Ерус Е.С. All About Arts. Visual Art

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UNIT 5

DESCRIBING AND EVALUATING WORKS OF ART

LISTENING 1

Before you listen

Match the words (1-6) with the correct definitions (a-f).

1. a crucifix

2. a landscape

3. a palette

4. a portrait

5. a sculpture

6. a still life

1. a flat board used by a painter to mix colours or the range of colours used by

a painter in his/her work

2. a painting of inanimate objects, such as flowers and fruit, etc.

3. a cross with a figure of Christ on it

4. a drawing, painting or photograph of a specific person

5. a drawing or painting showing a scene in the countryside

6. a three-dimensional work of art made from stone, clay, plaster, bronze, etc.

PART 1

You will hear two extracts from an interview with the director of a private art

school. For questions 1-4, choose the answer (А, В or C) which fits best

according to what you hear.

Extract 1

1 Few people really see things because

A they watch too much TV.

В they are uninterested in simple objects.

С they are overwhelmed by visual stimuli.

2 Some of the woman's students

A find her classes don't fulfil their expectations.

В already have a good eye for detail.

С are learning to draw as a form of therapy.

Extract 2

3 Post-Impressionist and Expressionist paintings are characterised by

A their use of strong geometric forms.

В the wide brushstrokes used when painting them.

С their brightness and variety of colours.

4 It's impossible to say how long it takes to learn to paint well because

A everyone learns at a different pace.

В few people bother to paint easily recognisable objects.

С there's no agreed standard by which to judge someone's painting.

PART 2

You will hear a lecturer about a painting known as The Ambassadors by

the German painter Hans Holbein the Younger. Make notes about different

objects in the painting with one or two words, a figure or date, or a short

phrase (The teacher provides you with the reproduction of the painting).

PART 3

You will now hear a different lecturer talking about the same painting as

in Listening 2. For questions 1-5, choose the answer (A,B, C, D) which fits

best according to what you hear.

1. Oil paintings are special in that

A they make objects look real.

В they make you want to touch them.

С they are based on illusions.

D they are more colourful than sculptures.

2. Holbein's painting of The Ambassadors

A was created using real materials.

В was created by craftsmen then completed by Holbein.

С appeals to more than оно sense.

D cost a lot of money to produce.

3. The function of oil painting was

A to illustrate a break with previous traditions.

В to link wealth with social status.

С to show that it was socially acceptable to be rich.

D to show whai could be bought by the rich.

4. The distorted skull

A was painted using a mirror.

В imparts a philosophical message.

С should have been painted in the same way as the rest of the picture.

D is utterly insignificant.

5 .The ambassadors

A felt at ease with the painter.

В wanted to keep a distance between each other.

С wanted to be compared to kings and emperors.

D wanted to appear both unique and reserved.

COMMUNICATION

Work with a partner. Imagine that a philanthropist and arts lover has

donated a substantial amount of money to the council in the town where

you live, to raise local people's awareness and appreciation of visual art. A

number of activities and excursions have already been proposed, as shown

in the photographs. Talk together about the appropriacy of each proposal

and suggest some alternative or additional activities.

USEFUL WORD AND PHRASES

a still life; amateur/Sunday painters; an easel; a watercolour subdued lighting;

a hushed/reverential atmosphere; a sense of awe/curiosity; (to) scrutinize; (to)

contemplate; an auction; an auctioneer; an investment; (to) go under the hammer;

(to) bid for an original work of art; a solitary activity; (to) feel the tension rising;

(to) require concentration; a potter's wheel; clay; kiln; (to) fire a pot

We should perhaps think about the kind of people who live here before we ...

This might have a quite wide/rather narrow appeal, as ...

I'm not sure how far doing this would lead to an increased ...

Perhaps something a bit more ... would be more appropriate for that age group.

READING 1

A painting can be studied on several levels and from a variety of

perspectives. Here are a few examples of how pictures can be described,

analyzed, interpreted and evaluated.

1. Read the texts about the world’s masterpieces. Retell it in detail using

the words and word combinations in bold.

2. Use the following texts for making imaginary dialogues about the

pictures and act them out.

