Программа предлагаемого межпредметного элективного курса по английскому языку по теме «Культурное наследие: живопись» разработана в соответствии с задачами модернизации содержания образования и основными положениями Концепции профильного обучения. Курс рассчитан на 21 час и предназначен для учащихся 10 -11 классов с Intermediate уровнем владения английским языком гуманитарного профиля.    

Необходимость создания данного элективного курса продиктована тем, что учебный материал по рассматриваемой теме практически отсутствует во многих отечественных учебниках, рекомендованных Министерством образования Российской Федерации. УМК « Английский язык» под редакцией Кузовлева В. П., Лапы Н. М., и др., являющийся основным учебным пособием в общеобразовательной школе, даёт поверхностное изучение данной темы в разделе “What is special about your country?” (Английский язык: учебник для 7 класса общеобразовательных учреждений / В. П. Кузовлев, Н. П. Лапа, Э. Ш. Перегудова и др. – М.: Просвещение, 2005). Учебное пособие для профильных классов  (Английский язык: учебник  для 10 класса школ с углублённым изучением английского языка, лицеев и гимназий»/ О.В. Афанасьева, И.В. Михеева – М: Просвещение, 2007) и УМК “New Millennium English” под редакцией Гроза О.Л. и др. содержат тематический материал в сжатой форме.

Цели элективного курса – дальнейшее развитие коммуникативной и социокультурной компетенций обучающихся, усвоение ими лексико-грамматического материала, расширение информационного запаса по теме, формирование познавательных интересов и хорошего эстетического вкуса.

Программа, построенная на искусствоведческом материале, даёт возможность приобщить учащихся к прекрасному и научить их раскрывать богатый художественный мир, созданный крупнейшими мастерами изобразительного искусства. Обсуждение материала помогает обучающимся понять основной смысл произведений и давать собственную оценку картинам художников. Курс предполагает поддержку таких профильных предметов, как литература, история, изобразительное искусство и ориентирован на учащихся, видящих своё будущее в профессиях, связанных с этими областями (искусствовед, гид, переводчик, историк). Кроме того, разработанная программа помогает учащимся лучше подготовиться к экзамену, т.к. многие задания составлены в формате ЕГЭ.

Принципы построения курса: развитие речевых навыков, интеграция, опора на творческий метод.

Принципы отбора и структурирования материала:

1) аутентичность (использование неадаптированных текстов);

2) тематическая и профессиональная направленность;

3) ориентация на спецификацию ЕГЭ.

По окончании курса учащиеся должны овладеть следующими навыками и умениями.

В сфере практической:

-                     лексическими навыками в соответствии с темами;

-                     навыками в различных видах речевой деятельности;

-                     основными стратегиями выполнения экзаменационных заданий в формате ЕГЭ.

В сфере социокультурной учащиеся:

-                     приобретут и расширят объём знаний об основных направлениях в искусстве и живописи, известных художниках и произведениях мирового изобразительного искусства;

-                     научатся понимать и интерпретировать изученные лингвокультурные факты.

В сфере учебно-познавательной учащиеся:

-                     углубят учебные знания, умения и навыки;

-                     обогатят свой словарный запас;

-                     научатся решать информационные проблемы (находить, систематизировать, обрабатывать необходимую информацию, владеть различными способами её презентации);

-                     в целом научатся использовать английский язык для продолжения образования и самообразования в рамках выбранного профиля.

Курс также способствует:

-                     формированию жизненной позиции;

-                     развитию таких личностных качеств, как умение работать в сотрудничестве;

-                     приобретению опыта творческой деятельности;

-                     духовному и эстетическому развитию.

В программу заложены такие  типы учебных заданий, как тренировочные упражнения, направленные на отработку формата экзаменационных заданий и основаны на аутентичных текстах; дискуссии, ролевые игры.

В начале и по окончании занятий рекомендуется провести рефлексию обучающихся, которая позволяет однозначно определить степень эффективности изложенного материала.

