At the art dealer’s

(From “lust for Life” by lrving Stone)

The little bell on the front door jingled. A stranger walked in. “That picture you have in the window,” he said. “That still life. Who is it by?”

“Paul Cezanne.”

“Cezanne? I have never heard of him. Is it for sale?”

“Ah, no, alas, it is already …”

Madame Tanguy saw her chance. She quickly rose from the chair, threw off her apron, pushed Tanguy out of the way, and ran up to the man eagerly.

“But of course it is for sale. It is a beautiful sill life, is it not, Monsieur? Have you ever seen such apples before? We will sell it to you cheap if you admire it.”

“How much”

“How much, Tanguy? Asked Madame Tanguy raising her voice. Tanguy swallowed hard. “Three hundred …”

“Tanguy!”

“two hundred …”

“Tanguy!”

“Well, one hundred francs!”

“A hundred francs? I wonder …” said the stranger. “For an unknown painter… I’m afraid that’s too expensive. I don’t think I can afford it. I was only prepared to spend about twenty five.”

The canvas was immediately taken out of the window and put before the customer.

“See, Monsieur, it is a big picture. There are four apples. Four apples are a hundred francs. You only want to spend twenty-five. Then why not take one apple? The price is only twenty-five francs.”

When the price was mentioned the man began to study the canvas with new interest. “Yes, that’s all right. Just cut this apple the full length of the canvas and I’ll take it.”

Madame hurried to her apartment and returned with a pair of scissors. The end apple was cut off, wrapped in a piece of paper and handed – to the man. He paid the money and walked out with the canvas under his arm. The spoiled masterpiece lay on the counter.

“My favourite Cezanne,” cried Tanguy unhappily. “I’ll miss it so? I put it in the window. I wanted people to see it for a moment and go away happy.”

Madame Tanguy interrupted him. “Next time someone wants a Cezanne and hasn’t much money, sell him an apple. Take anything you can get for it. They are worthless anyway, he paints so many of them.”

Exercise 7. Answer the questions to the text.

1.What kind of shop is described in the story? 2. Whom did the shop belong to? 3. What picture was placed in its window? 4. Is Poul Cezanne a famous artist? 5. What paintings is he famous for? 6. Who walked into the shop one morning? 7. What questions did he put? 8. What did Tanguy do? 9. Was the picture a landscape, a portrait, a seascape, a water- color painting or a still life? 10. Was it for sale? 11. What price did Mr. Tanguy name for the picture? 12. What price did his wife make him name? 13. Could the customer afford to buy the picture at such a price? 14. What sum did the customer offer for the picture? 15. How many apples were there in the picture? 16. What did Madame Tanguy offer the customer to buy? 17. How many apples did he ask to cut off? 18. Did Mme Tanguy really do this? 19. What did Mr.Tandny who was really fond of the picture, say after the stranger had gone? 20. What for did he place the masterpiece in the window? .21. What did his wife offer him to do next time? 22. Did Mme Tangny understand anything in art?

Exercise 8. Say whether it is false or true, if false say why.

1. The stranger was a famous French painter Paul Cezanne. 2. The picture in the window was a famous landscape of Van Gogh. 3. You could see a beautiful apple-tree in blossom in it.4. Mr. Tangy did not want to sell the picture.5. Mr.Tangny wanted to sell the picture for 25francs. 6. The customer could afford this price. 7. Madame Tangy was very sorry that Cezanne’s masterpiece was spoiled. 8. Paul Cezanne painted many different still lives with apples.

Exercise 9. Retell the text using Ex.7 as a plan.

Exercise 10. Read, dramatize and memorize the dialogues:

• What can I do for you?

• I want to buy a picture as a birthday present for my friend.

• What picture would you like? Have you any idea?

• Yes, Certainly. My friend is fond of flowers. I’d like to buy a flower piece.

• Do you want an oil painting or water- color? Look at this picture.

• It’s nice. But the colors are too bright. Show me that pastel with irises. Is it an original?

• Right. All our pictures are original. But this picture is rather expensive.

• Never mind. I’ll take it. Wrap it up for me.

• Here you are.

• Thank, you.

• Any time.

Exercise 11. Look through the text “At the Dealer’s” again, reproduce in the form of a dialogue the conversation between:

1. the stranger and Mr. Tanguy;

2. the stranger and Mme Tanguy;

3. Mr. Tanguy and Mme Tanguy after selling one apple.

Exercise 12. Listen to the text and answer these questions:

1. What was the king fond of?

2. Why did people lie him that his pictures were nice?

3. Why was the great painter put into prison?

4. Was it possible for the king and the painter to become friends?

There was a king who thought that he could paint very well. His pictures were bad, but the people to whom he showed them were afraid of the king. They all said that they liked his pictures very much.

One day the king showed his pictures to a great painter who lived in this country and asked, “I want to know. What you think of my pictures? Do you like them? Am I a good painter, or not?”

The painter looked at the king’s pictures and said: “ My king, I think that your picture are bad and that you will never be a good painter.”

The king was very angry and sent the painter to prison. After two years the king wanted to see the painter again. “I was very angry with you,” he said, because you did not like my pictures. Now forget all about it. You are a free man again, and I am your friend.”

For many hours the king talked with the painter and even invited him to dinner. After dinner the king showed his pictures to the painter and asked, “Well, how do you like them now?” The painter did not answer. He turned to a soldier. Who was standing near him and said, “Take me back to prison.”

Exercise 13. Translate the text using a dictionary.