Art of Russia

Episode two, Roads to Revolution, explores how Russia changed from a feudal nation of aristocratic excess to a hotbed of revolution at the beginning of the 20th century and how Art moved from being a servant of the state to an agent of its destruction. From monuments that celebrate the absolutism of the Tsars to the epic Russian landscape as inspiration; from the design and construction of gold and glittering palaces to the minutiae of diamond encrusted Faberge eggs; and eventually to the stark and radical paintings of the avant-garde. This journey through Russian art history is one of extraordinary beauty and surprise.