The "Madonna with Flower", or "Benois Madonna" as the picture was

called formerly after the owner from whom it was purchased for the Hermitage

in 1914, is one of Leonardo da Vinci's (1452 - 1519) early works. Yet it already

shows the new attitude to the world and man, the new artistic principles, which

the artist affirmed in his work. There is actually nothing to remind us that we

are looking at a picture of Mary and the Infant Christ. A young woman dressed

like women in Leonardo's day, with her hair arranged accordingly (at the time it

was fashionable to remove hair from the forehead making it appear higher) is

amusing her son with a flower, watching his uncertain movements lovingly.

Leonardo's work is based on real content, a concrete event, which at the same

time expresses the humanist concept of the greatness of maternal love, of man

as nature's highest creation. The human figures occupy the central place in

the picture. Avoiding unnecessary detail, Leonardo shows only a window and

the blue sky seen through it. The light from it in the sill and wall is sufficient to

produce only a general idea of the room. Nothing must distract attention

from the main figures. Another source of light in front, from the side, throws

the figures of the Madonna and Child into clear relief, stressing their

dimensions and helping to convey the warmth of the human body, the texture

of the clothing and brooch adorned with precious stones, etc. Here, as in other

works by the great master, one senses the strong connection between

Leonardo's painting and his activity as a scientist. His theory that in portraying

the human figure one must first draw the skeleton, then the muscles, and only

then the clothing, so that the latter docs not appear "uninhabited", was based on

excellent knowledge of anatomy. This helped the painter, for example, in the

"Madonna with Flower" to convey the forms and proportions of a child's

body. His interest in physiognomy and numerous sketches enabled him to

depict faces with mobile, lively expressions. The conclusion of Leonardo the

scientist that air has a colour led him to depict a light, airy haze in his pictures,

which seems to envelop his figures. His experiments with paints and research

to find new pigments, at a time when most painters were still employing the

tempera technique, made him one of the first to use oil paint, which was to

become the main material in painting. Although the "Madonna with Flower"

was executed by a young artist using what was for him the new technique of oil

paints, this work is brilliantly executed.

"Lady Elizabeth Delmé and Her Children" by Reynolds is a typical family

group portrait in the Grand Style of English portrait painting. Lady Delmé

was the wife of a member of Parliament and belonged to the privileged class of

the landed nobility. Here, with an air of apparently casual informality, she is

shown on the terrace before her country-house, while behind stretch the broad

acres of her family estate.

Reynolds has taken care that the gestures, facial expressions, and poses of

his subjects are appropriate to their age, character, and social status. "The joy of

a monarch," Dryden once wrote, "for the news of a victory must not be

expressed like the ecstasy of a harlequin on the receipt of a letter from his

mistress." So, in this portrait, Lady Delmé is dignified and gracious, secure in

the knowledge of her beauty and wealth. Her son John, aged five, as if sensing

the responsibilities of manhood, gazes sternly toward the distant horizon.

Her other son, Emelias Henry, in unmasculine skirts as befits his three years, is

coy and winsome. The fourth member of the group, the unkempt Skye terrier, is

the embodiment of loyal affection. Note the simplicity of the pyramidal

design and the low-keyed colour scheme. These features were for Reynolds

symbols of dignity and good taste.

The "Mrs. Sarah Siddons" by Gainsborough has the distinction of being not

only a remarkable work of art, but a unique interpretation of a unique

personality. It is not only one of the artist's finest portraits, but also one of the

best of the many likenesses of the great tragic actress, who sat to most of the

celebrated masters of her day. It was painted in 1783–1785, when the queen of

the tragic drama was in her twenty-ninth year and at the zenith of her fame.

An enthusiastic admirer who saw it in the Manchester exhibition of 1857

wrote as follows: "The great tragic actress, who interpreted the passions with

such energy and such feeling, and who felt them so strongly herself, is better

portrayed in this simple half-length in her day dress, than in allegorical portraits

as the Tragic Muse or in character parts. This portrait is so original, so individu-

al, as a poetic expression of character, as a deliberate selection of pose, as

bold colour and free handling that it is like the work of no other painter.

