The Rhine valley—a treasury of medieval art, and, as this program shows, the cradle of what we now think of as distinctly German imagery. Foremost among Cologne’s late-Gothic painters was Stefan Lochner, who injected drama and excitement into familiar biblical scenes. At about the same time, Johannes Gutenberg pioneered a printing revolution in the Rhine town of Mainz, leading to one of the greatest innovations in the visual arts, the reproduction, and a new significance for woodcuts and engravings. The first masters of this art form were Israhel van Meckenem and Martin Schongauer, whose work resonates to this day. The film then examines the three enormous talents to emerge from the region—Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Matthias Grünewald—and introduces the great tradition of German landscape painting. A BBC Production. Part of the series The Art of Germany. (50 minutes)