Раздел 7. Тексты для аудиторной работы
Text 1
FROM THE HISTORY OF BRITISH PAINTING
British painting reached its zenith in the XVIIIth and early XIXth century. Beginning with Hogarth, a school of painting appeared that could be identified as characteristically British. The one hundred years between 1750-1850 witnessed the development of the three art forms: portraiture, landscape and genre, that became the hallmarks of British painting.
However, up to the third quarter of the XVIIIth century, portraiture was practically the only form of painting in Britain. It’s quite explainable, as the Englishman’s standard of living had become very high by the middle of the century and those who had achieved success wished they could be remembered for postery.
T
his
demand for portraits was not successfully met by a gifted painter –
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 – 1792), who didn’t want British art
to be so provincial and isolated. It was he who insisted that
English artists should be brought into line with European art and
that they should develop the Grand Style of painting.
When the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, it was obvious that Reynolds was the only possible choice for President. From 1769 to 1790, he delivered lectures every year at prize-giving ceremonies. These lectures were regarded as the most sensible exposition of the Academic view that by well-directed work it was possible to learn the Rules of Art and use discoveries and ideas of the old masters to create a new style of ne’s own.
In these lectures Reynolds recommended that the would-be painter should put his faith in old masters, from whom he should be ready to borrow. He advised that in portraits the grace should consist more in taking the general air than in exact rendering of every feature. He suggested that the proportions of sitter’s figure should be altered in accordance with a fixed ideal. Thus a young woman should have the proportions of goddess Diana, and her heigh should be exactly ten times the length of her face. He considered it necessary that the hand should be the same length as the face and the big toe should be the same length as the nose, if the ladies of the XVIIIth century seem impossibly tall and willow-like, it is Sir Joshua’s theories rather rhan the physical peculiarities of English women that are responsible for it.
In the teaching Reynolds also proposed that drapery and clothing should be the subject of rules. In his opinion it was describle that painters in the Grand Style should paint clothing as neither woolen, nor silk, satin or velvet: it should be drapery and nothing more. The drapery shouldn’t remind one of the temporary costumes, the familiarity of which alone was enough to destroy all dignity. Thus the draperies have nothing to do with costumes of the period and are merely imaginary dresses skillfully arranged to form an impressive frame for the aristocratic personage. Finally he taught that everything in the picture should look very natural. Thus Reynolds tried to fuse portraiture with his historical painting.
However, the painter who did most to introduce another type of of subject matter into English art was Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). Of a poetic nature he was the antitheses of the businesslike Reynolds. He abhorred rules and cared little about the old masters. By necessity a portraitist, he was by inclination and disposition a landscapist. His dreamlike landscapes heralded the great English school of landscape painting.
His lead was followed in the next generation by perhaps the greatest landscapist, John Constable (1776-1837). Like Gainsborough he ignored the rules established by Reynolds. He insisted that art should be based on observation of nature on the one hand and feeling rather than logic and reason on the other. Constable was the herald of romanticism. But the realistic quality of hos art is sensed very strongly. It was best expressed by an eccentric contemporary who put up an umbrella while looking at his landscapes.
The apostle of the philosophy of romanticism was William Blake (1757-1827), who was bitterly opposed to the rules of Reynolds, proposing that the guiding force for creative spirit should come from imagination, not reason.
A complete expression of romantic ideal can find itself in the pictures of J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Although his great talent was recognized at an early age he deliberately turned his back on the glittering social work of London. Victorian England, which found in more important that a man be a gentleman in the first place and only in the second be a genius, never forgave him.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1. Wnen did British painting reach its zenith?
2. What art form became the hallmarks of British painting?
3. What was the only form of painting in Britain up to the third quarter of the XVIIIth century?
4. What did Sir Joshua Reynolds propose when the Royal Academy was founded?
5. What did he recommend in his lectures?
6. What did Thomas Gainsborough introduce into English art?
7. What did John Constable insist on?
8. What did William Blake propose?
9. What couldn’t Victorian England forgive Turner?
Text 2
LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Before you read
Discuss these questions:
1) In your opinion in which genres did the famous English painters distinguish themselves most of all?
2) If you had a chance to spend some time as an apprentice painter, which country would you prefer, England or France? Give your reasons.
X
IXth
century art cannot be fully understood or appreciated unless account
is taken of certain fundamental artists, Constable among them.
Besides being the chief exponent of the type of painting known as
“picturesque”, he was responsible for removing the deeply rooted
prejudice which insisted that the function of art was to represent
man, since by its nature art was “the work of man”. Constable
chose instead to devote himself to landscape painting, almost to the
exclusion of all other forms of art, and it was in landscape that he
sought the values of man.
