Interpretation of the Text

1. What sensation was Dr Coutras seized by looking at the pictures on the walls?

2. What role does the contradiction between the beauty of the pictures on the walls and the ugly figure of dead Strickland on the floor play?

3. How does the author describe the pictures on the walls of Strickland’s hut? Does he do it professionally as an artist or a connoisseur of art? What professional vocabulary does the author resort to? What syntactical structures are used in the description of the pictures?

4. What is a fruit – piece? What was the author’s exclamation of surprise caused by?

5. Account for the role of French words and expressions given in italics.

6. What made the author feel that Strickland had kept his secret to the grave?

7. Who was the prototype of Strickland? What do you know about this painter? What school and trend of painting did he belong to?

8. Sum up your considerations on the text paying attention to specal stylistic means used by the author and linguistic peculiarities.

Key Notions and Words Complete the list of the vocabulary using dictionaries and reference books, transcribe the words and practice their pronunciation.

Art – the producing of beautiful things such as paintings, drawings, etc.; a skill or smth that requires skill; the arts (plural)- activities such as painting, writing literature or writing and performing music.

Artist – someone who produces paintings, sculptures or any kind of art.

Painter –someone who produces paintings.

Sculptor – someone who produces sculptures.

Painting – a picture made using paint.

Drawing – a picture drawn with pencils.

Sculpture – a work of art made of materials such as stone, metal, or wood.

Landscape – a picture of the countryside.

Seascape – a picture of the sea.

Still life – a picture of an arrangement of objects, especially a painting of flowers and fruit.

Portrait – of a painting, drawing of a real person or group of people; portraiture – the art of making portraits.

Watercolour – a picture painted using a special type of paint that is mixed with water, so the colours are pale.

Gallery, art gallery – a building or a room where you can go to look at paintings, sculptures, etc.

Museum – a large building where you can go to look at paintings, sculptures, etc.

Exhibition – a collection of paintings, sculptures, etc., often the work of one particular artist, which you can go to see – use this especially when they are only being shown for a limited period of time

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Art deco – a style of art and decoration popular in the 1920s and1930s in Europe and America, using especially simple shapes ad man-made materials.

Art nouveau – style of art and decoration common at the end of the 19 th century in Europe and America using flowing lines and plant forms. In Britain, art nouveau is connected especially with the work of Aubrey BEARDSLEY, Charles Rennie MACKINTOSH, and William MORRIS.

Pop Art – a form of modern art which shows common objects from everyday life such as advertisements, articles found around the house etc., rather than the usual subjects of art.

Fine Art – paintings, drawings, music, and sculpture etc., of high quality.