При оценке результатов изучения данного курса используются текущий контроль (скрытый контроль в ролевых играх, взаимоконтроль, самоконтроль)  и итоговый контроль (презентация проектов). Кроме того, приобретённые знания и навыки используются учащимися и демонстрируются на экзамене по английскому языку.

К учебно-методическому комплексу прилагаются список использованной литературы, список репродукций, подборка слайдов по темам, аудиозаписи и дидактические материалы.

Учебно-тематический план

№ п\п	Тема	Виды деятельности	Формы работы	Кол-во часов/ самост. деятельн.
1.       2.   3.         4.   5.       6.     7.       8.     9.       10.         11.	Введение. Роль искусства в нашей жизни.  Личные познания. Тема 1.  Жанры живописи. Тема 2. Техника описания картины.     Тема 3. Пейзаж.   Тема 4. Портрет.       Тема 5. Натюрморт.   Тема 6. Историческая живопись.   Тема 7. Бытовая живопись.   Тема 8. Выдающиеся русские художники. Тема 9. Известные английские художники.   Итоговый контроль	Аудирование. Обмен мнениями. Дискуссия.     Чтение. Анализ текста.   Изучение языкового материала. Монологическое высказывание.   Ролевая игра. Словообразование. Описание картины. Перевод. Лексико-грамматическое задание. Ролевая игра.  Грамматический тест.   Чтение. Аудирование.       Работа с лексикой. Говорение. Чтение.   Практика перевода.  Аудирование. Грамматический тест.   Чтение. Диалогическое высказывание.       Презентация проектов. (работа над проектом)	парная, групповая     индивидуальная   самостоятельная  подготовка       парная, групповая фронтальная, индивидуальная     групповая, индивидуальная   фронтальная, самостоятельная под- готовка парная, индивидуальная   индивидуальная, парная,     групповая         групповая         Итого:	1             1/1       2/2          2/1     2/1,5              1/0,5           2/1       2/1,5        2/1,5            2/1             1 3       21

II. ROLE-PLAYING (in pairs)

1. Read the following short conversations in pairs.

-  What a landscape! Oh, it’s a masterpiece, and who is the artist?

- You mean the oil painting. This is “Rye” by Shishkin.

- It’s marvelous. I’m so impressed. It’s really a work of genius.

-  Don’t you find this picture “Birch Grove” by Kuindzhi wonderful?

- Oh, yes. The picture is a record of reality. With what brilliant success and skill this

landscape is painted!

- You know, what strikes me most in the painting is its glorious combination of colours.

- Well, the colours are rich. And the trees are so life-like, so vivid.

- Oh, do look at this seascape. It’s quite a find, isn’t it?

- No! It is not a picture, it’s a mere spattering of colour. I have no idea what is painted  here. The sea doesn’t look real.

- Well, it’s a matter of taste, of course. I don’t agree with you at all.

2. Act out the dialogues of your own using a reproduction of a landscape.

THEME 4. Portrait

I. SPEAKING

1. Answer the following questions.

What is the subject of a portrait? How to understand the words “a study of human nature”? What is the difference between a really good painted portrait and a coloured photograph? What famous portrait-painters do you know? What qualities do you think are required of the painters of this genre?

(look at the picture)

2. Look at Rembrandt’s “The Old Jew” and prove that the picture is thought-provoking using the topical vocabulary:

to reveal the inner world; profound psychological study; the message of bitterness, indignation and readiness to defend himself; essence of his individuality; a deeply tragic outlook; to know life to be full of cruelty and injustice.

II. TRANSLATION

1. Translate the italicized parts in the following extracts into Russian.

A. Velasquez achieved a great success as a portrait painter. He was concerned with the true nature of the man or woman before him, setting down what was the most characteristic in appearance and inner qualities as he saw them.

B. ”The Portrait of Jeanne Samary” may well be the most impressionist of Renoir’s portraits. With no hint of shadows or darkness anywhere, the whole canvas is a quilt of tiny touches alive with light and a gemlike sparkle.

