The Far East: people and culture
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The exhibition of Western Art
It opens with Italian painting, which reflects significant stages of Italian art development, its tendencies and schools. The works of the artists of the Venetian schools depicted real life and its characters are presented on display. Paolo Veronese Caliary‟s canvas “Loose Woman Facing Jesus Christ” shows festive, carnival, aristocratic Venice with its love for splendor. The oil “Rebecca by the Well” by Titian reminds us of ancient Greek paintings.
Works of the German, Austrian and Swiss national schools are displayed at the gallery. All these paintings belong to the beginning of the 16th century – the time of the Northern Renaissance.
German Fine Arts experienced strong influence by Flemish artists. The oil by Jacobson “Hunting Wild Boars” is devoted to the favourite subject of the Flemish artists. The composition of this work is dynamic and realistic in details.
Realistic trends in German Arts are vividly seen in the portrait “Old Man Drinking” by Balthasar Denner, a German artist who loved to paint old people.
Austrian Arts of the 19th century are represented at the Khabarovsk Arts
Museum by Viennese artist Franz von March. His work “Beloved Children” is a typical example of a sentimental romantic portrait of that time.
“The Alps after a Storm in Bern Canton”, 1845, by Françoise Diday is an illustration of romantic trends in landscape painting of the 19th century Switzerland. This large canvas is devoted to severe forces of nature and is painted with unsurpassed skill. It reproduces the mood of the tragic loneliness of a human being in the hostile world of nature.
A typical example of French classicism is the work “Esther facing Artaxerox” by an unknown artist. The image of a woman gradually became the main subject in French portraits of the 18th century. This tendency is connected with female roles in high society of those times. The canvas by an unknown artist “Lady in Blue” is a half-length portrait; it presents the image is of a woman full of calm and simplicity, though one can feel her strong character.
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Camille Corot is an outstanding French artist who is known in the arts as a master at depicting silvery hazy days. Fritz Taulov, Norwegian by birth, is widely known for his pastels. His work “Winter River” fascinates us by its delicate lyricism and gentle mannerism.
The exhibition of Eastern Aboriginal Applied Arts
Precious holdings in the Khabarovsk Arts Museum are the applied arts and crafts of the aboriginal people of the Far East: Nanai, Ulchi, Udege, Nivkhi, Negidaltsi, Eveni and Evenki.
At present there are two thousand items in the collection. The Ulchi and Nanai wedding garments on display give us a chance to admire the style and the beautiful ornamentation. The Nanai silk gowns were often decorated by the images of a mythological universal tree which symbolized the eternity of the world. The first hall of the exposition is fully devoted to the female crafts; they are unique from the artistic point of view. In the center of the exposition there is an Ulchi outfit which is of Chinese silk and dates back to the 19th century. A Nivkhi fish-skin garment on display belongs to the same period.
Aboriginal women were traditionally involved in birch-bark crafting and developed those skills to perfection. The birch-bark articles on display are exquisite; they are a real spectacle of colour, atmosphere and ornaments.
Carving, stamping and appliqué are the major techniques used in birch-bark crafting.
Hand-made carpets are the most widely spread crafts of the Ulchi and Nanai women. The harmonious designs on the contemporary Nanai carpets consist of squares or diamonds filled with elaborate fretwork.
There is one more ancient craft which was mastered by the aborigines of the Amur River basin – wood carving. Traditional wood-carved articles were common in everyday life, though some items of high artistic value were appropriate for religious rites.
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Bone-engraving and carving as well as fur exhibits occupy a place of honour in the Gallery. Walrus tusk was the main solid material used for production of household items, fishing and hunting implements and also for various religious fetishes. Seal, bear, polar fox and walrus figurines were intended to lure prey to the trap and to insure hunting success. Miniature statuettes of the fur-trading animals by the artisans of Chukotka are world famous for their plasticity, simplicity of forms and expressiveness.
Priceless exhibits displayed at the Khabarovsk Museum of Fine Arts reflect the skill and artistic ability of many generations, giving the gallery‟s viewing public a chance to learn and to admire the best ornaments, colors and forms.
Assignments from the text “The Khabarovsk Arts Museum”
I.Write down and translate the words/word combinations in bold type.