"Dedham Lock and Mill" (1820)

This is a brilliant example of Constable's view painting at its complete

maturity. The salient features of the landscape are treated in sharp relief –

even those not strictly necessary – yet they merge perfectly under a serene,

perfect light. This painting contains, in synthesis, all the elements of

landscape which Constable loved best: the river, the boats, the soaked logs,

the river vegetation, the sun shining through the foliage of the tall trees,

the scenes of rural life and, above all, Dedham Mill. The cultural origins of

this work are apparent in the traditional composition, in the use of

chiaroscuro, in the way the landscape fades into the distance, after the Dutch

manner, and in the complex, laboured palette. The compact tree mass

in the foreground is blocked in against a sky filled with movement, reflected

in the calm and transparent waters over which plays a pallid sun, as we

find in Ruisdael.

For Constable I have an affection that goes back to my earliest

recollections. In the first years of my childhood, there hung in the halls of my

father's house a large steel engraving of "The Cornfield". Often in the long hot

summers of the Middle West, I used to lie on the floor, gazing for hours into

this English landscape carried from the dry and burning world around me into a

vista of blessed coolness, thick verdure, dampness and everlasting peace.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Fill each of the gaps in this text with a suitable preposition or prepositional

phrase:

Gerhard Richter: Betty, 1988 (oil on canvas )

The artist's daughter Betty is painted …. photographic detail. She sits very

near …. the surface …. the picture, as …. a close-up camera shot. The painting

could not really be called a portrait …. Betty, however, as it teaches us very

little …. her. Richter has chosen to paint his daughter as she turns away; her

face is invisible. Instead he has concentrated …. the red, white and pink

patterns …. her jacket and dress, and her hair gathered …. the back …. her

head. Richter has undermined accepted notions "painting and representation,

giving us a painting that literally turns its back …. convention. Continually

discovering new ways expression, Richter’s work is extremely diverse. The

wall …. the background …. this painting resembles some of the very abstract

works that Richter creates. These monochrome, thickly painted canvases evoke

sadness and despair and were executed response …. the Vietnam war.

From The Art Book (Phaidon Press)

LISTENING 2

1. Look at this list of events in the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh.

Listen to the record and put them in the right order.

a Van Gogh meets the painter Paul Gauguin. ......

b Van Gogh spends time at a mental asylum. ......

с Van Gogh moves to Aries in southern France. .......

d Van Gogh slices off a piece of his ear. .......

e Van Gogh shoots himself. .......

f Van Gogh goes to live with his brother in Paris. ......

g Van Gogh spends time in a hospital. ......

h Van Gogh starts to experiment with new painting techniques …….

i Van Gogh becomes a salesman in an art gallery. .......

j The painter Paul Gauguin joins Van Gogh in Aries. .....

к Van Gogh studies theology. ......

2. a) Listen to the descriptions from the museum audio tour. Make notes

about the exhibits 27 and 28. What are their similarities and differences?

b) Listen to the track again and tick these statements are true or false

according to what you hear.

True False

a Van Gogh lived in Paris for three years.

b He had a lot of money at that time.

с He wanted to try different ways of painting.

d He did not find the colour grey interesting.

e He uses the colour red to create a special effect.

f In the felt hat picture, he is wearing fashionable

clothes.

g Van Gogh never painted other people.

h A straw hat would not normally be worn with a suit

at that time.

i The main purpose of picture number 28 was to paint

a suit.

After listening

What do these words and phrases in bold mean here?

a) He was a moody young man ...

b) ... became familiar with the new art movements developing at the time.

c) ... scenes of the fields, the peasants and lives typical of the people who

lived in the countryside.

d) ... he began to use the swirling brush strokes ...

e) ... violent disagreements, culminating in a quarrel ...

f) ... one of his most remarkable paintings, the ominous Crows in the

Wheatfields ...

g) The picture is full of varying tones of grey ...

h) The red in his face and particularly in the beard makes the head stand out

from the background.

i) Van Gogh was always looking for customers for portraits ...

j) ... the range of colours in the jacket, bow-tie and background.

CREATIVE WORK

How would you describe one of the two paintings to a blind person? Write

your description on a separate piece of paper.

SPEAKING

1. Work in pairs. Student A turn to Information File A and learn about the

first painting. Student В turn to Information File B and learn about the

second painting. Find out from each other...

• the name of your partner's picture.

• the name of the person who painted it and when it was painted.

• the story behind the picture.

2. What similarities are there between the stories? Which painting do you

prefer?