English landscape painting of the period immediately preceding Constable was not the best basis for the development of the art. The artist background against which Constable’s art came to maturity was that of XVIIIth century England: influenced by Italian, Flemish and Dutch traditions and modeling itself on Salvator Rosa for dramatic landscape, Claude for an idyllic view of nature, Poussin for classical and ‘sublime’ view, and to a certain extent also on the Itallian scenic paintings of Canaletto.
In his approach to natural reality Constable was not so much concerned to achieve knowledge through nature as to discover and get to know nature itself, for what it is and what it can give and teach. This humble attitude caused him to make a close and analytical study of nature throughout his life.
From a close observation of certain landscape paintings, composed of barely sketched-in irregular elements of great liveliness and variety, and from a study of the Italian school (especially Titian) a further category, the picturesque, was determined to play a pre-eminent part in the history of English painting. This category was mainly founded on a concept of natural “beauty” as it had already been celebrated in the art of the past (by Venetian and baroque painting) and was to become a vehicle and source of inspiration for new visual concepts.
It is undoubtedly from the concept of “picturesque” that landscape painting in general came into being, the picturesque acting as a projection on to nature of the idea of the beautiful. And as Constable was a master of landscape art, his especially a picturesque form of painting; although in this picturesque art he never permits himself any indulgence in decorativeness or in arbitrary and dilettantish effects, and avoids the stylistic exaggerations to which such a concept of art might easily lead. His painting was of an extreme moral rigour, holding firmly to act, and entirely devoted to the study of truth and nature. One may therefore rightly say that it is in the art of Constable that the picturesque returns to its original sources, to Titian and Venetian scenic painting: in other words, it becomes pictorial.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) How do you understand the word combination “fundamental artists”, and what are they expected to accomplish?
2) Do you agree with the statement that “the function of art is to present man, since by its nature art was ‘work of man’.
3) Was it only Constable’s art that was influenced by Italian, Flemish and Dutch traditions?
4) Why may one rightly say that it is in the art of Constable that the ‘picturesque’ returns to its original sources?
2. How the text is organized
These phrases summarize the main idea of each paragraph. Match each with the correct paragraph.
a) Constable’s devotion to landscape painting
b) Italian, Flemish and Dutch traditions’ influence
c) analytical study of nature rhroughout his life.
d) a concept of natural beauty
e) Constable, a master of landscape art.
Text 3
FAMOUS ENGLISH ARTISTS
Vocabulary
to be the first man to raise - быть-первым художником, который поднимает
pictorial art – изобразительное искусство
taste for drawing – склонность к рисованию
to be apprenticed - быть помощником, учеником мастера
engraver - гравер
nothing but - здесь: не что иное, как
diligence - исполнительность
'marriage a la mode' - (франц.) серия картин "модный брак"
vanity - спесь, суета
Titian - Тициан Вечеллио (1477-1576), знаменитый итальянский художник
Veronese Paolo- Веронезе Паоло (1528-1588), знаменитый итальянский художник
depth of shadows - теневые контрасты
curiously - интересно
definite information - определенная информация
in a Van Dyck habit - в манере Ван Дейка
dispute - дискуссия
maintain - утверждать, отстаивать
predominant - что преобладает, господствующий
to attract general attention - привлекать всеобщее внимание
true to life - здесь: жизненный, реалистичный
to earn one’s living - зарабатывать на жизнь
introduce - представлять
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was the first man to raise British pictorial art to a level of importance. He was born in London. His father was a schoolmaster. His early taste for drawing was remarkable and after schooling normal for his day he was apprenticed to a silver-plate engraver.
His success he attributed to hard labour, ‘I know of no such thing as genius’, he wrote — ’genius is nothing but labour and diligence’.
Hogarth painted many pictures. The Marriage Contract is the first of the series of his pictures forming the famous ‘marriage a la mode’. Both fathers in the picture are seated to the right. One, an Earl, with points pride to his family tree; the other, probably an alderman of the City of London, examines the marriage settlement. The Earl’s son admires himself in the looking-glass; the alderman’s daughter trifles with her wedding ring and listens to the pleasantries of a young lawyer.
The subject of the picture is a protest against marriage for money and vanity. Hogarth was the first great English artist.
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first President of the Royal Academy, was not only a 236 painter but the founder of the academic principles of a British School.
His own work was influenced by the Venetians, Titian and Veronese. His passion for rich depth of shadows was fortunate; to obtain it he used bitumen.
