Melvyn Bragg @ EIBF

Article by Sue Lawrenson | 31 Aug 2010

 

What makes great art – where does it come from? Even with over 30 years of sharing popular and high art on The South Bank Show, Bragg conceded that ‘you never know where it’s going to show up’. With The South Bank Show his hope was to bring popular art, like Paul McCartney’s output, ‘into the tent’. Spreading the word while letting people make their own minds up – this fervour for democracy implies his next love could be twitter. And saving on words, clearly Melvyn Bragg needs no introduction – so he didn’t get one. But everyone who queued round the square to get in knew who he was. Bragg was never consciously a critic of the artists he profiled on The South Bank Show; instead he aimed to ‘frame’ their work. He’s evangelical about television allowing us to re-examine popular art, despite only getting into the area via a contractual obligation. Allowing thinking audiences to see living artists is for Bragg what makes television a brilliant way to open up works of art. He’s seemingly horrified by anyone who doesn’t watch television – intriguing, as he’s opposed to ‘dumbing down’. Will The South Bank Show survive a move to Sky intact? [Sue Lawrenson]

 

Melvyn Bragg appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 28 Aug