The Impressionists with Tim Marlow

A portrait of the French painter Edouard Manet whose picture Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe aroused the hostility of the critics but was embraced by a group of young painters who later formed the nucleus of the Impressionists.

The life and work of Claude Monet, renowned for his paintings of the garden at Giverny, and considered the archetypal Impressionist for his unwavering commitment to the ideals of the movement.

This episode explores the life of the great Impressionist painter Renoir by looking at some of his most famous paintings and examining his role and influence in the Impressionist movement. Renoir was a key member of the Impressionist group who loved to paint out of doors, famous in particular for his depiction of the joyful side of Parisian life. Later in his life, however, Renoir broke away from the Impressionist movement and adopted a more traditional, classical style.

Tim Marlow delves into the work of Edgar Degas, tracing the history of his work and rivalry with fellow artist Manet. Throughout his career, Degas endeavoured to portray real life on canvas, and his paintings of women : particularly those capturing the grace and spirit of ballet dancers : earned him critical acclaim the world over.

Profile of Parisian artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Crippled during childhood, he based himself at Montmartre, drawing his first poster for the Moulin Rouge, which set him on the path to becoming one of the greatest painters of the 19th century.

Tim Marlow examines the life and work of the French artist Paul Cezanne, one of the forerunners of modern painting, renowned for his unique treatment of space, mass and colour on canvas.

Paul Gauguin is the focus of this episode. His life was as colourful and varied as his painting. Through some of his most famous work we explore Gauguin's extraordinary life as well as his attempt to escape civilization in an unspoilt Paradise on the other side of the world, where he felt he could create the unique 'primitive art' which he advocated.

In many ways Vincent Van Gogh has become the most celebrated and certainly most mythologized artist in history. He is the misunderstood genius who died unknown and unloved, having sold only one painting during his lifetime. Tim Marlow explores Van Gogh's tragically short and disturbed life through some his most famous paintings.