C.  Leo Tolstoy was painted by Kramskoi with deep psychological insight, the entire attention being focused on rendering the inner world of the great writer. Kramskoi himself always avoided affectation in his work. The play of light and shade gives the illusion of transient expression in the face of the sitter. 

2. Find the English equivalents for:

мимолётное настроение; написана маслом в тёплых, тёмных тонах; портретное сходство; зеркало его души; гамма человеческих переживаний; лицо изображено особенно правдиво; внутренний мир художника; передать световые эффекты; привлекает простота.

III. DESCRIPTION

Describe the reproduction of William Hogarth’s “The Shrimp Girl” using the following vocabulary:

a sketch; a harmony of form and content; its freshness and vitality; all in motion; full of joyous life; a part of the noisy crowd; truly of the people; executed with a limited range of colour; alive.

IV. USE of ENGLISH

Use an appropriate form of the words.                                                           

                                                                     Mona Lisa  

                                                                      by Brenda   M. Weber

Behind (KALEIDOSCOPE) eyes

there’s no mystery there that lies.

She’s the one to see it all

from her position   on a wall.

We look for something in her smile,

We stand to study her (WHILE),

Her face of beauty that we seek.

What she (SAY) if she (CAN) speak?

Is her beauty, oh, so rare?

Was Mona just a maiden fair?

Is she a mirror image of me?

Is that what I’m (SUPPOSE) to see?

Mona’s (PORTRAY) on the wall  -

A (COMBINE) of us all.

There’s a touch of someone there

In the beauty of her hair.

That hint of prism in her eyes

makes her appear to be so wise.

The (PLAY)  (CURVE) of her lip

THEME 5. Still life

I. PAIR WORK

The scene is set in a picture gallery. A guide explains pictures (still lifes) to a group of students. For the role playing you may use the following pictures: “Bacon, Bread and Wine” by P. Kontchalovsky, “Flowers and Fruits” by I. Khrutsky, “Morning” by P. Kuznetsov and Paul Cezannes’s “Peaches and Pears”.

(look at the picture)

Act out the conversation.

II. WRITING

Correct the mistakes in these students’ descriptions.

1. The round jam pots, the plain plates, the pots and jugs of grit stone, ordinary bottles are Cezanne favourite materials.

2. That loaf of bread and that flagons of wine are symbols of the joys and sorrows of weak.

3. The decorated soup tureen, which appear in this still lives, is exception.

4. Behind these still lifes there is always the second still life: curtains, wallpaper and furnitures.

5. The background in this still life furnished and neutral in shade.

6. Matisse’s still life painting is worth to look at.

7. Folds of drapery  serve as decoration to the objects on the foreground.

THEME 6. Historical painting

I. READING

 1. Read the text.

                                          THE BOYARINA MOROZOVA

     “The Boyarina Morozova” is one of the greatest paintings in the world of pictorial art. The subject of the painting is based on a historical fact which actually occurred during the reign of Tzar Aleksei Mikhailovitch, the father of Peter I.

     The action takes place in a quiet, narrow Moscow street in the 17^th century. (1)_____ The quiet snow-covered street presents an unusual aspect: it is filled with throngs of people who are surging into the street.

     The Muscovites are there to accompany and pay homage to the first Boyarina of Moscow, who is being to interrogation and torture for her unbending adherence to the old believers, the so-called Raskolniki.

     The Boyarina forms the center of the composition, and immediately attracts attention by her pale  inspired face, set off by her dark garment and marked by an inner storm of emotions. Her hand is raised in an eloquent gesture with two fingers making the sign of the cross, the symbol, forbidden by the official church. 2________

     Each character in the picture is strikingly individualized, revealing strength and might of the popular masses. Each of the characters accompanying the Boyarina is portrayed with unforgettable expressiveness. 3_________ The Boyarina’s sister, princess Urusova, who is walking by the sledge, ready to share the fate of the Boyarina. The pilgrim who is absorbed in a deep thought. The kneeling old beggar-woman who worships the heroic martyr. The young woman with the inspired sorrowful face. 4____________ And the young nun, whose pale, sorrowful face stands out as a sharp contrast  to her black garb. 5__________ From the point of view of its composition the picture is easily divided into two parts, with the sledge bearing the Boyarina in the centre. …

