During the long years of the Dark Ages, the flickering flame of art was kept alive principally by the church. While all around was dark, the great masters of Medieval art such as Giotto and Van Eyck worked within the confines of the religious world and laid the seeds for the Renaissance which was to follow.

The Renaissance is the remarkable story of the age in which the techniques and inspirations which had been lost since the classical era were rediscovered and reintroduced into the world of art. This episode features the work of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Holbein and Michaelangelo.

Once the world of art had rediscovered the power to create great works, new limits of realism and expression were found. Featuring the work of Velasquez, Caravaggio, Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Rubens. This program also includes commentary and analysis by noted art historians.

Following the development of non-secular art in the seventeenth century, the world of art in the eighteenth century assumed a more decorative role with a greater emphasis on pastoral themes. This episode features the work of Watteau, Boucher, Hogarth, Gainsborough and Reynolds.

As the strict classical disciplines of the eighteenth century began to fade, two very different movements came to prominence: from Constable and Turner influenced by nature, through to the stirring works of Goya and Gericault. This episode explores the genius of works such as The Third of May and The Haywain.