Test on the English School of Painting
Reading Test
Part 1.
You are going to read an article about a famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap 1-6. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning.
A“What I want to express, in both figure and landscape, isn’t anything sentimental or melancholy, but deep anguish. In short, I want to get to the point where people see my work and say: that man feels deeply, that man feels keenly.”
BIt’s quite remarkable, then, that during his year in the asylum he managed to create a series of beloved masterpieces such as Starry Night, found today at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
C“I already feel,” he wrote that year, “old and broken.”
D“I didn’t have to put myself out very much in order to try and express sadness and extreme loneliness,” Van Gogh wrote.
EIn April 1899, Van Gogh had checked himself into the asylum in this monastery, looking for relief from the epilepsy that had tormented him in Aries, where he had threatened his friend Paul Gauguin with a razor and had cut off his own left ear lobe during a fit.
FNow light and wonderful pure colours were everywhere in his work: yellow, red, green and blue, all glowing under the sun.
GAt 116, he went to work for an art dealer, a job that his younger brother, Theo, followed him into.
H“The day will come, however, when people will see that they are worth more than the price of the paint and living expenses.”
Darkness and Light: The Life of Vincent Van Gogh
The Provencal sun was blinding on the warm winter day when I drove into Saint-Remy. I reached the monastery of St. Paul-de-Mausole, where the garden looked just as I thought it would – its flowers and trees much as Vincent Van Gogh had painted them more than a century ago. 0 _____ E
Van Gogh had arrived in Provence the previous year, finally finding himself as a painter after a decade of artistic wandering. When the voices drove him to Saint-Remy, Van Gogh was in one of the most productive periods any artist has ever had, creating in the last 2 ½ years of his life the work that most people know him by. But there were times in Saint-Remy, after he ate paint, when his doctors wouldn’t let him near the artist’s palette. 1 _____
Van Gogh was the most autobiographical artist, and his works reveal much about the last years of his passionate life. Born in Holland in 1853 Vincent Van Gogh was the eldest son of a priest; his formal education was patchy, but he was a great reader who loved literature and biography.
2 _____. At 23, Vincent was fired. He then wandered through odd jobs, before he decided to become an artist. “I want to paint drawings that will touch people,” he wrote to Theo in 1882. 3 ______.
Van Gogh started writing regularly to Theo in 1872 and continued to express his feelings and his artistic adventures until just before his death in 1890. Half of Van Gogh’s painting life was spent in the dark;: working in sad tones where sunlight was rare. In early 1886 he travelled to Paris to live with Theo, years in which Theo financially supported his brother. A series of self-portraits shows how he felt during that period. The pictures show him with fierce, suspicious eyes.
4 _____.
He would find rebirth in the south of France. That winter he moved to Aries, where he was fascinated by the flowers and the sun. “I’m in a constant fever of work,” he told Theo.
5 ______.
But poverty and the pain of having sold only a few of his paintings pressed in on Van Gogh as his health failed. “I cannot help that my pictures do not sell,” Van Gogh wrote.
6 _____.
Some years later Van Gogh shot himself. Theo died six months later but his widow, Johanna, devoted the rest of her life to establish Vincent Van Gogh as a great painter.
Part II.
You are going to read some information about art galleries in Europe. For questions 7-20, choose from the cities (A-H). Some of the cities may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). For questions 26 and 27 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Which city or cities would you go to:
to see American art? 0 ___ E
to see ancient Greek exhibits? 7 ___
to see pictures of historical English figures? 8 ___
if you were interested in rural history? 9 ___
to see an artist’s travelogue? 10 ___
if you had an interest in cubism? 11 ___
if you had an interest in archeology? 12 ___
if you were interested in boating? 13 ___
if you liked sculpture? 14 ___
if you were interested in photography? 15 ___ 16 ___
if you wanted to see 18th century art? 17 ___ 18 ___
to see objects of political importance? 19 ___
to see works by two relatives? 20 ___
Art Galleries in Europe
A. Antwerp
Exhibition: National Scheepvaartmuseum, Steenplein 1.
