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Unit 1A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING

Art is influenced by the customs and faith of a people. Styles in Western art have

changed many times. As there are so many different styles of Western art, it would be

impossible to describe all of them in such a short text. Consequently, this text will

describe only the most important ones. Starting from the sixth century AD.

The Middle Ages(5th to the 15th century AD)

During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious

themes. A conventional artistof this period was not interested in showing nature and

people as they really were. A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols,

which created a feeling of respect and love for God. But it was evident that ideas were

changing in the 13th century when painters like Giotto di Bondone began to paint

religious scenes in a more realistic way.

The Renaissance(15th to 16th century)

During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in

the Middle Ages. People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt a

more humanistic attitude to the same time painters returned to classical Roman

and Greek ideas about art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were.

Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they coule decorate their superb

palaces and great houses. They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves,

their houses and possessions as well as their activities and achievements.

One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things

in perspective. This technique was first used by Masaccio in 1428. When people first

saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall

at a real scene. If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have

been able to paint such realistic pictures. By coincidence,oil paints were also

developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and

deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see

the many great masterpieces for which this period is famous.

Impressionism(late 19h to early 20th century)

In the late 19th century, Europe changed a great deal,from a mostly agricultural

society to a mostly industrial one. Many people moved from the countryside to the

new cities. There were many new inventions and social changes also led to new

painting styles. Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of

painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worke in Paris.

The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors. They were eager to

show how light and shadow fell on objects at different times of day. However,

because natural light changes so quickly, the Impressionists had to paint quickly.

Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters. At first, many people

disliked this style of painting and became very angry about it. They said that the

painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.

Modern Art(29th century to today)

At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but

today they are accepeted as the beginning of what we call

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because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment in new

ways. There are scores of modern art styles,but without the Impressionists, many of

these painting styles might not exsist. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract;

that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but

instead concentrates n certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to

represent them. On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that

they look like photographs. These styles are so different. Who can predict what

painting styles there will be in the future?

The Best of Manhattan

’

s Galleries

The Frick Collection(5

th

Avenue and E.70

th

Street)

Many art lovers would rather visit this small art gallery than any other in New York.

Henry Clay Frick, a rich New Yorker, died in 1919, leaving his house, furniture and

art collection to the American people. Frick had a preference for pre-twentieth century

Western paintings, and these are well- represented in this excellent collection. You can

also explore Frick

’

s beautiful home and garden which are well worth a visit.

Guggenheim Museum(5

th

Avenue and 88

th

Street)

This museum owns 5,000 modern paintings, sculptures and drawings. These art works

are not all displayed at the same exhibition is always changing. It will apeal

to those who love Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Guggenheim

Museum building is also world-famous. When you walk into the gallery, you fell as if

you were inside a fragile ,white seashell. The best way to see the paintings is to start

from the top floor and walk down to the bottom. There are no stairs, just a circular

path. The museum also has an excellent reaturant.

Metropolitan Museum of Art(5

th

Avenue and 82nd Street)

The reputation of this museum lies in the variety if its art collection. This covers more

than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts if the world, including America,

Europe, China, Egypt, other African countries and South museun

diaplays more than just the visual delights of introduces you to ancient ways of

living. You can visit an Egyptian temple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical room in an

18

th

century French house and other special exhibitions.

Museum of Modern Art(53

rd

Street, btween 5

th

and 6

th

Avenues)

It is amazing that so many great works of from the late 19

th

century to the 21

st

century

are housed in the same museum. The collection of Western art includes paintings by

such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. Afew words of

warning:the admission price is not cheap an the meseum is often very crowded.

Whitney Museum of American Art(945 Madison Avenue, near 75

th

Street)

The Whitney holds an excellent colection of comtemporary painting and sclpture.

There are no permanent displays in this museum and exhibitions change all the time.

Every two years, the Whitney holds a special exhibition of new art by living artists.

The museum also shows videos and films by comtemporary video artists.

Unit2A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS

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There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story or

describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others try

to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express

themselves. In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes. These

rhymes like the one on the right (A) are still a common type of children's poetry. The

language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they

rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition. The poems may not make sense

and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the

words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

A Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won't sing,

Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns to brass,

Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass.

If that looking-glass gets broke,

Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat.

If that billy-goat runs away,

Papa's going to buy you another today.

One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things. List

poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and

a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not (like C).

I saw a fish-portal all on fire

I saw a fish-pond all on fire,

I saw a house bow to a squire,

I saw a person twelve-feet high,

I saw a cottage in the sky,

I saw a balloon made of lead,

I saw a coffin drop down dead,

I saw two sparrows run a race,

I saw two horses making lace,

I saw g girl just like a cat,

I saw a kitten wear a hat,

I saw a man who saw these too,

And said though strange they all were true.

Our first football match

We would have won ...

if Jack had scored that goal,

if we'd had just a few more minutes,

if we had trained harder,

if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,

if we'd had thousands of fans screaming,

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if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,

if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,

if we hadn't taken it easy,

if we hadn't run out of energy.

We would have won ...

if we'd been better!

Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain, a

poem made up of five lines. With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a

few words. Look at the examples (D and E) on the top of the next page.

Brother

Beautiful, athletic

Teasing, shouting, laughing

Friend and enemy too

Mine

Summer

Sleepy, salty

Drying, drooping, dreading

Week in, week out

Endless

A fallen blossom

Is coming back to the branch.

Look, a butterfly!

( by Moritake)

Snow having melted,

The whole village is brimful

Of happy children.

(by Issa)

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables. It is not a

traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy

to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling

using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations

from the Japanese.

Where she awaits her husband

On and on the river flows.

Never looking back,

Transformed into stone.

Day by day upon the mountain top,

wind and rain revolve.

Should the traveller return,

this stone would utter speech.,

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