The third great figure, of the 18th century painting — Thomas Gainsborough (1727- 1788) — was bom in 1727 in the small market town of Sudbury in Suffolk.
Gainsborough had little academic training; he learned to paint not by plodding in the studio, but by observing the actual world. Van Dyck’s graceful poses and silvery tones fascinated him and played a large part in determining the development of his skill. Perhaps the best known to-day of all Gainsborough’s portraits is the famous Blue Boy.
But curiously enough it was little known in Gainsborough’s day and there is no definite information, about the date of the painting. It is a portrait in a Van Dyck habit. There is an opinion that Gainsborough painted The Blue Boy in order to establish the point which he had made in a dispute with Reynolds and other painters, when he maintained that the predominant colour in a picture should be blue. His picture The Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher attracted general attention. The picture representing a small country girl was first exhibited in 1814; the easy pose of the girl, the natural turn of her head and the expression of her face make a true to life picture.
Gainsborough always thought of himself as a landscape painter, but torn away from his real love by the necessity to paint portraits in order to earn his living.
He was the first to introduce lyrical freedom into British painting. His achievement lay in the discovery of the beauty of his native landscape.
Reading Tasks
Answer these questions
1. Who was the first English artist of the 17th—18lh centuries?
2. What is the subject of Hogarth’s picture The Marriage Contract?
3. Who was the first President of the Royal Academy?
3. What pictures by Gainsborough do you know?
4. Did Gainsborough paint only portraits?
5. What is the predominant colour in his pictures?
Text 4
THOMAS GAINSBOROGH
T
homas
Gainsborough was
born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. His father was a weaver involved
with the wool trade. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father
with his pencilling skills so that he let him go to London to study
art in 1740. In London he first trained under engraver Hubert
Gravelot but eventually became associated with William Hogarth and
his school. One of his mentors was Francis Hayman.
In the 1740s, Gainsborough married Margaret Burr, an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort. The artist's work, then mainly composed of landscape paintings, was not selling very well. He returned to Sudbury in 1748-1749 and concentrated on the painting of portraits.
In 1752, he and his family, now including two daughters, moved to Ipswich. Commissions for personal portraits increased, but his clientele included mainly local merchants and squires. He had to borrow against his wife's annuity.
In 1759, Gainsborough and his family moved to Bath. There, he studied portraits by van Dyck and was eventually able to attract a better-paying high society clientele. In 1761, he began to send work to the Society of Arts exhibition in London (now the Royal Society of Arts, of which he was one of the earliest members); and from 1769 on, he submitted works to the Royal Academy's annual exhibitions. He selected portraits of well-known or notorious clients in order to attract attention.
These exhibitions helped him acquire a national reputation, and he was invited to become one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1769. His relationship with the academy, however, was not an easy one and he stopped exhibiting his paintings there in 1773.
In his later years, Gainsborough often painted relatively simple, ordinary landscapes. With Richard Wilson, he was one of the originators of the eighteenth-century British landscape school; though simultaneously, in conjunction with Joshua Reynolds, he was the dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century.
He died of cancer on the 2nd of August in 1788 at the age of 61.
Gainsborough painted more from his observations of nature (and human nature) than from any application of formal academic rules. The poetic sensibility of his paintings caused Constable to say, "On looking at them, we find tears in our eyes and know not what brings them."
His most famous works, such as Portrait of Mrs. Graham; Mary and Margaret: The Painter's Daughters; William Hallett and His Wife Elizabeth, nee Stephen, known as The Morning Walk; and Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher, display the unique individuality of his subjects.
Reading Tasks
1. Answer these questions
1. When was Thomas Gainsborough born?
2. Who was Gainsborough first teacher?
3. Why did Gainsborough return to Sudbury in 1748-1749 and concentrat on the painting of portraits?
4. How the Royal Academy's annual exhibitions help Thomas Gainsborough?
5. When did he stop exhibiying his paintings at the Royal Academy's annual exhibitions?
6. How can you describe Gainsborough technique of painting?
7. What works of Gainsborough do you know?
2. Make a summary of the text.
Text 5
EASEL PAINTING: HISTORICAL NOTES
Before you read
Discuss these questions:
1. What does tempera mean? What is gesso?
2. What main instruments does the artist use to express his ideas in painting?
Vocabulary:
resinous – смолистый
trace – след, запись
milestone – веха
reign – правление, править
wax – воск
coat – слой, покрывать краской
subtle – тонкий, едва уловимый
glaze – глянец, глазурь, лессировка
meticulously – тщательно
obscure – мрачный, неопределенный
assign – назначать срок, определять работу
imply – подразумевать
intractable – неподатливый
clement – милосердный
prominence – выступ известность
consistent – стойкий
opaque – непрозрачный
transparent – прозрачный
bulk – объем, основная часть
discern – распознавать
loaded – весомый, плотный
The
practice of easel painting in oil paint on canvas has been universal
since the XVIIth century; it did not arise as a sudden invention but
was result of a long development. Scholars have traiced this
development in considerable detail through the various schools of
art. There are several milestones or turning points in the history
of European easel painting which can be noted briefly as follows:
The early tempera paintings, notably those of Italy, were done on gesso grounds on wood panels. Working under the patronage of the Church or the regning families, the artists reflected the artistic tastes of their times. The results achieved were exactly what the painter desired; rather limited effects and the rather intractable materials were manipulated by developing superior skill and craftsmanship rather than by adopting more fluent or easily handled materials. Giotto is an outstanding example of the early Italian painters in this tradition; the works of Botticelli and Fra Angelico exemplify the high point of technical achievement in pure egg temperas.
A subtle change then followed; as small amounts of waxy, oily, or resinous materials began to be introduced into the tempera in various ways, paintings showed a definite degree of technical change. These were characterized by a somewhat more fluent command of brushwork and a trace of softening or blending of colors, but for the most part they rerained the same dry, linear quality of the earlier type. The culmination of this later type of tempera painting may be seen in the work of the Venetian painters of the XVth century – such as Antonello, Domenico Veneziano, and Andrea del Castagno – who refined their tempera paintings throughout with oily or resinous transparent glazes. Also, in the Northern countries, following the innovations of the Van Eycks and others at Bruges, the works of van der Weyden, van der Goes, and Memling show the use of oil glazes over trmpera and sometimes oil underpaintings carried on the highest degree of jewel-like perfection.
The artist has two instruments which he uses to express his intentions in paint; they are line and color or tonal masses. In their importance to painting techniques neither one can be rated above the other, and when discussing them the same general terms are applied to each. Two completely different technical approaches may thus be distinguished. In the first, line predominates and the painters cited above always retained completely and meticulously their original draftsmanship. Underpainting was never entirely obscured by the final painting; its effect had a strong and direct influence on the finished work.
The next great change was the tendency to techniques in which the tonal masses could be made to contribute a greater influence toward the final effect so that they might be used to play a part equal to that of the linear draftsmanship, or if desired, to dominate the total effect. This change was made possible by the adoption of oily mediums as opposed to the aqueous tempera, which is more suited to the linear or “drier” kind of painting. Blending of tones and also a looser, more fluent stroking may be used if desired, and the final coasts of paint can be made to contribute the major part of the total effect, whereas in the earlier method, the underpainting or drawing predominates.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) Find in the text some specific details of early Italian technique.
2) What changes occurred in the technique of 15th century painters?
3) Describe the technique of painting called tempera.
4) What does “glaze”cmean? Can you explain what “blending of colors” is? What’s the opposite of “transparent”?
5) Describe about the development of the oil-painting technique, using painters of the Venetian school as an example.
6) Point out two different approaches to the line and colour.
2. Understanding details
Make these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text.
1. The early tempera paintings were done on gesso grounds on wood panels.
2. Artists progressed by developing superior skill and craftsmanship rather than by adopting more fluent or easily handled materials.
3. The works of Botticelli and Fra Angelico exemplify the high point of technical achievemen in marine.
4. Antonello refined his tempera paintings throughout with oily or resinous transparent glazes.
5. In their importance to painting techniques line can be rated above colour.
6. The practice of easel painting in oil paint on canvas was a sudden invention.
7. The tonal masses might be used to play a part equal to that of linear draftsmanship. This change was made possible by the adoption of oily mediums.
8. Working under the patronage of the Church or the reigning families, the artists reflected the artistic tastes of their times.
3. How the text is organized
These sentences summarise the main idea of each paragraph. Match each sentence to the correct paragraph.
1. The early Italian paintings.
2. The culmination of tempera painting.
3. Predomination of colour.
4. The practice of easel painting – a few introductory words increasing influence of the tonal masses.
4. Match these words as they occur together in the text.
easel considerable turning gesso resinous subtle fluent tonal technical linear oily |
ground point detail painting materials approach mediums deaftsmanship change masses command |
Text 6
HOW TO APPRECIATE PAINTINGS
Before you read
Discuss these questions:
1) Why do personal reactions to art differ so much?
2) Is it possible to have common standarts and yet disagree about individual artistic approaches?
3) What kind of painting attracts you mostly?
4) Give your reasons.
5) Can an adequate likeness be a poor painting? Why?
