An artistic road trip around America

In this fascinating new series, set in three different American territories, Waldemar Januszczak explores the golden age of American art: when it became indisputably American and indisputably great. The first episode takes us to the Wild West and the sublime art of the Hudson River School. The film culminates in the art of Wyoming-born Jackson Pollock, who arrived in New York wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots. Episode two features the American city, including the harsh immigrant experience of Ellis Island, and its impact on Mark Rothko. Finally we head to small town America, with Waldemar on a road trip from Iowa to Tennessee. He discovers how this much-maligned territory had a huge impact on American art, and after examining various overlooked and undervalued artists he explores the brilliant welded art of David Smith, the leading sculptor of Abstract Expressionism.

Episode 1

Episode 1 is set in the Wild West, and begins with the sublime art of the Hudson River School whose 19th century evocations of the vastness of America did so much to fuel the myth of The Promised Land. Another huge influence was the mysterious rock art of the Native Americans which set a stirring precedent for non-naturalistic painting. The film culminates in a celebration of Jackson Pollock, born in Cody, Wyoming, who arrived in New York wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots, and whose famous drip paintings were influenced heavily by both the moods of the American West and the example of Native American artists.