Product Details

• Actors: Masters of Illusion
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630330429X
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,437 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Documentary > Art & Artists > Art History

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This documentary hosted by James Burke is a fascinating examination of the concept of how we see things, specifically how images that appear to our eyes to be three-dimensional are rendered convincingly on flat surfaces. Starting out in a movie studio special effects lab, Burke explains how visual illusions practiced today actually began during the Renaissance, when painters first mastered the skills of incorporating the idea of depth into paintings. The principle of "linear perspective," in which parallel lines all diverge to a common vanishing point, sounds complicated, but the examples shown in this documentary make the idea perfectly clear to the layperson. By way of contrast, paintings completed before the Renaissance are shown, and it's immediately clear to the viewer that artists who hadn't mastered perspective drew scenes that appear flat on the canvas. But when artists such as Brunelleschi and Michelangelo practiced using perspective, art suddenly jumped forward. Quotes from Leonardo da Vinci's writings, in which he talked about perspective and the effects of light, are offered along with examples of his paintings that illustrate beautifully how a master used a scientific principle to create great art. This is an unusual documentary that makes fascinating a subject that most people have never considered, though it relates to things we see everyday. --Robert J. McNamara

Product Description

The extraordinary special effects we enjoy in films today are based on principles established more than 500 years ago by Renaissance masters such as Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Raphael. This film examines artistic and scientific discoveries of the Renaissance, provides new insight into a remarkable visual revolution, and uses modern technology to analyse the old masters in amazing new ways.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best - we need this on DVD!, November 20, 2003

By	professormovie "professormovie" (Ewa Beach, HI USA) - See all my reviews

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?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Praise of "Masters of Illusion", January 18, 2002

By	Margaret McDowell (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my art students favorite video!, July 3, 2000

By	"zbarr" (MODESTO, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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!