Two exhibitions of work by father and son Henri and Maurice Seghers. Their work evokes the image of sailing on inland waterways and of fishing between the late 19th century and the mid 20th century. The Scheepvaartmuseum exhibits a selection of paintings, watecolours, drawings, sketches, engravings and models of ships.
Until 31 May. Tel: + 32 (0) 3-23303294
B. Bonn
Exhibition: Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, Kunst und Ausstellungstalle, Friedrich-Ebert-Alle 4.
Exhibits 65 paintings and 104 drawings from Leipzig museum collection. They include the legendary “Love Spell” by an anonymous 15th century painter. Italian graphic art of the 16th and 17th centuries by Bernini and Salvator Rosa and works by German Romantics Friederich and Adrian Ludwig Richter. Also Bunuel: The Eye of the Century. Includes 36 films in a complete survey of the work of Spanish film maker Luis Bunuel. There is also an exhibition exploring the relationship between art, photography and film by looking at themes in Bunuel’s films.
Until 24 April. Tel: + 49 (0) 228-9171200
C. Edinburgh
Exhibition: Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street.
Celebrates the birth of democracy in Athens 2,500 years ago with an exhibition of discoveries from archeological digs. Most of the exhibits come from excavations of the Athenian Agora, the economic, political, cultural and social centre of the city. Also includes a clepsydra – a 5th century water clock – which was used to limit the speaking time of politicians.
Until 17 April. Tel: + 44 (0) 31-2257534
D. London
Exhibition: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place WC2
Commemorates the 450th anniversary of the death of Hans Holbein with 28 portrait drawings and five miniatures from Queen Elizabeth II’s collection at Windsor. All works date from between 1532 and 1543, when Holbein lived in London, and give a vivid impression of the faces and characters of the court of Henry VIII, including Sir Thomas More and Jane Seymour.
Until 17 April. Tel: +44 (0) 71-2257534
E. Lugano
Exhibition: Fondazione Thyssen – Bonemisza Villa Favorita, Lugano-Castognola.
13 recently renovated rooms in the gallery exhibit European and American 19th and 20th century art from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. The exhibition of 150 works includes: fifty 19th century American paintings and a hundred works illustrating the development of art on both sides of the Atlantic in styles ranging from Cubist to Abstract Expressionist.
April – 30 October. Tel: + 41 (0) 91-516152
F. Madrid
Exhibition: Thyssen –Bornemisza Museum Paseo del Prado 8.
Exhibits, sketches and notes in the 172-page notebook kept by Goya during travels in Italy from 1771 to 1786. Also includes the paintings “que por primera vez Miro Italia desde Alpes” which was lost for more than 200 years, and “La Anunciacion”, commissioned by the Duke of Medina in 1785. There is also a selection of sketches from the 500 held in Prado, illustrating styles and techniques Goya employed throughout his career.
Until 30 April.
G. Paris
Exhibition: Bibliotheque National, 58 rue Richelieu.
Examines the theme of man’s relationship with the land as seen in art and literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. More than 250 works include illuminated manuscripts, paintings, drawings, photographs and manuscripts. Arranged chronologically, the exhibition opens with a section on the Middle Ages, with texts and works about the rural world, which then represented 90 per cent of the population. Further sections, from the 13th to the 20th century, reflect a transformation to the image of rural life. It shows grotesque and idealistic visions of life in the country, along with the major changes brought about by new technology, production and social and mental altitudes.
Until 26 June. Tel: +33 (1) - 4703810213
H. Vienna
Exhibition: Kunstforum, Freyung 8.
70 major paintings and sculptures from New York’s Guggenheim Museum offer an overview of Classical Modernism. Arranged thematically, sections include Expressionism and Constructivism. Works are by artists including Picasso, Kandinsky and Matisse.
