• Additional Details
• Format: Box Set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Rating: Not Rated
• Number of Discs: 2
• Run Time: 200 Minutes
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Language: English
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 31, 2001

This highly-acclaimed documentary miniseries offers a vivid exploration of the birth of modern art and of the radical painters who changed the way we perceive our world.

• 2 DVDs profile the inextricably intertwined lives and works of the artists who shocked the world.
• Examine the paintings in exquisite detail and explore the technique behind the masterpieces.
• Relive the scandals, duels and affairs of these revolutionary figures.

Derided in their day as little more than sketches, Impressionists' paintings now command tens of millions of dollars at auction. In this gorgeous documentary visit the fertile time and meet the remarkable people that gave rise to this "othe" French Revolution.

Today we recognize them as pioneers of modern art, mavericks who turned the art world, indeed the very idea of beauty, on its ear. Yet, while their names - Renoir, Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Morisot - are now revered, in their own time they were considered novelty acts or even untalented dabblers. The label "Impressionism" itself was derisively coined by a critic from the title of the Monet painting Impression, Sunrise.

It is hard to imagine the tumult these free-thinking painters caused in the art world, not to mention society at large. Critics and the public were scandalized when the young painters dared to enter their unconventional work in the Salon de Paris. The warning shot of this revolution was Manet's rejected 1863 entry, The Luncheon on the Grass, with its frankly nude woman and disproportionately grand (it's almost 7 feet by 9 feet) treatment of an everyday scene.

From the garrets and cafes of 19th century Paris to the galleries where their priceless works are displayed today, this definitive multi-volume documentary tracks the rise and explosion of Impressionism through the artists' journals and letters, as well as through conversations with renowned scholars and tours of museums around the world.

Over the course of THE IMPRESSIONISTS, you will gain a deep knowledge of the context, influences, methods and legacy of the most famous 19th Century French painters, not to mention an intimate view of their unconventional lives:

• Wonder at the Pierre-Auguste Renoir's achievements with light and color and take delight in the candid moments he captured.
• Learn why Claude Oscar Monet is considered the founder of the movement and discover what he hoped to achieve with his lovely and revealing "series" paintings.
• Understand the vital role Camille Pissarro played in unifying the movement, and experience the "Father of Impressionism's" solidarity with the common man: laborers and peasants. Get lost in Edgar Degas' famous depictions of cafe life and dancers.
• Celebrate the artistic achievements of Berthe Morisot, who in many ways catalyzed the entire movement.

As popular as these masterpieces are today, they were reviled in their own time. Discover how they came to exist and why they were met with such hostility in THE IMPRESSIONISTS: THE OTHER FRENCH REVOLUTION.

This DVD set also includes these bonus features:

• Interactive Art Gallery
• Artist's Timelines
• Scene Selection
• Interactive Menus