This Is Civilisation

Last year we had Simon Schama’s The Power of Art on the BBC; a series to be loved and treasured as it brought to life in dramatic reconstructions, alongside Schama’s wry tones, the stories and period background behind great works of artistic expression by such notable figures as Caravaggio, David, Van Gogh and Picasso. This year, Channel 4 brings us This Is Civilisation which promises to do similarly marvellous things with artist and writer Matthew Collings (who isn’t on television nearly enough) travelling around the world as our guide.

It began last night (Saturday, 24th November) with Ye Gods, the first of four episodes in which our man takes us through his own history of art beginning with the ancient Greeks and leading right through the centuries to the modern age and its various controversies. The first installment focused on the importance of religion, particularly Christianity, Islam and paganism, as a subject and inspiration, and how in turn these works influenced our world. Later episodes entitled Feelings, Save Our Souls and Uncertainty will continue to explore the role and themes of art as a civilising, symbolic and soul-enriching presence and experience in our lives through many forms.

I like Collings; I like his enthusiasm, his soft English accented delivery and ‘nothing is strange’ approach to his subject matter. He’s written some great books on art: Blimey!, about London's modern art history, It Hurts, about New York's and This Is Modern Art, which was also a cracking BBC series presented by the author.

This should be the most watchable and fascinating television series of the year.