Vocabulary:
target – цель, мишень
sitter – тот, кто позирует художнику, натурщик
pillar – колонна, столп
back-drop – задник (театр.)
effigy - изображение
conceive – представить себе, задумывать
consummate – законченный, полный, совершенный
endeavor – попытка, стремление
essence - сущность
grandeur – величие, великолепие
relish – склонность, пристрастие
rigorous – доскональный, тщательный
apparent – очевидный, явный
tinder - трут
divine - божественный
spark - искра
flatter - льстить
mist - дымка
captivate - пленять
discriminative – умеющий различать, разборчивый
imperceptible - незначительный
conversant – сведущий, знакомый
servile - подобострастный
torpid – оцепеневший, бездеятельный
delusive – обманчивый, мнимый
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was in his own day a commanding figure, whose authority outlived him and who eventually became a target for Romantic attacks. In Reynolds’s day society portraiture had become a monotonous repetition of the same theme. According to the formula, the sitter was to be posed centrally, with the background (curtain, pillar, chair, perhaps a hint of landscape) disposed like a back-drop behind; normally the head was done by the master, the body by a pupil or “drapery assistant”, who might serve several painters. Pose and expression tended to be regulated to a standard of polite and inexpressive elegance; the porttraittold little about their subjects other than that they were that sort of people who had their portraits painted. They were effigies; life departed.
It was Reynolds who insisted in his practice that a portrait could and should be also full, complex work of art on many levels; he conceived his portraits in terms of history painting. Each fresh sitter was not just a physical fact to be recorded, but rather a story to be told. His people are no longer static, but caught between one moment and the next. Reynolds was indeed a consummate producer of character, and his production method reward investigation. For them he called upon the full repertoire of the Old Masters.
Reynolds gave at the Royal Academy of Arts – which he helped to found in 1768 – the famous Discourses, which in publishd form remain a formidable body of Classical doctrine. In his Discourses Reynolds outlined the essence of grandeur in art and suggested the means of achieving it through rigorous academic training and study of the Old Masters.
Read what Sir Joshua Reynolds says about his own experience:
ON TASTE
…I am now clearly of opinion that a relish for the higher excellencies of art is an acquired taste, which no man ever possessed without long cultivation, and great labour and attention. On such occasion as that wich I have mentioned we are often ashamed of our apparent dullness; as if it were to be expected that our minds, like tinder should instantly catch fire from the divine spark of Raphael’s genius. I flattered myself that now it would be so, and that I have a just and likely perception of his great powers: but let it be always remembered, that the excellency of his style is not on the surface, but lies deep; and at the first view is seen but mistly. It is the florid style, which strikes at once, and captivates the eyes for a time, without ever satisfying the judgment. Nor does painting in this respect differ from other arts. Just poetical tastes, and the acquisition of a nice discriminative musical ear, are equally the works of time. Even the eye, however perfect in itself, is often unable to distinguish between the brilliancy of two diamonds; though the experienced jeweler will be amazed at its blindness: not considering that there was a time when he himself could not have been able to pronounce which of the two was the most perfect, and that his own power of discrimination was acquired by slow and imperceptible degrees.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) Can an inexperinenced viewer appreciate art as profoundly as a more experienced one can?
2) Is it possible to learn to appreciate art?
3) The ability to appreciate a work of art is an acquired one, isn’t it? How can a person gain better understanding of art?
4) Do you think the excellence of an artist’s style can be recognized at first sight?
5) Should one be ashamed of one’s apparent dullness? How should one improve his knowledge of art?
6) Is painting easier to understand than other kind of art?
7) Which is the correct way of viewing paintings?
2. Understanding details
Make these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text.
1. In Reynolds’s day society portraiture had become a monotonous repetition of the same theme.
2. The portrait was to be dome according to certain rules.
3. Reynolds insisted that a portrait could and should be monotonous repetition of the same theme.
4. Reynolds helped to found the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768.
5. In his “Discourses” Reynolds outlined the history of art.
6. Reynolds considered taste as an inherent property.
7. Reynolds suggested the means of achieving perfection through training and study of the Old Masters.
8. For Reynolds each sitter was not just a physical fact to be recorded, but rather a story to be told.
4. Match these words as they occur together in the text.
commanding florid rigorous apparent society inexpressive poetical musical acquired |
taste training dullness style ear taste figure portraiture elegance |
Text 7
CRAFT OF PAINTING
Before you read
Discuss these questions:
1) What is meant by “craft of painting”?
2) How do you understand the term “art of painting”?
