American Visions

7.44
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Ratings: 7.44/10 from 18 users.

American VisionsAmerican Visions, an eight-part series on American art written and narrated by Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes, is both an account of American life and a tribute to American art that will likely propel thousands of the not-yet-converted into museums and galleries, antiques shows and auction rooms to see (and inevitably shop) for themselves.

Filmed in 100 locations around the country, covering everything from Quaker to Shaker, George Washington to Bierstadt, Remington to Warhol, and the skyscrapers of New York City, Hughes has applied his considerable wit and imagination to the problem of revealing how art records and preserves both points of view and ways of life.

It is American history told through art, not merely a history of art. It offers a perspective that is refreshingly elevating and inclusive.

With the same voracious wit and opinionated brilliance that have characterized his criticism for Time magazine, this tour-de-force spans three centuries of events, movements, and personalities that have shaped American society and its art.

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15 Comments / User Reviews

  1. MissV16

    Interesting documentary, but they keep referring to America instead of United States. As an "American" who is not from the United States, it's really annoying.

  2. bruv

    Lover it bruv just igore dat goon wid di none tree hugin' bruv..... bruv

  3. SONNYCORBI

    what a nice doc, thank you V, i couldn't finish it. It makes me realize the true importance of the study of History; We get to see/follow evolutionary trends, where the problems are that need fixing! As well as our strengths.

  4. Mark

    'The shock of the new' is a great series. A retrospective view on modernism, clearly and decisively presented, one of my favorites. Im looking forward to this one

  5. patrick

    Hughes has just made me buy his book The Shock of the New... I'm still impressionable at 62...

  6. Wriston

    I heard Vlatko invented the Art movement AND tells the president what to eat for brunch.

  7. Waldo

    If you watch this long enough you will come to a part where all these tree lovers are gathered around a stump crying and screaming like they just lost their mom or something, WTF? It is so contrived and fake its funny, almost. Really it is more disturbing than funny, got a tip for all the tree loving folks out there- the tree nor its dead spirit can hear you, you have to scream at the people that cut it down if you want to make a difference.

    Other than this one scene this is a great doc. Very informative of the true history of the US as well as the art created by each sect of immigrant. Even shows a lot of the art of the Native Americans that where of course here before anyone else. Just ignore the hippy tree huggers screaming at the spirit of the dead tree, LMAO.

    1. SONNYCORBI

      Guest there is a certain tree that when the caterpillars eat the levees, the tree releases a chemical that covers a ten mile radios; it alerts the wasp and they fly directly to the tree and eat the caterpillars. Would you hug that tree Guest? When you use words like, Tree Huger and hippy this makes you appear to the rest of us as you being an animated android.

    2. bruv

      No bruv you is the annimated android bruv, dude wake up man you see dat tree you speak with the tree man and you see that it is a bruv too - android

  8. cainer

    Vlatko i want my wife to have you're babies

    1. bruv

      hey bruv get yous spellin right you may find a bruv too

  9. Anon

    Thanks, I enjoy Hughes very much :)

  10. Indykid

    Niiiice Vlatko. Love how you keep on adding more docs. Especially art docs, keep it up dude.

    1. SONNYCORBI

      I second that Vlatko

  11. HHV

    YES! Vlatko, will you marry me? ROFL