Vistas of Longing - Painters and Their Landscapes

Rügen - not far from the coast of Vorpommern, Germany's largest island rises out of the Baltic Sea. Their diverse landscapes inspired Caspar David Friedrich, a native of Greifswald, to create some of his greatest masterpieces in the 19th century. The documentary follows the traces of the painter in his homeland and meets people who share his enthusiasm for this unique maritime region.

Home, landscapes and light. The world-famous painter Cézanne has worked intensively with Impressionism. Provence gave him inspiration and frame. The vast landscapes are recurring motifs and the light reflects the splendour and naturalness of this French region. Charming backdrops, captured in countless works. These are the landscapes that Cézanne once hiked, with his easel, his canvas and his colours.

The film discovers the diverse landscapes in the North of England that inspired William Turner. From the rolling hills of Yorkshire to the rugged east coast with its numerous castles and the lake district in the west, Turner found his destiny as a landscape painter as a young man in the impressive panoramas of northern England. Today's inhabitants know about the beauty of their homeland. With much regional pride they passionately cultivate the special traditions of the North.

Barcelona - the pulsating capital of Catalonia. Pablo Picasso spent his youth here around the turn of the century. It is a stylistic epoch - both for the up-and-coming cultural metropolis and for the young artist. The documentary follows Picasso's paths and explores many motifs he has captured in his pictures: the cathedral of Barcelona as well as the red light district, but also the mountain landscape 'Terra Alta', further south in Catalonia. The special atmosphere of these places, which fascinated Picasso even then, is conveyed by talking to the locals at the latest.

In the heart of Europe, in northern Italy, lies the region of Veneto. The Italian artist Titian once lived and worked here. Today he is regarded as the forerunner of landscape painting. People, mountains and landscapes in Titian's art take shape through the colours and their shades. Especially for his colour, "Titianrot", Titian remains unmatched and constantly inspires many artists of all kinds: sculptors, painters, chefs and even ice-cream makers.