skill, very refreshing.

[Aly Fell]

The final!

SPOILER












Well, Eugenie won. The one I thought was taking the piss all along! Haha!

[Flake]

It was a nice bit of a tree.

She'll look very pretty in the catalogue and on the posters.

I'd kinda hoped Saad would have raised the stakes with a sculpture/installation called "5000 Chapatis!"

[aefx]

I read about that too and it's quite a disappointing result. I thought Matt Clarke was the most likely to make it through based upon his past performances... I dunno maybe he ballsed it up in the last episode but I can't help but feel that Eugenie won because of two things:
1. She's quite pretty.
2. Her art is so vague and pointless as to be impenatrable to scrutiny.

[B u r l]

Yeah, I did like Eugenie's fallen trunk, but she got incredibly lucky in finding it. If she didn't get lucky we would have been left with another vague assembly of random objects.

I'm happy that Matt Clarke still got a show.

[Hyskoa]

I think they all should have lost.
Twice.

[B u r l]

I think they all should have lost.
Twice.

I thought it was a good reflection on how tits up the fine art world is. It's a shame the superior overlord Saatchi was too 'camera shy' to show his face.