Until 5 June. Tel: + 43 (0) 1-53124
Writing
1. Write a summary of the text “Art for Heart’s Sake” by R.Goldberg.
2. Write a picture review.
Essential Vocabulary Test
Part I. Comment upon the meaning of the essential vocabulary point:
1. I relieved my daughter of her overcoat.
2. A considerate host always tries to draw a left-out guest into conversation.
3. The president managed to paint a detailed and vivid picture of the nation’s strength.
4. Books are often left on the counter to let the customers select what they want.
5. I abandoned (gave up) my fruitless efforts to sleep.
Part II. Paraphrase the following sentences using the appropriate essential vocabulary points:
1. You can lessen your anxiety by talking to a friend.
2. Beauty attracted me irresistibly.
3. Flowers added freshness and brightness to the room.
4. I’m uncertain as to what we ought to do under the circumstances.
5. The bump on the boy’s forehead was as big as a duck’s egg.
Part III. Translate into English using appropriate essential vocabulary points:
Мій брат – професійний художник. Він зайнявся живописом у дитинстві. Свою першу картину він написав, коли навіть не ходив у художню школу. Це була невелика картина, яку він виконав олією. На ній був зображений собака. Брат не зважувався показати кому-небудь свою картину і сховав її в непримітному місці.
Я знайшла її випадково. Коли мій брат помітив, що я оцінююче розглядаю його картину, він почервонів по саме волосся. Пізніше він зізнався, що боявся стати посміховищем. Але, коли я визнала, що це зовсім не ординарна картина, він зітхнув з полегшенням.
Зараз мій брат – зрілий художник. У нього є майстерня, у якій усюди розкидані тюбики з олійною фарбою різних кольорів, пензлики та полотна різних розмірів. Мій брат пише картини різних жанрів, в основному, портрети і пейзажі.
Мене завжди цікавило, як він підбирає сюжети своїх картин і відкіля черпає натхнення. Однак він не може цього пояснити. Він твердить, що мистецтво для нього – це спосіб вивільнення почуттів.
Заповітна мрія мого брата – взяти участь у міжнародній художній виставці, великій якщо не за розміром, то за значенням, і одержати приз. Він не шкодує зусиль, щоб добитися цього. Я не маю жодного сумління, що його мрія здійсниться.
Test on the English School of Painting
I.Read the statements below. Write “True” if the statement is correct and “False” if the statement is incorrect.
1. William Turner gained renown as an engraver and portrait painter.
2. In his investigation of colour Turner anticipated the practice of Impressionists.
3. To render the living moving quality of nature John Constable used broken touches of colour.
4. John Constable’s merits of a landscapist were not recognized in England in his time.
5. Joshua Reynolds’ forte was to catch a convincing likeness with the sitter.
6. Joshua Reynolds excelled in portrait painting and was a successful and prosperous artist.
7. In his early paintings Thomas Gainsborough was influenced by the Old Italian masters.
8. As a colourist Gainsborough had few rivals among English painters.
9. William Hogarth began his career of a painter with exhibiting topographical watercolours.
10. Hogarth was famous for his treatment of natural light and atmospheric effects.
II. Read the statements below and write the name of the English artist that is associated with each of the mentioned facts.
1. He established a reputation as a painter of English manners and customs by two series of paintings, The Shrimp Girl and Captain Coram.
2. This artist perfected an entirely new approach to painting. It consisted of transforming everything into pure colour, light rendered as colour, feelings about life rendered as colour.
3. He was famous for the truth, elegance and refinement of his portraits and for the simple beauty of his landscapes.
4. He created a form of art in which the sitters and background merge into the single whole.
5. This artist did not only paint a portrait, but also a historical picture or allegory.
6. His picture was exhibited at the Louvre and had a lasting effect on French painters.
7. He painted in a style absolutely outside his own time.
8. Almost all his pictures are painted in one and the same place. Thanks to that he learnt about the atmospheric changes, the influence of light and weather.
9. His narrative pictures were comic and full of satire, while his portraiture was honest and original.
10. The sitters in his portraits are not static, but caught between this movement and that, between one moment and the next.
III. Answer the questions below:
1. What can you say about Gainsborough’s contribution to English portrait and landscape painting?
2. What new attitude did Joshua Reynolds bring to portrait painting?
3. What was the subject matter of Constable’s paintings?
4. How did William Hogarth gain renown as a satirist of moral follies?
5. What was William Turner famous for?