Five sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A-F the one which fits each gap (1-5). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

A. All the parts are brought together with great mastery revealing Surikov’s fine sense of composition.

B.  The short winter day is declining; it is nearly twilight.  

C. Surikov understands the law of contrast and association of colours.

D. Each figure in the picture is an actual portrait.

E. The young girl with the frightened expression in her eyes.

F. She is ready to die for her righteous cause.

2. In which text (1-4) you can get the following information (A-E). There is one extra text.

A. Artist of “The Last Day of Pompeii”

B. Wanderers (“Peredvizhniki”)

C. Colours and light

D. New version of historical painting

E. Design of the book

      1. The Society of Wandering Art Exhibitions was founded by Myasoyedov, Perov, Ghe, Kramskoi and others in 1870, and it was to exit until 1923, having arranged forty-eight large exhibitions in St Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev and other cities. The fourteen artists thought to put their ideals into practice by taking travelling exhibitions throughout the countryside. These artists sought to justify their activity by making their art useful to society. As for the people who came to the exhibitions, it was the first time many of them had seen an easel painting. And they found them interesting. Instead of cold religious or mythological subjects that were hard to understand, these artists painted town and country life in their own time.

       2. The historical paintings of Delacroix differ greatly from contemporary academic paintings because of his novel and convincing treatment of historical events, the bold and poetic concepts, the desire to show living people and violent emotions, the struggle for liberty and moments of great psychological drama. In his drawings there is hurried movement and superhuman strength. His line betrays emotion as he attempts to recreate the rich changing of his imagination. Delacroix was an innovator in colour, brining to his painting a highly emotional and expressive use of it, with a wealth of half-tones, complementary tones and reflections.

        3. In Favorsky’s illustration to “The Lay of the Host of Igor”, which shows Igor at the beginning of the battle, the figures of the prince and his warriors are moved out into the immediate foreground, it is as though they were already advancing on the enemy, the black banner above their heads expresses the might of the Russian host. In the figure  of the prince vertical lines dominate. The figures of his enemies are round the edges so that they are merely on the periphery of the main group.

         4. Karl Bryullov (1799-1852) was Russia’s all-round artist, and because of this he will always remain important; even today, when tastes are dominated by the appeal of a very different style, the pictorial qualities in many of his pictures, and especially in his portraits, are clearly evident. The Academy of Fine Arts entirely controlled the artistic life of the country and invariably proclaimed  the themes of historical painting from  mythological or classical sources. This academic outlook was deeply rooted in Bryullov and the artist often responded to the canons of taste created by the Romantic movement. Its sentimentality greatly marked many paintings of this master.

(look at the picture)

II. LISTENING.

TASK I. Listen to the text “Famous Artists” about

Vincent van Gogh

Claude Monet

Leonardo da Vinci

Rembrandt van Rijn

Michelangelo Buonarroti

and say which of the artists:

a)     worked not only in the field of visual arts;

b)     was born, worked and died in the 17^th century;

c)     made frescoes for one of the famous Catholic churches;

d)     didn’t like to paint in his studio;

e)     couldn’t earn money selling his piсtures (listen)

TASK II. Listen again, pick some interesting for you information and think of the questions to your groupmates.

THEME 7. Genre painting

I. VOCABULARY STUDY

1. A. Match these words with their Russian equivalents.

1. condition                                             a) показывать, обнаруживать

2. profound                                              b) условие

3. condemn                                              c) выдающийся

4. reveal                                                   d) очевидный

5. trait                                                      e) осуждать, порицать

6.distinguished                                        f) основательный, глубокий

7. evident                                                 g) характерная черта

В. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the words from A.