Vocabulary:
interrelated and overlapping - взаимосвязанный
consideration – анализ, суждение
ravage – разрушительное действие
obtain – получать, обретать
transparent - прозрачный
sag - подтекать
drip - капать
оpaque - непрозрачный
coating – слой, грунт
crisp – четкий, решительный
blend – смешивать, переход оттенков
easel - мольберт
denote - означать
awkward - неудобный
treat - обрабатывать
layer - слой
skill - мастерство
verify - проверять
The craft of painting is a study apart from the art of painting; yet the two closely interrelated and overlapping. The artist cannot entirely divorce the artistic or aesthetic aspects of his work from his studies of materials and methods by treting the subject on a completely scientific or mechanical basis. Nor can he ignore all technical considerations in his efforts to establish a personal technique for the expression of his aims.
It is not enough for a paint to be permanent – resisting the revages od aging and the effects of sunlight and atmospheric conditions – but, in order to be an acceptable material for artists’ use, it must also be capable of being manipulated; that is, it must be under control of the artist at all times so that the effect he seeks can be obtained without troublesome procedures. For example, for some styles of painting a paint must be capable or being brushed out thinly and smoothly to a transparent layer that will not sag, drip, or run; for others it must be applied in a thicker, more opaque coating. Again, some paints are required to produce crisp, clean brushstokes; with others a softer, blended effect is required. Also, the color of paint must be clean, clear, true to its type, and there are several requirments it must meet in order that the painter may control color effects.
We can point easel painting as an example. This term means a bit more than just a picture that has been painted on an artust’s easel. It denotes the kind of painting that is meant to be hung on wall, usually in a picture frame, as distinguished from a mural painting, which is either painted directly on the wall or pasted to the wall. Easel painting is also distinguished from works of by commercial artists, illustrators, and designers, which are exclusively done for reproduction in or translation to other materials (for example, printer’s ink). Such work need not follow the rules for permanent painting, since the original is seldom valued as a unique work of art, and if it must be preserved for future reference, is kept away from light in a portfolio or file. By inference, the easel painting has been done in accordance with the rules for permanent painting.
These requirements have not always been in effect. For instance, thvery early European easel painters used materials rhat seem to us awkward and difficult to command. They paid considerable attention to the use of permanent materials, but they overcome difficulties in these matters by developing a very high degree of skill rather than by improving the working qualities of their materials. The modern painter has the advantage of improved materials and methods, which have been developed and standardized through the ages and verified by scientific controls, combined with the opportunity to study the basic underlying principles of the craft.
The choice of a technique that will be most appropriate to the subject at hand involves several considerations besides purely technical ones. But the final choice is largely influenced by technical considerations, and the artist who has a broad general knowledge of all painting methods – regardless of which one is his specialty – has a great advantage. He is thereby able to modify and alter his technique to suit his personal requirements by taking what he needs from other technical methods of painting; he is also able to vary his technique to suit the different types of painting he may want to do from time to time.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) Enumerate the most important qualities of paint.
2) What requirements should the paint meet?
3) In what ways does easel painting differ from other techniques?
4) Enumerate some other techniques.
5) What materials do these techniques use?
6) Do the materials have to follow the rules for permanent painting?
7) What are the requirements for them?
2. Understanding details
Make these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text.
1. Craft of painting and art of painting are closely interrelated and overlapping.
2. It is quite possible to ignore all technical considerations to establish a personal technique.
3. Works by commercial artists, illustrators and designers should follow the rules of permanent painting.
4. The very early European easel painters used materials that seem to us awkward and difficult to command.
5. The artist who has a broad general knowledge of all painting methods has a great advantage, because he is able to modify and alter his technique to suit his personal requirements.
6. The term “easel painting” means a picture that is kept away from ligh in a portfolio or file.
7. The early European easel painters improved the working qualities of their materials.
8. A mural painting is either painted directly on the wall or pasted to the wall.
3. Match these words as they occur together in the text.
atmospheric troublesome clean great general basic overcome transparent working |
knowledge advantage principles procedures layer brushstrokes qualities conditions difficulties |
4. Guess methods of fine-art painting from their definitions
tempera, oil painting, watercolor, fresco, guache, pastel |
1. The typical or customary example is a picture painted in straiht oil colors on a stretched linen canvas which has ben primed with white oil paint.
2. Painting on pure white rag paper with prepared transparent watercolor paints sold in tubes or pans.
3. Painting on white or tinted paper with the same materials as watercolor except that opaque instead of transparent colors are used.
