Exercises

1. Study the italicised phrases, translate the sentences with them, give a back translation without consulting the texts.

2. Explain or expand on the following:

1) Reynolds did have a personal creative power.

2) In Reynolds' day society portraiture had become a monotonous repetition of the same theme.

3) Reynolds' people are no longer static.

4) Even in the portraits Gainsborough is an out-of-door painter.

5) The particular discovery of Gainsborough was the creation of a form of art in which the sitters and the background merge into a single entity.

6) In the evolution of the art of painting Gainsborough's actual method of putting on paint is an important step.

7) The formal elements of the painting - colours and lines - become expressive in their own right in Gainsborough's works.

3. Summarize the texts given above using the active vocabulary as props. Pay special attention to the characteristics of the manner of painting of both artists. Prove that Gainsborough is the purist lyricist of English painters and Reynolds is the master of the epic style. Make use of the text of Ex. I and the vocabulary of Ex. III, IV on p.p. 146 - 147 in "Practical Course of English" (3d year) edited by Prof. Arakin, 1974.

II. Without translating the extracts give the English equivalents for the italicized words, groups of words or phrases and render the paragraphs.

1) Будучи великолепным колористом и мастером композиции, Рейнольдс создал более двух тысяч портретов государственных деятелей, выдающихся писателей и актеров, имеющих как большую художественную, так и историческую ценность. Из-под кисти Рейнольдса вышли не только парадные портреты, но и такие великолепные подлинно реалистические произведения, как портрет Сэмюэля Джонсона – истинный шедевр портретного искусства Рейнольдса. В этом портрете передана и небрежность туалета, и тучность, и близорукость. Но главное – есть сложный характер Джонсона, великолепно переданный художником. Так и кажется, что д-р Джонсон сейчас произнесет одну из своих излюбленных иронических фраз.

2) Знаменитый «Голубой мальчик» Гейнcборо замечателен непринужденностью позы и естественностью выражения юного лица. Фигура его рельефно выступает на фоне удаляющегося берега реки, пасмурного неба и едва намеченного темного леса.

3) Гейнсборо, с его способностью проникновения в образ, умел не только внести даже в традиционный парадный портрет глубокую психологическую характеристику, но и передать мимолетное настроение человека.

4) Гейнсборо писал мелкими мазками, нередко свободно вкрапливая один цвет в другой, и картины его поэтому очень близки к быстро меняющемуся облику природы. Это новаторство в области живописной техники во многом предвосхитило будущие достижения импрессионистов.

III. Study and describe Thomas Gainsborough's famous picture Portrait of the Duchess of Beaufort. Make use of the text given below and the following vocabulary:

colour-scale, palette, cool tones, light-keyed, prevailing colour, to be imbued with, to be surrounded with an aura of, to render, to convey, to suggest, spontaneity, reserve, airiness, spirituality, gentle, exquisite, subtle, insight, to blend, to be enveloped, to catch a transient mood.

Thomas Gainsborough is one of the most important and original portrait-painters of eighteenth century England.

His work clearly shows the features characteristic of English art at its peak: directness and freshness in the perception of nature, and a highly developed artistic techniques. But alongside this, and to a greater extent than his contemporaries, Gainsborough's work shows the influence of the art of Van Dyck, who played a large part in the development of English portrait painting. One of Gainsborough's best works is the Portrait of the Duchess of Beaufort (there are grounds for doubting that the subject of the portrait has been correctly identified), painted when he was at the height of his powers.

The figure of the young woman in the low-cut dress made of translucent white material stands out against a dark background. Her powdered hair is intricately arranged, and the freshness of her young face, with moist, half-open lips and almond-shaped dark eyes, is set off by her hair, which hangs down to her shoulders. With her right hand she is gently pressing a blue silk scarf to her breast. The grey, blue, pink and white shades, here and there accentuated by brighter brush-strokes, help to show the elegance and beauty of the model.

The technique of the portrait is distinguished by movement and exceptional lightness. The thin layer of liquid colours seems to reflect many soft half-tints. The feeling of movement is intensified by a device characteristic of the artist, due to which certain parts of the portrait seem to be drawn in pencil, not painted with a brush. This technique, reminiscent of pastel, is especially noticeable in the treatment of the subject's hair.

The boldness of Gainsborough's technique startled his contemporaries. It is this style, unconnected with the traditions of the Royal Academy, which is one of Gainsborough's most notable achievements.

IV. What is the difference between a really good portrait and a coloured photograph? Sometimes people say looking at a picture: “It’s like a coloured photograph.” What exactly do they mean? Is it praise or criticism? Explain your point of view.

V. Using a reproduction of a portrait give a talk on it showing that it is a study of human nature. Through what technical devices does the painter expose the sitter’s inner qualities? Use the following outline:

1. The general effect. (The title and 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 and setting. The age and the physical appearance of the sitter. The accessories, the dress and environment. Any attempt to render the personality and 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 posture bold or rigid? Do the hands (head, body) look natural and informal? How do the eyes gaze? Does the painter concentrate on the analysis of details? What tints predominate in the colour scheme? Do the colours blend imperceptibly? Are the brushstrokes left visible?)

4. Interpretation and evaluation. (Does it exemplify a high degree of artistic skill? What feelings, moods or ideas does it evoke in the viewer?)