Step 4: Shaping Ideas and Facts in English

Exercise 1: Render the piece of information below into Russian without consulting a dictionary.

The Baroque style was characterized by ornamentation, dynamism, theatricality, and overstatement. What could better exemplify this style than the reign of Louis XIV and the Palace of Versailles?

The French court clearly was a model of pomp and pageantry, and the Spanish court to the south was eager to emulate that model. King Philip IV of Spain reigned for a shorter time than his French counterpart and could not begin to match Louis in either power or ability. Philip had one asset, however, that Louis never quite managed to acquire - a court painter of the first rank. That painter was one of the geniuses of Spanish art - Diego Velazquez.

In his capacity as court painter Velazquez created his masterpiece, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor). At left we see the artist, working on a very large canvas, but we can only guess at the subject he is painting. Perhaps it is the young princess, the infanta, who stands regally at center surrounded by her attendants ("las meninas"), one of whom is a dwarf. Or perhaps Velazquez is actually painting the king and queen, whom we see reflected in a mirror on the far wall. Their participation is clear, but where are they standing? Possibly they are outside the picture, standing next to us, the observers. This ambiguity is part of the picture's fascination, as is the dual nature of the scene. Although it shows a formal occasion, the painting of an official portrait, Velazquez has given the scene a warm, "everyday" quality, almost like that of a genre painting. Some experts believe Velazquez is painting the king and queen, and the little infanta has just wandered in to disrupt the proceedings.

Like Caravaggio, Velazquez uses light to create drama and emphasis, but light also serves here to organize and unify a complex space. The major light source comes from outside the top right corner of the painting, falling most brilliantly on the infanta, leaving the others in various degrees of shadow. Another light source illuminates the mysterious figure in the open doorway at back. Velazquez may have put him there to direct attention to the reflected images of the king and queen. Light also strikes the artist's face and the mirror reflection. What could have been a very disorderly scene has been pulled together by the device of spotlighting, much as a designer of stage lighting would control what the audience sees. The theatricality of the Baroque is more subtle in Velazquez than in Bernini, but it is no less skillful.

Exercise 2: Give exact equivalents for the underlined words and word combinations. Use them in nice English sentences of your own, but change the reference of your statements (speak of other subjects, though they may be closely related to that of the piece of information above).

Exercise 3: Translate into English.

Искусство Барокко занимает важное место в мировой истории. Искусство, музыка, литература Барокко отражают ту атмосферу, в которой они были созданы. Период Барокко в Европе был полон суматохи (беспорядка). Волнения наблюдались во всех сферах человеческой деятельности: в политике, религии, науке. Борьба между католической и протестантской религиями и признание Протестантизма находили свое отражение в искусстве того периода.

В этом хаосе католическая церковь искала способы поддержания веры. Изобретались пышные обряды. Строились новые соборы, которые были украшены витиеватыми позолоченными скульптурами и яркими картинами. Таким образом, искусство перешло на службу церкви и слабо отражало основные противоречия того времени. Такого рода показной стиль Барокко продолжил свое развитие в XVII и XVIII столетиях по всей Европе.

Если говорить в более общем смысле об искусстве Барокко, то можно выделить следующие характерные черты: это было искусство движения, а не спокойствия; искусство тревожной неустойчивости, силы (неистовства) и зрелищ. Искусство Барокко эстетично и чувственно. Это искусство отражает любовь к праздникам, любовь к музыке и наслаждение плотскими удовольствиями.

Эра Барокко достигла своей самой эксцентричной точки с развитием стиля, называемого Рококо. Этот стиль долгое время оставался популярным у знати, даже после того, как некоторые художники, ученые и философы "вступили" в век Просвещения. Так или иначе художники Барокко внесли огромный вклад в то, что в современной западной цивилизации расценивается как нечто пышное, буйное и роскошное.

Exercise 4: Design a completed piece of judgment to make certain statements from the above extract more relevant. The point is to resort to evidence where necessary and not to make your text too long.

STEP 5: Evidence

Exercise 1: Read the jumbled text below and order the paragraphs into a biography. Give a brief account of the order.