3. Work in pairs. Imagine that you are a guide in an art gallery. Based on

what you have learnt, describe the paintings to a group of visitors and tell

them something about the inspiration behind them.

Information File A

The Lady Shalott (painted 1888), John William Waterhouse, Tate Gallery

London

The painting shows a scene from the poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred

Tennyson. The Lady of Shalott was a prisoner in a tower and under a curse

which said she would die if she left her prison. She could only look at the

outside world through its reflection in a mirror. She created a tapestry which

copied what she saw. Sadly for her, she was in love with Sir Lancelot, one of

King Arthur;s bravest knights. So, despite the curse, she left from the tower and

took a boat to Camelot to find Lancelot.

Information File B

Dante And Beatrice (painted 1883), Henry Holiday (1839-1927), Walker Art

Gellery, Liverpool England

The painting is set in Florence. It was inspired by the story of the Italian poet

Dante’s love for Beatrice – dressed in white. Dante is madly in love with

Beatrice but she pretends not to see him as she passes by. Beatrice’s friend

Donna Vanna – dressed in red – looks at Dante for his reaction. Dante and

Beatrice never met again but he continued to love her and dedicated his lofe to

poetry. The artist, Henry Holiday, went to Florence so his representation could

be as historically accurate as possible.

1. Read the following conversation from A.J. Cronin's novel "Crusader's

Tomb" and act it out.

S.- Do you like this painting, Mr. Glyn?

G. - Very much.

S. - You don't find it obscure and unintelligible?

G. - Not at all.

S. - Then be so good as to tell me what these innumerable black tongue-lickings

in the lower part of the picture represent?

G. - Those are people walking about.

S. - Do I look like that when I walk along Piccadilly?

G. - Perhaps not. These people are younger than you.

S. - Indeed. Thank you for reminding mc of my antiquity. Then what is this

conveyance in the left foreground?

G. - That obviously is a coster's donkey and barrow.

W. Impossible. Never saw such an animal. Its pasterns are all wrong.

G. - It is certainly not a coloured photograph, if that is your taste. But it conveys

its meaning absolutely, and with great feeling.

W. - By out-of-line drawing?

G. - Executed deliberately and with infinite skill. Isn't that better than the

servile rendering of nature which so many of us repeat year after year?

S. - I will not be persuaded to renounce the grammar of design which has been

accepted since Giotto.

G. - Surely that is a reactionary view. When someone gets away from the

commonplace you condemn him.

S. - I certainly condemn this. There is not one simple, honest presentation of the

natural human form in it. This is not a picture, it is a mere spattering of colours.

G. - Nevertheless, it is art.

S. - I don't know anything about art. But I know what I like. Blood and thunder,

we are not here to be made a mock of or to allow some artistic adventurer to

throw a pot of paint in the public's face. No normal Britisher would be attracted

to this picture.

NOTE:

Stencil and Woodstock are members of the selection committee at the Royal

Academy; Glyn is a painter.

2. Read the following dialogues. Make up your own dialogues to share your

impressions of any picture you like or dislike.

The painter led the way at once to his masterpiece; and for some minutes they

stood before it in silence. To speak too soon in praise would never do; to speak

too late would be equally tactless.

At last Michael pinched Fleur gently, and she said:

‘’It really is charming. Aubrey; and awfully like - at least –" [...]

"So far as one can tell."

"[...] How do you find the colour values?"

"Jolly fine; especially the flesh; don't you think so, Fleur?"

"Yes; only I should have liked that shadow down the side a little

deeper."

"Yes?" murmured the painter: "Perhaps!" "You've caught the spirit," said

Michael.

After J. Galsworthy, The White Monkey.

M. - I don't know what there is about your stuff, Wilta, that gets me, but you do

something to it. Now why did you put those birds flying above that

smokestack?

E. - Oh, I don't know. It's just the way I feel about it. I've seen pigeons flying

like that.

M. - It is all to the good. And then you handle your masses right. I don't see

anybody doing this sort of thing over here. He meant America, for those two art

workers considered themselves connoisseurs of pen and ink and illustration

generally.

After Th. Dreiser, The "Genius"

F. - And what are you doing?

G. - Oh, fighting the lone hand here. Do you want to see the picture I'm

finishing? And George dragged round an easel with a large canvas on it, into

the light.