Great Art Explained

Coming this Friday at 7:45pm (UK time) is a Great Art Cities Explained, which is on the eternal city itself, Rome - my spiritual home. The film will be in two parts and will go outside Museums and galleries and feature works in three Baroque churches, all free to enter! In the first episode (out this Friday) I look at Caravaggio’s glorious (and complicated) masterpieces for San Luigi.dei Francesi church on the life of St Matthew (been wanting to do these for a long time). Part two looks at two other works: Andrea Pozzo’s incredible optical illusion ceiling in the church of Sant'Ignazio and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “Ecstasy of Saint Theresa” which is in Santa Maria della Vittoria. Thanks as usual for your amazing support!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,917

Great Art Explained

Just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. It’s been a crazy productive year for me. TEN videos here on Great Art Explained, EIGHT on Great Books Explained and after a year and a half of work my book for Thames & Hudson is at the design stage. And it looks bloody lovely (out in September). I did my first art history retreat (in Portugal, pictured here) which I loved (more planned), gave a series of lectures in South Korea and I saw FOUR works of art I’ve waited my whole life to see, as well as visiting the Biennale and dozens of shows around the world. God, I love art. 
As usual the thing I am most proud of is being able to reach you guys ALL around the world and spread the love of art and all it does for us. I wake up every day astounded by how my life has changed, so THANK YOU! Boy, I can’t wait for 2025! - Best James

PS - The Last Supper has had a quarter of a million views in NINE days!! My fastest growing video - thanks to you!

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,757

Great Art Explained

English subtitles are up on The Last Supper now! I just finished adding the punctuation and correcting spelling/grammar, so should be good to go now! Have a wonderful New Year and thanks for your support in 2024! Best, James

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,483

Great Art Explained

Hi folks - Just to keep you informed about what's next. It's Leonardo's "Last Supper", a truly radical image. I was in Milan this year, saw it for the first time and it blew me away, so I bought some books and have been researching for a few months. Leonardo is a personal hero of mine, and I'm really enjoying working on the script. I want my video to do the work justice, so not exactly sure when it will be out - but this month at some point. I hope you enjoy it! James

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,286

Great Art Explained

Hi folks. I have yet another favour to ask. To avoid further problems (!!), I had to reload a new version of 1984 and in the process lost the 25k views it had, hundreds of great comments and thumbs ups. The problem is, that will really affect the engagement of the books channel. It is so frustrating for me that to make serious content, I am constantly having to second guess myself and re-edit and re-cut. If you can possibly click on it again, watch if you have time, share, leave a comment - under the video not here (I will answer every comment to drive engagement), and try to help get the new version back to a decent level of engagement. It’s a lot to ask and I REALLY hate to ask, but it would make a big difference to me. Best, James 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX_tE...

Ps - the uncensored - over 18s original is still on my Patreon account

2 months ago | [YT] | 781

Great Art Explained

Coming real soon to Great Books Explained...

2 months ago | [YT] | 2,511

Great Art Explained

One of the most important things to me in my videos, is to acknowledge collaborators and other people who influenced great artists. We don't work in isolation, and yet so many people get forgotten about in art history. My latest film on Man Ray, is also a film about Kiki de Montparnasse, one of the most extraordinary figures in art, and the model for his photograph "Le Violon d'Ingres". It's not such a well-known work of art, and could do with some help with engagement. Have a watch, and leave comment on the video. I appreciate it. James (working on a Titian video now!)

2 months ago | [YT] | 471

Great Art Explained

UPDATE: THE FILM IS NOW FINISHED AND UP ON MY CHANNEL. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE. 
Apologies but I just can't get this film on Man Ray out on time - been working on it non-stop and there are still some changes I want to make. I do not want to put out something I am not happy with so I will start again in the morning with a fresh mind and get it out by tomorrow. Thanks for your support. It is appreciated.

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,959

Great Art Explained

Coming tomorrow at 8:45pm UK time is my latest film, on one of my favourite works. I wanted to tackle photography and its place within the fine art world, so why not with an image I have always loved? 'Le Violin d'Ingres' by Man Ray. I also look at how his relationship with the extraordinary Kiki de Montparnasse. It is the story of two people who changed their names, their locations and their histories, and helped shape this revolutionary image. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks as always for your support - James

3 months ago | [YT] | 1,407

Great Art Explained

My next film (coming this Friday at 8pm - UK time) looks at the work of Egon Schiele that was stolen by the Nazis in WWII, and then “disappeared” in a complicated practise designed to obscure facts and create wealth for the art market. How the true owners of these artworks, the descendants of Holocaust victims, are still fighting a system that stops at nothing to keep secrets, and protect its wealthy clientele, in Germany and Austria, Switzerland and the US.

Some of these works are in private collections and established museums right now, despite being stolen by the Nazis.

I think, it’s about time they were returned.

4 months ago | [YT] | 2,181