Genre paintingis a painting, which represents scenes from everyday life in a more or less realistic way.

A scene is used in various expressions specifying the subject of the picture: street scene, city scene, country scene, hunting scene, historical scene, battle scene. Scene is often followed by “from…life”.

A piece is used as a general term meaning “work”, “picture”.

2. Select a reproduction of a painting and discuss it according to the following outline.

1. The general effect (the title and the name of the artist; the period or trend represented; does it appear natural and spontaneous or contrived and artificial)

2. The contents of the picture (place; time; setting; the accessories, the dress and environment; any attempt to render the emotions of the model; what does the artist accentuate in his subject)

3. The composition and colouring (how is the sitter represented; against what background; any prevailing format; is the picture bold or rigid; does it look natural; does the painter concentrate on the analysis of details; what tints predominate in the colour scheme; do the colours blend imperceptible; are the brushstrokes lift visible)

4. Interpretation and evaluation (does it extremely a high degree of artistic skill; what feelings or ideas does it evoke in the viewer).

3. Explain the following.

   1. A picture is a poem without words. (Horatio)

   2. Art is long and life is fleeting. (Longfellow)

   3. All art is but imitation of nature. (Seneca)

4. Finish the sentences.

1. My preference lies with the genre of portrait because…

2. I personally like genre paintings. They are…

3. I prefer landscape to other genres. You see…

4. I care much for still lives…

5. I prefer battle pieces…

5. What does it mean?

1. It’s hard to overestimate the role of art in one’s life.

2. Art forms out outlook and enriches our inner world.

3. Art has a great educational significance.

4. Art brings people up - makes them more human and kind.

5. Art holds up people’s spirits in the tragic moments of their lives.

6. The language of art is universal.

7. Group discussion.

Topic I. Is the appreciation of pictures a special faculty, which only a few can possess?

Talking points.

1. The excellency of style is not on the surface, but lies deep. It is the florid style which strikes at once. There is no need to be ashamed of one’s apparent dullness.

2. The habit of looking at good pictures is in itself a means by which taste can be formed and the scope of one’s enjoyment widened and developed.

3. The acquisition of good taste is a matter of time. Painting in this respect does not differ from other arts (poetry, music).

Topic II. A great painting enriches our experience of life, just as a great poem does or a great musical composition.

Talking points.

1. The more we look at it the more it reveals and this is not necessarily because of the amount of detail and incident it contains.

2. Great painters make us see and think a great deal more than the objects before us, they teach us to look at scene through their eyes, with something of their own imagination.

3. The masterpieces of painting, like the masterpieces of music and poetry transform experience; they are an inexhaustible source of beauty which derives from the originality of the artist’s outlook, his capacity for combining form and colour into a harmonious unity.

8. Develop the idea.

It goes without saying that before looking at canvases you are supposed to know smth about the artist who created them, about the time in which he worked, about the artist’s style and technique. You see …