Episode 1
Huw Stephens begins his history of Welsh art at a burial chamber on Anglesey, showing how it evolved from prehistoric rock carvings into depictions of the human form and the earliest Welsh portraits.
Huw Stephens explores what has long been a missing piece in the cultural story of Britain and indeed Wales itself – the story of Welsh art.
Huw starts his journey on the island of Anglesey where he steps inside a prehistoric burial chamber to witness Welsh art in its earliest form. He sees an exquisite example of Bronze Age artistry in the form of a gold cape, found by chance in a field in North Wales and now one of the prize exhibits in the British Museum.
Religious art delivers some of the most powerful and physically impressive pieces, from towering Celtic crosses standing sentinel in churchyards, to the sleeping figure of Jesse, hewn out of a single piece of oak but also delicately depicted in a rare surviving example of Welsh medieval stained glass.
As artists moved their gaze beyond religion, the rise of portraiture began, with Hans Memling delivering the first known oil painting of a named Welsh person, John Donne, in the 15th century.
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Clip
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Huw Stephens discovers more about Celtic crosses
Duration: 03:12
Music Played
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T Moody
Raindance
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Huw Stephens |
Series Producer | Ian Michael Jones |
Executive Producer | Judith Winnan |
Production Company | Wildflame Productions UK |
Broadcasts
- Mon 1 Mar 2021 21:00
- Tue 2 Mar 2021 02:30
- Wed 3 Mar 2021 23:30
- Sun 7 Mar 2021 15:35´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales & Wales HD only
- Sun 25 Jul 2021 20:00´óÏó´«Ã½ Two Wales HD & Wales only
- Sun 29 May 2022 18:10´óÏó´«Ã½ Two Wales HD & Wales only
- Wed 1 Jun 2022 20:00
- Wed 15 Feb 2023 23:45
- Mon 20 Feb 2023 02:20
- Mon 4 Mar 2024 23:35
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