4. Painting on an absorbed gesso ground with emulsion paints which can be thinned with water.
5. Painting with pure pigment in the form of crayons without the use of fluid mediums.
6. Painting on freshly applied, wet, lime-plaster walls with colors made by grinding the pigments in water.
Text 8
THE ROYAL ACADEMY
T
here
is a house of great beauty and clour in London. This is Burlington
House. Since 1869 it has been the Royal Academy of Arts.
In 1768 a group of leading painters, sculptors and architects presented a memorial to King George III. The young art-loving monarch declared his patronage, protection and support. All succeeding Sovereigns have accepted the style of “Patron, Protector and Supporter” of the Royal Academy. The monarch formally sanctions the elections of new Royal Academicians.
The first President of the Academy was Sir Joshua Reynolds, whose statue (palette and brush in hand) surveys the forecourt of Burlington House. He was Presedent for 24 years and created in the Academy a body of highly skilled professional artists.
In 1771 the Academy established its headquarters in Somerset House and remained there until 1837 when it moved to the east wing of the National Gallery.
The prime purpose of the Academy is the teaching of art to the most talented students. About 100 students attend the Academy School. They’re selected by examinations from those who have spent two or more years at London or provincial art schools.
Since 1768 about 7000 artists and architects have been trained free of charge in the School of Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Architecture. The students study the main “classic disciplines”. Several students in recent years have won major international awards.
The exhibitions of the students’ work in June and November attract attention of many people: teachers, art critics and gallery owners.
There are two annual exhibitions, organized by the Academy: the Winter Exhibition and the Summer Exhibition.
The Academy also organizes special exhibitions in its Diploma Gallery.
The Summer Exhibition has been held since 1769. It is the largest annual open art show in the world. About 10000 works are judged by the Royal Academicians. Different styles and traditions are represented at the Exhibition. It is open for 3.5. months. The majority of the works are for sale.
The Academy believes that it is important to give all artists an opportunity to exhibit and sell their works.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) Since what time has Burlington House been home for the Royal Academy of Arts?
2) Who was the first to declare his support of the Academy?
3) Who was the first President of the Academy?
4) What is the primary purpose of the Academy?
5) How often does the Academy organize the exhibitions?
6) What exhibition is the largest annual open show in the world?
7) How long does the Summer Exhibition stay open?
2. Understanding details
Make these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text.
1. The Royal Academy of Art was formed in 1869.
2. King George III was the first President of the Academy.
3. In 1837 the Academy moved to the National Gallery.
4. The prime purpose of the Academy is teaching the most talented students.
5. About 7000 artists and architects have been trained in the Academy.
6. Every year two exhibitions are organized by the Academy.
7. The Winter Exhibition is the largest annual open show in the world.
Text 9
TRETYAKOV GALLERY
Vocabulary
merchant - купец
connoisseur - знаток
studio - студия
contemporary - современный
little by little - мало-помалу, понемногу
to extend - расширить
range of interest - круг интересов
wing- крыло, флигель, пристройка к дому
to open to the public - открыть для посетителей
to donate - преподносить в качестве дара, передавать в дар
private collection - частная коллекция
to reflect - отражать
icon - икона
to contain - содержать
to devote to - посвящать (чему-либо, кому-либо)
magnificent - великолепный
celebrity - знаменитость
to represent - представлять
to link - связывать
portrait - портрет
still-life - натюрморт (мн.число still-lifes)
landscape - пейзаж
seascape - морской пейзаж
further on - далее
cream - цвет, "сливки", самое лучшее
turn-of-the century - начало века
canvas - холст, полотно
to house - помещать, размещать
research - научно-исследовательский
The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the best-known picture galleries in Russia. It takes its name from its founder Pavel Tretyakov, a Moscow merchant and art connoisseur.
I
n
the mid-19th century, Tretyakov began to collect Russian paintings.
He visited all the exhibitions and art studios and bought the best pictures of contemporary artists. He was especially fond of the works of the Peredvizhniki (or Wanderers) — the artists who belonged to the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions. Little by little Tretyakov extended his range of interest and began to collect earlier Russian paintings. More than once he had to add wings to his house in Lavrushinsky Pereulok, because his collection grew larger and larger.
In 1881 Pavel Tretyakov opened his collection to the public. 11 years later he donated it to the city of Moscow. Since then the gallery has received hundreds of pictures from other museums and private collections.
The Tretyakov Gallery reflects the whole history of Russian art, from the 11th century to the present day.
It has a rich collection of old Russian icons. The world-famous icon is The Trinity, painted in the early 15th century by Andrei Rublev.
The gallery contains halls devoted to the magnificent works of such 18th-century celebrities as Rokotov, Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Shchedrin.
