Search - NOVA: Lost Treasure of Tibet on DVD

Art Restoration over Art History

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 05/12/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary was about restoring 500 year-old Asian wall paintings. I would have loved to learn more about the art itself, not just or mainly about bringing it back to mint condition. People who go to Home Depot may like this work more than people who go to museums. People who watch Bob Villa reruns may like this more than people who watch art documentaries.



Historically, Westerners have stolen and destroyed religious art from other cultures. I loved that this program featured an exchange that was a two-way street and promoted equality. The local people had say in whether they wanted the Westerners to work on these paintings. They also got to make edits or further suggestions near the end of the process. The main restoring expert had a terrible, scraggly beard, but I think he purposely sported to hide his weak chin. He reminded me of a phrase used to describe Steve Buscemi in "Fargo." I was impressed that he learned some of the local people's language.



From what I hear Buddhism doesn't have angels and demons; but much Buddhist art does. This documentary never goes into detail. A Buddhist student at my high school said long earlobes are supposed to be a sign of long life and this documentary shows portrayals of Buddha with long, pierced ears. However, his earlobes and their significance didn't come up here. In brief, this work had a limited scope that may frustrate some viewers."