Part 2 is headed with a punning title. Degas is portrayed as the obnoxious misogynist he actually was. Morisot is shown as a skillful manipulator of an image of personal propriety. Both episodes do take good advantage of period photographs, which are useful in setting the biographical scene. Yet neither episode delves much into the degree to which the 1839 invention helped to fertilize the ground for the Impressionists' new commitment to limiting artistic subject matter to things that could be seen with the eyes.
Art is slow but television is fast.
Here it has been slowed to match the art. This makes for an often informative if sometimes dull program punctuated with moments of scholarly heft. Because of Tuesday's attacks, many arts, entertainment and leisure events have been canceled or postponed. It is advisable to call venues for confirmation of events through the weekend.