Customer Reviews

Masters of Illusion [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This exploration of visual illusions, explained by James Burke in the context of its discovery by the Renaissance masters, and now used by Hollywood special effects wizards is certainly of the most valuable and entertaining educational videos ever produced. If you teach art or film, or if you are a student of any age, your education is incomplete unless you have seen this film.

Works of Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli, Rapheal and others are used to illustrate the technical and artistic achievements of the Renaissance, but within a very contemporary context of how we see the world in reality or artificial illusion. This is about the discovery of how to make a two dimensional image appear in three dimensions through an understanding of light, shadow, color, and vanishing point perspective.

Seeing this film on low resolution VHS does not do justice to the quality of these master works. This film is a prime candidate for release on DVD. So, when will the world be able to learn from this extraordinary work in the detail and resolution only DVD can achieve?

As a professor of Art Appreciation in Dallas, I have found this video to be a wonderful asset to my course. The narration and images serve to explain the invention and the subsequent history and adaptations of perspective in a very entertaining and colorful way. My students therefore are able to retain the knowledge much more easily.

High school art students get bored easily, so I try and show only interestings videos to them and Masters of Illusion always holds their attention. This video starts with super special effects and goes on to explain how artists (even todays specialized graphic artists) use the principals of perspective. A video must for those teaching or interested in art!

This is an excellent video for high school; it's a little sophisticated for 7th & 8th grades, but not entirely out of their reach. The tie-in to films is a little misleading for the kids, but the video makes up for this by covering a broad range in perceptual concepts and by keeping things moving for younger viewers. Well worth the time & money for teachers. Can be used for both studio and academic classes.

I enjoyed watching the video and have used portions of it in the university classes that I teach. Technically, it is quite good and the story line is captivating. But the slick production value of the video doesn't guarantee that they got all the facts right. I've heard grumblings about the National Gallery focusing on famous artists, giving them more credit for innovations than they deserve. For instance, Durer was a great artist, but the makers of this film give too much credit. Durer's contributions to linear perspective are overstated in the video, and his understanding of linear perspective was actually quite poor. I found it helpful to supplement my understanding by reading articles by Christopher Tyler (available online) that clarify the history and facts surrounding the development of linear perspective. Tyler is one of the great unheralded scientists of our generation, so take a look at his work in this area (mostly available online, via the Smith-Kettlewell website, I think).

James Burke has poignantly caught the excitement of Renaissance painters discovering perspective, and he explains visual principles, while nicely presenting the changes that occurred in art. I really enjoyed his commentary how different artists Durer, Da Vinci, and Michaelangelo, Raphael et al thought, spoke, and played with image and illusion, as well as light and color. Quite informative for learning art, but also useful for teaching perception and thinking. This video was a delightful trip back in time and makes one more sensitive to the power of representation that guide perception and experience. I will never look at the painting "The School of Athens" again in the same way.
This video is short and sweet and creates a hunger for more.

I bought this because it was used in a class I am taking and I wanted to review it. The price seems high for such a short (about 30 minutes) tape. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable and educational. It summarizes how the painters of the Renaissance developed mathematical models that enabled them to create realistic-looking perspective in their work, so that a flat painting could appear three-dimensional. The past is linked with the present, since these same principles are still being used today to create realistic sets and special effects for movies. The material should be easily understood by anyone at a high school level or above.

I used this video in my World History clases to teach Renaisssance art. The students enjoyed it. Good pace, not too detailed, yet loaded with information.

I teach World History and this film is a very good introduction to the art of the Renaissance and the technology behind it. Beautiful examples of art with many of the Masters of the Renaissance included. It is also short, which helps to keep students engaged and interested! I really like this one!

One of the few art history films that would hold my high school students attention. I used it for 15 years and the VHS broke. I need it in DVD.