View of Toledo, El Greco

SPEAKING ABOUT ART

together like this, they made Ginny catch her breath.

She began thinking of what her mother had wanted to say by the picture. Tell the story of the corrupt¹ officer? Yes... But not mainly. What she had probably wanted to do was just to see what happened when she put that red and that yellow together. That was what could start it. Some little technical thing like that. And the shape of the man as he falls... Because there's no shadow, you can't see easily where he is in relation to the floor. He seems to be floating in space, almost. But at the same time no one could say that the picture wasn't technically correct. It was amazing, brilliant! Ginny felt a lump in her throat.

2. Read the text again paying attention to the words in bold and using a dictionary. Then choose the right answer (a-c) to each question.

1. What impression did the book given by her father make on Ginny?

1. She liked the chapters devoted to Boticelli, Monet and Picasso.

2. She had a mixed feeling of pleasure and disbelief.

3. She felt that she had badly needed a book like that.

2. What did Ginny feel when she first looked at her favourite reproductions of Whistler and El Greco?

1. The two pictures struck her as extremely original.

2. The girl was overwhelmed by the deep emotions the pictures awakened.

3. The girl was surprised by the colours and shapes in the pictures. ’corrupt [ka'rApt] — продажний, корумпований

What type did the picture on the wall belong to?

1. It was a genre painting.

2. It was a portrait.

3. It was a battle scene.

Besides the officer's victims, who were the people in the crowd?

1. His relatives.

2. His partners in crime.

3. His enemies.

How could one guess that the soup in the picture had been poisoned?

1. By the position of the plate.

2. By the discord of colours.

3. By the dark shade.

What did Ginny's mother want to express by painting her masterpiece?

1. She wanted to tell a story.

2. She wanted to experiment with some painting techniques.

3. She wanted to tell a story and make it more effective by using some special techniques.

SPEAKING ABOUT ART

In the text, find the words which mean the following:

1. to study something closely

2. to take something in gradually

3. straight up

4. to have the most important noticeable place

5. with furniture in it

6. a person who works on the land

7. a person who helps another person to do wrong

8. special, distinctive

9. extremely unnaturally bright

10. important, meaningful

11. not near any others, separated

12. some liquid poured or dropped on a surface

13. practising the dishonest use of power and position

WORD o

FILE an arrangement (of)

[a'reind3m3nt] a shadow [’Jaedgo] a victim [’viktim] to absorb [ab'soib] to affect [a'fekt] to enliven [m'laivn] to float [ftaot] sheer [jia]

significant [sig'mfikant]

• to catch somebody's breath

• to feel a lump in somebody's throat

• to make somebody gasp

• to pore over something with delight

• to put into words

• to be sinking out of sight

Say when people experience such feelings or behave in the following way. Give examples.

1. o

   SPEAKING ABOUT ART

   pore over something with delight

2. breathe something in

3. miss something

4. gasp

5. have a shock

6. find something impossible to put into words

7. catch one's breath

8. feel amazed

9. feel a lump in one's throat

Work in pairs.

1. Imagine that you're Ginny and speak about your interest in art and the first impression of your mother's picture.

2. Speak about a strong impression a particular picture once made on you. Describe the picture.

3. Speak about the pictures and artists mentioned in the text. Use encyclopedias and/or Internet links.

The portrait is painted in cold colours (black, blue, grey and white). At first sight you may think that it is a traditional ceremonial portrait, but if you look attentively, you will see that her parted lips, fleeting glance and graceful gesture of her hand help to create a true impression of the sitter's vitality and optimism. The woman in the picture is alive, and we have a feeling that she is looking at us.