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We are currently watching the Great Courses DVD: 30 Masterpieces of the Ancient World,which offers a comprehensive survey of art in the ancient world; it takes you all around the globe, from Europe and the Middle East to Asia and the Americas. The lecturer "gives you an overview of the cultural context of these works and explains what makes each piece important, outstanding, and beautiful...She also delves into the techniques employed by some of the greatest artists of all time to help you understand the art’s creation and to enhance your appreciation."

There are 36 lectures in total:

1. Where Do We Come From?

2. Ancient Cave Art—Chauvet, France

3. The Uruk Vase—Vision of an Ordered World

4. The Standard of Ur—Role of the King

5. “Ram Caught in a Thicket”

6. Great Ziggurat at Ur—Ancient Architecture

7. Victory Stela of Naram-Sin of Akkad

8. Neo-Assyrian Palace Reliefs

9. “Queen of the Night”—Babylonian Goddess

10. Ishtar Gate and Processional Way

11. The Ancient City of Persepolis

12. Palette of Narmer—The Conquering King

13. Statue of Khafre—Rebirth of a King

14. Tutankhamun’s Mask

15. Tomb Painting of Nefertari

16. Kritios Boy—Idealized Athletic Youth

17. Discobolus—Motion in Sculpture

18. Parthenon Marbles—Metopes and Frieze

19. Greek Vase Painting—“Death of Sarpedon”

20. Aphrodite of Knidos

21. Laocoön—Three-Dimensional Narrative

22. Column of Trajan

23. Bronzes of Ancient China

24. Great Stupa at Sanchi

25. Borobudur—Ancient Buddhist Stupa

26. Colossal Olmec Heads

27. Sarcophagus Cover of Pakal at Palenque

28. Carved Stone Lintels of Yaxchilán

29. Teotihuacán—Temple of the Feathered Serpent

30. Colossal Stone Statue of Coatlicue

31. Aztec Calendar Stone

32. Moche Earspools—Miniature Masterpieces

33. Ancient Andean Ceramics

34. Ancient Andean Textiles

35. What Can We Learn from Ancient Art?

36. How Ancient Art Reverberates

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We were previously watching the Great Courses DVD: Post-Impressionism - The Beginnings of Modern Art.

1: Where Post-Impressionism Began

2: The Founder, Paul Cézanne

3: Paul Cézanne’s New Way of Seeing

4: How Science and Industry Are Changing Art

5: Camille Pissarro’s Experiments in Style

6: Georges Seurat’s Vision of the People

7: Politics and Religion on the Canvas

8: Divisionism: Using the Science of Color

9: Japanese Influence and Les Nabis

10: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris by Night

11: How Photography Is Transforming Art

12: The Singular Talent, Vincent van Gogh

13: Van Gogh’s Genius and Tragedy

14: Cloisonnism: Bold Colors and Dark Contours

15: Paul Gauguin’s Complicated Legacy

16: Suzanne Valadon’s Rebellious Vision

17: How Philosophy and Culture Are Shaping Art

18: Symbolism: Dreams and Metaphors

19: Odilon Redon’s Fantastic Worlds

20: Henri Rousseau’s Jungles of the Mind

21: Post-Impressionism beyond France

22: Edvard Munch’s Emotional Palette

23: Gustav Klimt’s Journey to Art Nouveau

24: Why Post-Impressionism Matters

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Other DVDs we have watched are:

• Simon Schama's The Power of Art: covering the artists Caravaggio; Bernini; Rembrandt; David; Turner; Van Gogh; Picasso; Rothko. This BBC series "recounts the story of eight moments of high drama in the making of eight artistic masterpieces".
• BBC series Civilisations: Masterworks of beauty and ingenuity. This was a series (made in 2018) "spanning 31 countries on six continents, and covering more than 500 works of art. Presenters Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga explored humanity's desire to create."
• The Great Courses DVD called "How to Look at and Understand Great Art". A synopsis of the "tools" the lecturer suggested for looking at works of art is available here on the website.