1. A great portraitist, Ilya Repin, was at the same time one of our  … genre painters. 2. Auguste Renoir, a French impressionist, seldom … social shortcomings of his time; his work consisted entirely of genre scenes full of the joy of life. 3. Yaroshenko’s art was a reflection, an interpretation, and a commentary on the social … of his time. 4.”A Major Comes A-Courting”, by Fedotov, has a … social message. 5. Ilyia Repin’s versatility was one of his most astonishing … . 6. Deineka … his creative talent in genre painting. 7.  “A Village Easter Religious Procession”, by Perov, … expresses the ignorance and wretchedness of village life.

2. A.  Match the phrasal verbs and idioms in list A with their meanings in list B.

        A                                                 B

1. stand for                          a) be successful, succeed

2. make up one’s mind        b) understand, receive into the mind

3. put up to                          c) examine carefully (usually a number of things)

4. get ahead                         d) develop, be revealed

5. go through                       e) give the idea of doing something

6. turn out                            f) represent

7. take in                              g) decide

 B. Complete the sentences by using the correct form of one of the phrasal verbs above.

1.I was thinking of someone else while the guide was commenting on paintings of old masters and I really … what she was saying. 2. Pieter Brueghel the Elder, a Flemish painter, … in genre scenes producing impressive commentaries on the events and simple people of Flanders. 3. … the contents of the National Gallery guide and find out the paintings regarded as the greatest works of all time. 4. It … that Vincent van Gogh was mentally ill. During one of his fits of insanity, he attacked his friend, the artist Paul Gauguin. In another, van Gogh cut off a part of his own ear. 5. Repin’s friend F. Vassiliev … him … going to the Volga for looking at the real boatmen. 6. In the end I … to visit the State Tretyakov Gallery first. 7. What … sfumato?

3. Read the text and complete the sentences with the words in the box. Use each word only one time.

noble        contemporary             lawyer           couple          vanity         strike        arranged                 reflection         obviously      wasted

                                  HOGARTH. The Marriage-a-la-Mode

     Hogarth was a social painter who produced his own pictorial drama comprising various scenes of society’s social life and every aspect of its people. His art was a  …, an interpretation, and a commentary on the social condition of his time.

      “The Marriage-a-la-Mode” is perhaps the most famous of all Hogarth’s moral series which consists of six engravings. The subject of the series is … high life and a marriage on money and … .

     On the right we see Lord Squanderfield pointing to his family tree. His family is ancient and noble, but he has … his fortune. He is fat and gouty and …  eats too much. Outside, the builders have stopped work. There is no money to pay them, and without payment, they will not work. They are on …!

     Opposite him sits a wealthy merchant. Lord Squanderfield wants some of his money! The merchant has plenty of money, but his family does not have a noble and ancient name. So, a marriage is … between their children. Lord Squanderfield’s son will marry the merchant’s daughter, and the two families will each get what they want. Lord Squanderfield will get the money and the merchant’s daughter will have a … title. But does the merchant’s daughter look vary happy? What is the … suggesting to her? Lord Squanderfield’s son does not seem to care that the two will be shackled together in an arranged marriage. Can you see the two dogs in the corner? They are shackled together with a chain just like the unhappy … .

II. SPEAKING

Describe the reproduction of Perov’s picture “Peasant Burial” using the following vocabulary:

 a powerful work, a sad picture, the impression of hopeless dreariness, a tragic event, to express social ills of life, to bury a bread-winner, orphans, on the wood-sledge, a coffin, a widow, inconsolable grief (sorrow),  a stooped back, to drag oneself along the road, to feel loneliness, poverty, depressed.

 (look at the picture)

THEME 8. Prominent Russian Artists

I. TRANSLATION

Act as an interpreter in the following dialogues:

Dialogue I

- The Wanderers were protest painters in a way, weren’t they? Savitsky, Makovsky, Kramskoi and others seem to have a social message to convey.

-Да, эти художники использовали свой талант как оружие. Они сочувствовали простому народу и хотели своими работами привлечь внимание всех к его судьбе.

- Of all the Wanderers, I think Repin was the deepest thinker . His “Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Sultan” or “They didn’t Expect Him” are real psychological studies.

