Unit 3. Art and Painting

1. Read and answer the questions:

1. Do you like painting? What kind of pictures to you usually draw?

2. In what way are painting and art connected with your future profession?

3. What genres of painting do you know?

4. Do you have your favorite picture? How is it called?

2. Study the Active Vocabulary.

1. art n 1. creation of beautiful things, as a work of art; art-lover; art critic; genuine art; pretence of art; graphic art; applied art; folk art; the Fine Arts (painting, music, sculpture), e. g. I am interested in the new trends in art.

2. artist n a person who practises one of the Fine Arts, esp. paintings, as a professional artist, amateur artist, e. g. Reynolds was the most prominent artist of his day.

3. artistic adj done with skill and good taste, as artistic skill; artistic taste; artistic person, e. g. Gainsborough was essentially an artistic person.

4. draw v. to make lines on paper, as to draw well; to draw in pencil; to draw a bunch of flowers, e. g. He drew a picture of his niece. I can draw a map of the area for you.

5. drawing n. the art of making pictures; a picture, e. g. Turner left a vast mass of work, oil paintings, water-colours and drawings.

6. picture n. painting, drawing, sketch, as a picture gallery; in the foreground (background) of the picture, e. g. There is nothing of interest in the subject matter of the picture. Every detail in the picture plays its role in the composition.

7. depict v. to make a picture of, e. g. Perov liked to depict the scenes and types of common life. syn. represent, portray, e. g. The picture represented two Italian women talking. Turner tried to portray the mood of the sea.

8. picturesque adj giving vivid impression of nature or reality; romantic, e. g. I wonder who lives in that picturesque cottage over there.

9. paint vt. 1) to put paint on, e. g. They painted the door white. 2) to make a picture by using paint, as to paint from nature, e. g. Ceremonial portraits were painted according to formula. Turner painted marine subjects. 3) to describe vividly in words, e. g. You are painting the situation too dark.

10. painter n an artist, as painter of battle-pieces, genre painter, landscape painter, portrait painter.

11. colour 1) as bright (dark, rich, cool, warm, dull, faded) colours, e. g. The dancers wore tight-fitting dresses of richly glowing colours. colour scheme combination of colours, e. g. Gainsborough's pictures are painted in clear and transparent tone, in a colour scheme where blue and green predominate materials used by painters, e. g. Turner constantly used water-colour for immediate studies from nature, to paint smth. in (dark) bright colours to describe smth. (un)favourably, e. g. The headmaster painted the school's future in bright colours.

3. Read the text about arts and translate it using a dictionary. Art for heart’s sake

By R. Goldberg

"Here, take your pineapple juice," gently persuaded Koppel, the male nurse.

"Nope!" grunted Collis P.Ellsworth.

But it's good for you, sir."

"Nope!"

"It's doctor's orders,"

"Nope!"

Koppel heard the front door bell and was glad to leave the room. He found Doctor Caswell in the hall downstairs. "1 can't do a thing with him," he told the doctor. "He doesn’t want to take his pineapple juice. He doesn't want me to read to him. He hates the radio. He doesn’t like anything!"

Doctor Caswell received the information with his usual professional calm. This was no ordinary case. The old gentleman was in pretty good shape for a man of seventy-six. But he had to be kept from buying things. All his purchases of recent years had to be liquidated for his health and his pocketbook.

The doctor took a chair and sat down close to the old man. "I've got a proposition for you," he said quietly.

Old Ellsworth looked suspiciously over his spectacles.

"How'd you like to take up art?"

But the old gentleman's answer was a vigorous "Rot!" ⁴

"I don't mean seriously," said the doctor. "Just fool around with chalk and crayons. It'll be fun."

"Bosh!"

"All right." The doctor stood up. "I just suggested it, that's all."

"But, Caswell, how do I start playing with the chalk — that is, if I'm foolish enough to start?"

"I've thought of that, too. I can get a student from one of the art schools to come here once a week and show you."

Doctor Caswell went to his friend, Judson Livingston, head of the Atlantic Art Institute, and explained the situation. Livingston had just the young man — Frank Swain, eighteen years old and a promising student. He needed the money. How much would he get? Five dollars a visit. Fine.

Next afternoon young Swain was shown into the big living room. Collis P. Ellsworth looked at him appraisingly.

"Sir, I'm not an artist yet," answered the young man.

"Umph?"

Swain arranged some paper and crayons on the table. "Let's try and draw that vase over there on the mantelpiece," he suggested. "Try it, Mister Ellsworth, please."

"Umph!" The old man took a piece of crayon in a shaky hand and made a scrawl. He made another scrawl and connected the two with a couple of crude lines. "There it is_r young man," he snapped with a grunt of satisfaction. "Such foolishness. Poppy cock!"

Frank Swain was patient. He needed the five dollars.

As the weeks went by Swain's visits grew more frequent. He brought the old man a box of water-colors and some tubes of oils. He wanted to show the doctor how hard he'd been working.

The treatment was working perfectly. No more trips downtown to make purchases.

The doctor thought it safe to allow Ellsworth to visit the Metropolitan, the Museum of Modern Art and other exhibits with Swain. An entirely new world opened up its charming mysteries. The old man displayed curiosity about the galleries and the painters who exhibited in them. How were the galleries run? Who selected the canvases for the exhibitions? An idea was forming in his brain.

When the late spring sun began to shine, Ellsworth executed a god-awful smudge? which he called "Trees Dressed in White". Then he made a startling announcement. He was going to exhibit it in the Summer show at the Lathrop Gallery!

For the Summer show at the Lathrop Gallery was the biggest art exhibition of the year. The lifetime dream of any mature artist in the United States was a Lathrop prize.

To the utter astonishment of all "Trees Dressed in White" was accepted for the Lathrop show.

Fortunately, the painting was hung in an inconspicuous place where nobody could notice it. Doctor was very happy about it, because he was afraid that his patient would become a laughing-stock. During the course of the exhibition the old man kept on taking his lessons. He was un­usually cheerful.

Two days before the close of the exhibition a special messenger brought a long official-looking envelope to Mister Ellsworth while Swain, Koppel and the doctor were in the room. "Read it to me," requested the old man. "My eyes are tired from painting."

"It gives the Lathrop Gallery pleasure to announce that the First Landscape Prize of $1,000 has been awarded to Collis P.Ellsworth for his painting, "Trees Dressed in White"."

Swain and Koppel were shocked. Doc­tor Caswell said: "Congratulations, Mister Ellsworth. Fine, fine ... See, see ... Of course, I didn't expect such great news. But, but — well, now, you'll have to admit that art is much more satisfying than business."

"Art's nothing," snapped the old man. "I bought the Lathrop Gallery last month."