The series Understanding Art: Hidden Lives of Masterpieces details the "study days" on two discs. Discussions are raised as to authenticity, copies, restoration, history and ownership.
Episode One has a presentation of selected works from Raphael, including the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, Self-Portrait with a Friend, Annunciation, and Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan. Episode Two focuses on Rembrandt's Bathsheba at Her Bath, Philosopher in Meditation, and The Slaughtered Ox. The last and third episode was filmed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon shortly after it acquired Poussin's The Flight into Egypt. The experts focused on the paintings's colorful history and lengthy ownership trial that created a legal standard for artworks.
Disc Two completes the series with the works of Watteau on Episode Four and Leonardo on Episode Five. The Louvre's Watteau paintings are some of his most famous, but are neither signed nor dated and have ambiguous meanings due to engravers composing the titles of his paintings after the artist's death. The mystery of Pierrot (Gilles) is attempted to be pierced by the specialists, while comparisons were made between Watteau's Plgrimage to Cythera and The Embarkation for Cythera. Leonardo's most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, rounds out the final episode as well as discussions of La Belle Ferronnière (Portrait of a Woman) and The Virgin of the Rocks.
The Louvre originally created the "study days" for archival purposes only, but later it was made into a documentary. Discussions were broad and intense as the experts examined and analyzed paintings of the five great artists. Animation was created for the documentary to explain various practices and techniques of the artists, as well as methods of restoration used throughout the centuries. These paintings were exposed to the keen examination of the little things not meant to be seen, such as restoration applications, enlargements, x-rays and forensic evidence. The feature is more of a technical nature, but fascinating for any art lover who wants to get up-close-and-personal with the paintings of these Great Masters.