II.Find in the text English equivalents for the following:
1.основная часть коллекции
2.театральные позы и жесты
3.картина, написанная маслом
4.где проходят концерты камерной музыки при свечах
5.фонд музея
6.изображать, запечатлевать
7.совершенство линий
8.в основе лежат библейские сюжеты, сюжеты Греческой мифологии и сказания
9.черты классической живописи
10.поэтический жанр
11.глубокий кризис в классическом реализме
12.создать абсолютно новый стиль
13.любовь к роскоши, великолепию
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14.испытывать сильное влияние со стороны…
15.трагическое одиночество человека
16.полотно (холст, картина) неизвестного художника
17.бесценные экспонаты
18.восхищаться стилем и прекрасным украшением
19.восходит к 19-му веку
20.бивень моржа
21.священное писание
III. Paraphrase using words or word combinations from the text:
1.to make something old look new, restore
2.a place where something is stored, a store
3.to make larger in size, to enlarge
4.especially beautiful and valuable exhibits
5.extremely impressive and fascinating icons
6.the most common, powerful point of view having influence in the artistic sphere
7.new, original tendencies
8.very clearly seen
9.a painter who found it interesting to depict aged people
10.something that an artist wanted to express by his picture
11.special from the standpoint of Arts
12.a set of clothes
13.to improve one‟s abilities, make something perfect
14.with the purpose of using in different religious rites or as amulets
15.craftsmen
IV. Insert prepositions:
1.A great number … art works, … 1100 pieces, came … the possessions
… the top Russian museums.
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2.First the collection was displayed … the Khabarovsk Natural History Museum.
3.The edifice dedicated … the arts … Khabarovsk now, was opened … the turn … the century.
4.… present the museum has … ten thousand exhibits … Russian and
Western arts.
5.They belong … the Golden Age … Russian icon-painting.
6.These works … art can easily compete … the European paintings … the same period.
7.Its narrative aspect is based … a well-known plot … Greek mythology.
8.It conveys the inner world … a human being … the perception … nature.
9.The oil “Rebecca by the Well” … Titian reminds us … ancient Greek paintings.
10.The oil … Jacobson “Hunting Wild Boars” is devoted … the favourite subject … the Flemish artists.
11.The harmonious arrangement … the contemporary Nanai carpets consists … squires or diamonds filled … elaborate fretwork.
12.Some items … high artistic value were appropriate … the religious rites.
V.Find the names of the art schools mentioned in the text (realism, cubism e.g.), write them down, try to characterize them using an art encyclopedia /dictionary. Name several well-known artists,
representatives of each school. VI. Make questions from the text.
VII. Translate the sentences into English using expressions from ex. 1:
1.Когда я вошел, все уже были вовлечены в оживленную дискуссию.
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2.Эти полотна отличаются друг от друга размером и композицией.
3.На прошлой неделе в музее были выставлены костюмы коренных жителей Дальнего Востока.
4.Он заявил, что данное утверждение не отражает его собственный взгляд.
5.Мысль о мести преследовала (мучила) его.
6.Мощи святых были объектом поклонения у этого народа.
7.Эта уникальная коллекция эскизов принадлежит известному итальянскому коллекционеру.
8.Замысловатый узор ковра просто очаровал ее.
9.Выжить в жестоком (суровом) мире природы очень сложно.
10.В двадцати милях к северу вы найдете непревзойденный по красоте пейзаж.
11.Величественное здание церкви можно увидеть, находясь в разных частях города.
12.В прошлом году он приобрел пакет акций компании и теперь планирует установить новые порядки.
13.Этот собор представляет собой настоящую сокровищницу. Туристы приезжают сюда из разных стран для того, чтобы полюбоваться на иконопись 14-го века.
14.К сожалению, данная пастель не обладает высокой художественной ценностью.
15.Пейзаж отображает внутренний мир человека.
VIII. Retell the text.
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TEXT 13.
THE KHABAROVSK ARBORETUM
The Khabarovsk Arboretum was set up beside a forest nursery almost a hundred years ago on the outskirts of Khabarovsk. The forest nursery used to supply the neighborhood with saplings. Years passed. The boundaries of the city were extended. But an idyllic spot, a small part of real taiga, remained in the very heart of Khabarovsk. There you can enjoy the fresh aroma of a real forest. Today the Khabarovsk Arboretum occupies an area of approximately 25 acres. It has a unique collection of Far Eastern trees, shrubs and lianas. The Arboretum is also a scientific research center, though it was laid out as a park; nearly 1,000 varieties of vegetation grow here. The scientific workers of the Arboretum have collected flora in various parts of the Far East and brought various samples from other geographical zones.
The diversity of the Far Eastern vegetation is due to the large extent of the territory, varied natural and climatic conditions and a very complicated structure of the surface. During the Pre-Ice-Age period glaciations did not reach the Far East and that was why heat loving plants and animals survived and even now can be found in our territory. These are the following shrubs and trees: the wild grape, the Magnolia vine, the Amur cork tree, the Manchurian walnut and others.
The climate changed considerably and became severe; hence warmth loving plants had to adapt. Now the Far Eastern forests are all mixed and are known for a peculiar combination of northern and southern species.
The Arboretum staff deals with the introduction and acclimatization not only of Far Eastern species, but European, American and Asian species as well. The plant breeders investigate the peculiarities of the introduction and acclimatization of plants to the climatic conditions of the Far East. They also work on selection and strain testing of trees and shrubs, on landscaping and shade gardening. Their main task is to research how to cultivate species
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propagation for enriching the Far Eastern flora with new commercially valuable species and vegetation forms. The Arboretum is called a “living” collection of unique plants.