- А вот взять картины художника Венецианова. Они не звали к борьбе. Но он показал, как прекрасны лицом и сердцем крестьяне, и в этом его заслуга. Венецианов одним из первых в русском искусстве сумел показать прекрасное в простом. Живопись этого художника послужила началом движения передвижников.

- Yes. He is a master of the peasant theme and treated the subject with great sympathy. Besides, he could use colour! And speaking of colour, I was very much impressed by Levitan’s paintings when I was in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

- А какие из произведений Левитана вам больше всего понравились?

- It’s hard to say. I think I liked them all. There’s something in his landscapes that reflects our mood. Take the “Autumn Day in Sokolniki” – the trees losing their leaves, that path going off into the distance … .

- Интересно, а видели ли вы ещё пейзажи других русских художников?

- Sure. Polenov, like Levitan, had those marvellous golden autumn scenes. Kuindzhi must have studied light effects, especially sunlight.

(look at the picture)

Dialogue II

- I am not a connoisseur, just a layman interested in the art of painting and the art of seeing. How do you look at a picture? And what is there in a picture to see?

- Видите ли, воздействие искусства на человека зависит от очень многих причин. Посмотрите хотя бы на этот портрет Кончаловского. В этой картине, как вы видите, нет значительного сюжета. Художник пишет девушку (свою дочь) просто, избегая картинности. И тем не менее что-то сразу привлекает нас, незаметно передаётся хорошее настроение, ощущение радости жизни.

- I see now. The portrait conveys an idea of fresh youth and carries the atmosphere of joy. What about colours? Do you consider they are important? Some people say the more colours a painter has in his palette, the better he is as a colourist.

-  Не совсем так. Есть художники повышенной красочности. Их произведения ярки, праздничны: Коровин, Сарьян, Рерих впечатляют нас цветом и светом. Наоборот, Перов работал в серо-коричневой гамме. А какая сила колорита!

- Each painter seems to have his own style of brush-work.

- Да, конечно. Например, Врубель пишет «Витязя» мелкими мазками, а Грабарь иногда рисовал свои картины точками. Гладкая манера характерна для произведений старых мастеров. Словом, всё это разные приёмы и способы живописной техники. Какой из этих приёмов лучше, сказать трудно.

- You are right there.

II. GRAMMAR

1. TEST. Read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which shouldn’t be there. If a line is correct, put a letter R. If a line has a word which shouldn’t be there, write this word.

                                          Vasily Andreyevich Tropinin (1776-1857)

1	Visitors to the Tretyakov Art Gallery often stop to admire Vasily Tropinin’s remarkable picture “The Lace-maker”.
2	Holding up her bobbins, a lovely young girl looks out of the frame with all the charm of the youth and beauty.
3	This was been the first picture to depict the city working girl.
4	But the most popular picture ever created by Tropinin is probably his portrait of Alexander Pushkin.
5	The remarkable likeness was evident. The portrait reflects the powerful mind and inspiration of the poet.
6	Tropinin’s pictures are little known in abroad. Almost all his works are in the museums of our country and private collections.
7	Tropinin once said that he liked to paint people “at a happy time of their life”.
8	The painter found pleasure in painting young and attractive faces.
9	Tropinin is one of the most original and fascinating figures in the history of Russian art.
10	His biography is an unusual one. Going up to the age of 47 he was one of Count Morkov’s serfs.
11	He worked as a butler, a pastry cook and a manager at the estate.
12	It was difficult for him to enter to the Academy of Arts in Petersburg as a grown-up man, but his master had called Tropinin back some times before he finished the course.
13	After him leaving the Academy he spent many years on Morkov’s Ukrainian estate.
14	Here he painted portraits, landscapes and small pictures of everyday life.
15	Tropinin’s work is democratic and progressive.
16	In Russia that it was he who blazed the trail to the new realistic art.
17	After his liberation from serfdom Tropinin went to live in Moscow.
18	He is considered to be the founder of the 19th century of Moscow school of painting, which took themes and subjects from real life.

