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Sister Wendy's - Story of Painting (1997)

Posted By: Polik88

Date: 6 Jan 2013 04:16:03

Sister Wendy Beckett, a British nun and self-taught art expert, leads a highly personal tour of the history of Western art, from its roots in the ancient world to the Renaissance to the contemporary, and offers her unique commentary on examples of works from each period. Sister Wendy Beckett is one of the most fascinating figures in the contemporary world of art commentary. In 1980, at the age of fifty, this South African native opened her life to her second greatest love, the world of art.
Beneath the dark folds of her habit rages a deeply devoted passion—and a wellspring of intimate comprehension—of creator and creation, art and artist. Author of dozens of books on the subject of art, Sister Wendy came out of religious seclusion to host four documentary series, touring the world's art museums, churches and galleries, for the first time in her life confronting original works previously known to her only through books and reproductions.
"We know for certain that he never had an emotional relationship with a woman. Boys, yes." –on Leonardo da Vinci
This impetuous nun speaks uninhibitedly on the lives of the artists in a manner most secular critics gingerly circumvent. It's not that these details are not well known, but it seems other art historians deem them irrelevant to the work. Not our holy sister. She obviously understands that who the artist is prescribes the work. She has no personal agenda; she just states what she knows, in context. If anything, she overcompensates for the assumptions of her habit and strays further from what might be expected because of it. Her eloquent enthusiasm is more titillating than the generous surprise of her prurient observations.
In this collection, Sister Wendy gives a studied and deeply personal overview of the history of art, with a particular focus on painting. She shares wonderful insights about the artists, their time and their work, so that even those literate in the subject might discover something in her singular perspective. She tends to skip over many more famous works for other lesser-known gems of the masters; she occasionally skips over the masters to direct our attention towards more obscure painters.
To support and develop our understanding, the camera lingers over wide shots and details of the work while the sister discusses them; gorgeous vistas of the various cities add depth and historic value. Every so often, the camera captures a frame as brilliant yet subtle metaphor; other times it is ham-handed, such as placing the nun in tableaus of black and white.

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