The Khabarovsk Arboretum is a kind of experimental ground for the Far Eastern Forestry Research Institute. The Institute was founded on the basis of a small forestry experimental station in 1939. Now it is an important scientific research institution with 10 departments, 7 laboratories, an arboretum, and 5 forestry experimental stations situated in the Maritime Territory, Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions. There are some departments in the Institute that are considered to be of great importance, they are: the department of forestry economics and organization, the department of logging operations, the department of fire control, the department of forest plantations, the department of selection and forest seed-breeding and many others.
The scientists of the Institute have organized a public academy for senior students. Its main purpose is to teach children the basis of sylviculture and forest economy and develop a love for nature.
The Arboretum as one of the departments of the Institute exchanges seeds and planting stock with botanical gardens, scientific research institutions and na- ture-lovers inside the country and abroad. People‟s intention to learn about nature is everlasting: hundreds of excursions visit the Khabarovsk Arboretum every year.
A picturesque parterre spreads out by the main entrance and further down to the tree lanes. Though the scientific staff does not specialize in floriculture, flowers skirt the pathway. In May, the Peony which is as beautiful as it is useful begins to blossom. It helps to cure asthma, gout and falling sickness. There are 250 varieties of the Georgin or Dahlia. The Chrysanthemum or „queen of flowers‟ also grows here. It is the most honored flower in Japan; the Order of Chrysanthemum is the highest Japanese award. Flowerbeds are blushing with Asters, which are easy to care for and long-blooming flowers. Irises, whose oil
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is a little bit less expensive than attar of roses and Gladioli, provide a real feast for the eyes. The first beauty among the wild flowers of the Russian Far East is the Tiger Lily which blooms in the height of summer. Tall lilac, mock-orange or jasmine, yellow-violet colombine, white dog-wood, purslane, phlox, California poppy, flax and many more beautify the Arboretum throughout the summer and add much to its exotic atmosphere.
After the flower parterre comes a block of trees and shrubs. There are 750 exotic plants in the Khabarovsk Arboretum. One of them is the Siberian Willow, a melliferous plant whose shoots and sprouts make good material for wickerwork. Other exotic trees are: the Common or Petrovskaya Pine, the Mulberry, whose fruit is very sweet and the American Spirea Shrub that fills the air with a sweet dewy fragrance.
There are some fruit-bearing trees as well: the Manchurian Apricot, the Ussuri Pear and the Manchurian Crab-Apple. The Arboretum looks more attractive in spring when these trees blossom. They are frost-resistant and live up to 100 years.
The trunks of these trees are intertwined by the liana Actinidia with the sweet fragrant fruit whose scent attracts all the cats from the neighborhood. You can also see here dark-blue clusters of Wild Grape with its sour and astringent berries. The Magnolia Vine called locally „limonnik‟ is very popular with people; tea made from the magnolia vine is a very good tonic.
Honeysuckle ranks first among the 60 fruit-bearing plants of the Ussuri taiga represented in the Arboretum. Its berries contain organic acids and vitamin C. There are 17 varieties of Honeysuckles, but only the one with dark blue berries is edible.
There is a special area at the Arboretum fully devoted to medicinal plants. The collection numbers over 100 species. They are: the Manchurian Aralia which is good to cure nervous breakdowns and to develop a good appetite, Eleutherococcus whose infusions easily stop the development of cancer cells,
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Hawthorn good for making cardiac medications and Sweetbriar, good for aviataminosis against nervous breakdowns and gasritic disorders.
The Khabarovsk Arboretum is beautiful in all seasons and creates an inimitable forest charm. It is pleasant to take a stroll here any time of the year.
Guided walks are operated in summer. For those who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, it is most enjoyable in warm seasons when each bush and every tree startles passers-by with their colors. Each corner of the Arboretum reminds us of various forest scenes, each path invites us to an enjoyable walk through a real piece of the Far Eastern taiga, enveloped by the sounds of nature.
Assignment from the text “The Khabarovsk Arboretum”
I.Read and translate the text. Learn the words and word-combinations in bold type.
II.Say in one word:
1.the plants and trees in a particular place
2.the process in which land becomes covered by glaciers
3.to change something slightly in order to make it better, more accurate, or more effective
4.the process of becoming familiar with a new place, different weather conditions, or a new situation
5.growing new plants or making a plant produce more plants
6.making something better or more enjoyable, making someone richer
7.making something popular with many people, making something suitable for ordinary people to understand, use etc
8.using new ideas or methods that are not yet proved to be successful every time
9.relating to, based on, or used in scientific experiments
10.the work of cutting down trees for wood
11.the process of choosing one person or thing from a group