The first half of the 19th century is represented by brilliant paintings by Bryullov, Tropinin, Ivanov, Venetsianov. The second half of the 19th century is especially well represented. The gallery has the best collection of the Peredvizhniki, such as Kramskoy, Perov, Ghe, Yaroshenko, Myasoyedov, and others. Linked with the Peredvizhniki are such great names in Russian art as Surikov, Repin, Vereshchagin, Vasnetsov, Levitan. There you can see historical paintings, portraits, still-lifes, landscapes, seascapes, etc.
Further on we find the cream of turn-of-the century Russian art: Serov, Vrubel, Kustodiev.
Canvases of modern painters are housed in the new building situated on Krymskaya Naberezhnaya (Crimean Embankment).
The Tretyakov Gallery is not only Russia's biggest and most important museum of Russian Art. It's also a research, cultural and educational centre.
Answer the questions
1. When did Pavel Tretyakov begin to collect Russian paintings?
2. Whose works was he especially fond of?
3. What do you know about the Peredvizhniki?
4. Where did Tretyakov keep his collection?
5. When did he open his collection to the public?
6. What did Tretyakov do with his collection?
7. Who was The Trinity painted by?
8. Do you know any other famous icon-painters?
9. What 18th century portrait-painters do you know?
10. Why is the second half of the 19th century especially well represented at the Gallery?
11. What great Russian names are linked with the Peredvizhniki?
12. What tum-of-the-century Russian artists do you know?
13. Where are canvases of modern painters housed?
14. When did you last go to the Tretyakov Gallery?
15. Who are your favourite Russian painters?
Text 10
GRAFFITI
Before you read
Discuss these questions:
1) Have you ever done graffiti?
2) Do you know where graffiti came from?
The use of spray-can paint became popular phenomenon in 1969 when teenagers in the poorer neighborhoods of New York began spraying it on walls. The word graffiti comes from the Italian and means something “scratched” or “incised”. Since ancient Roman times, the term had traditionally been used to designate the inscriptions and drawings etched on walls in public places. The first modern graffiti art was worked in a single color and contained only the sprayer’s name and/or trademark. Such signatures were known as “hits” or ‘tags”. Later they were supplemented by “pieces,” or pictorial graffiti. The focus of interest was provided by a word, usually the spreyer’s name, the background being formed by a less clearly definesd space or surface with zigzag contours. These sur such faces were embellished with futher decorative motifs such as arabesques, stars, checkerboard patterns, etc., to which written messages or dedications might be added. This type of graffiti rapidly spread worldwide and became an integral part of youth culture.
Railroad
stations, especially trains, were a favorite focus of this activity.
In New York, two subway trains achieved a kind of fame: the Freedom
train, consisting of eleven cars and created in 1976; and the
Christmas Train, a ten-car piece of December 1977. When they pulled
into the station, people spontaneously applauded – an event which
did not prevent the sprayers from being arrested for vandalism. In
the 1980s graffiti began to enter art musiums, works of three artits
being featured in 1982 at the prestigious Documenta exhibition in
Germany: Basquiat, Haring, and Quinones.
Having studied art, Haring turned his back on gallery and museum art at an early stage and adopted graffiti as what he referred to as a sign language for everyday communication. He developed a very personal touch and style, featuring his characteristic simplified contour figures set against a brightly colored background. These were frequently supplemented by written messages, such as appeal to avoid drugs.
Reading Tasks
1. Understanding main points
Answer these questions
1) What do you need to create graffiti?
2) Where did the word “graffiti” come from?
3) What do “tags” and “hits” mean?
4) Are there any messages in graffiti?
5) What surfaces do young people and artists use?
6) Find the differences between the first graffiti and the later ones.
2. Understanding details
Make these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text.
1. The use of spray-can paint became a popular phenomenon among the most prosperous businessmen.
2. The first modern graffiti art was worked in many bright colors.
3. Graffiti rapidly spread worldwide and became an integral part of youth culture.
4. Graffiti art was approved by Ministry of Education.
5. Some graffiti are exhibited in art museums.
6. Gaffiti artists use tempera for their best “tags”.
7. Railroad stations, and especially traines, were a favorite focus of graffiti artists activity.
8. Since ancient Roman times, the term graffiti had traditionally been used as a signature on documents.
3. Match these words as they occur together in the text.
spray railroad subway simplified decorative zigzag popular |
phenomenon motifs trains contour station figures can |
4. How the text is organized
These sentences summarise the main idea of each paragraph. Match the sentence to the correct paragraph.
1. A sign language for everyday communication.
2. Where you can see graffiti.
3. History and essence of graffiti.