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Series looking at American art. Waldemar Januszczak is on the East Coast, where he explores the works of George Bellows, Reginald Mash, Thomas Wilfred and Mark Rothko.

This episode is set in the American metropolis - the soaring new cities of the East Coast with their futuristic skylines and lofty skyscrapers. But instead of looking up at the futuristic towers, Waldemar Januszczak explores the squalid boxing rings painted by George Bellows, Reginald Mash's decadent awaydays on Coney Island and the crazy escape into theosophy and abstraction mounted by Thomas Wilfred. The film culminates in the harsh immigrant experience of Ellis Island and the profound impact that rootlessness had on the art of Mark Rothko.

1 hour

Last on

Mon 27 Feb 2023 23:00
BBC Four

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Clip

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Chuck Berry

    Promised Land

  • 00:09

    Gene Autry, Dinah Shore

    The Old Rugged Cross

  • 00:16

    Chita Rivera, Marilyn Cooper

    America

  • 00:58

    Stevie Wonder

    Living For The City

  • 00:58

    Bruce Springsteen

    Born In The USA

Credits

Presenter Waldemar Januszczak
Director Waldemar Januszczak
Composer Simon Russell
Editor Kirsi Pyy
Producer Lidia Ciszewska
Production Manager Victoria Nosovich
Production Company ZCZ Films

Broadcasts

Seven key works from the Golden Age of American art

Seven key works from the Golden Age of American art

Waldemar Januszczak selects seven visual highlights from the series.

Gallery