2. Make up the sentences.

1. Kuindzhi / be/ one / great / landscapist / 19 / century.

2. Kuindzhi / painting / convey / charm / nature / north / south / Ukraine / central / Russia.

3. Early / painting /  “On the Isle of Valaam” /exhibit / Tretyakov Gallery.

4. “Birch Copse” / painter / masterful / convey / coolness / grove / spots / sunlight / meadow.

5. “The Dnieper in the Morning” / paint / Kuindzhi / 1881/ consider / good / work. 

III. LISTENING

Listen to the text “Zinaida Serebryakova” and complete the sentences 1-5 choosing the best ending. (listen)

Glossary:

Typhus – тиф

recognition – признание

1. Zinaida Serebryakova … .

a)     was born into a family of artists

b)     had very talented relations

c)     took after her father

2. In 1901 Ilya Repin … .

a)     gave Zinaida private classes of painting

b)     was Zinaida’s art teacher

c)     was in control of the art school that Zinaida attended

3. Serebryakova became famous in Russia … .

a)     when her early works appeared at an art exhibition in 1909

b)     after her self-portrait “At the Dressing Table” was exhibited

c)     after her family moved to Petrograd

4. The artist began to create paintings connected with theatre because … .

a)     Zinaida’s daughter chose ballet as a subject of study

b)     Zinaida wanted to show the world the importance of ballet dancing

c)     she went in for ballet

5. Zinaida Serebryakova spent most of her life in … .

a)     Paris

b)     Moscow

c)     Petrograd

THEME 9. Famous English artists

I. READING

1. Read about Stanley Spencer and answer the questions.

                                               Stanley Spencer (1891 – 1959)

     Stanley Spencer is one of the most original and modern British artists. A painter of imaginative and religious subjects, landscapes and occasional portraits, he was born at Cookham, Berkshire, where he spent most of his life.

     He studied at the Slade School and exhibited at the second Post Impressionist exhibition in 1912. He served during the First World War, mainly in Macedonia, 1915-18, and was commissioned to paint a war picture for the Imperial War Museum. He was again Official War Artist in1940-44, painting scenes of shipyards at Port Glasgow.

     “Swan Upping” is one of Spencer’s best known pictures. The painting has an air of hightened reality. There is anxiety in the immobilized swans and the face of the woman on the bridge. An ordinary scene is made to appear extraordinary.

     Spencer’s work is well represented in the Tate Gallery collection, from early drawings done while still a student to his late self-portrait, painted a few months before his death in 1959.

    After the First World War Spencer participated in decorating the chapel at Cookham and this painting occupied the greater part of his attention, although he also found time for landscape painting.

     Spencer was also an interesting portrait painter. Among his best works are the portrait of Patricia Preece (1933) and “The Self-portrait with Patricia Preece” (1936).

a) When and where was Stanley Spencer born?

b) What was he in 1940-44?

c) What are his best known paintings?

d) In what gallery can one see Spencer’s works?

e) What painting occupied his attention after the First World War?

(look at the picture)

2. Make questions for the answers.

a) At the Slade School.

b) In Macedonia.

c) For the Imperial War Museum.

d) Before his death in 1959.

e) The portrait of Patricia Preece and “The Self-portrait with Patricia Preece”.

3. Which words or phrases in the text tell you the following:

a) the kinds of things Spencer painted;

b) that the war influenced his painting;

c) the description of his best known picture;

d) his works;

II. SPEAKING

You and your friend are in the Tate Gallery.

Task 1. Choose the way of going round the gallery. Discuss all the options (1) with a guide, 2) with an audio guide, 3) by oneself) and give really convincing arguments in favour of your choice.

Task 2. Speak about different genres, their merits and disadvantages in comparison.

Discuss the following options and choose one you both like most of all.

CONCLUSION

PROJECT SUGGESTIONS:

1.  Topic: Modern Artists. End product: a class picture gallery.

Find paintings that appeal to you. Describe the pictures. Mention:

-         the subject matter;

-         the colours;

-         the mood;

-         the individuality;

-         the power of impressing the onlooker;

-         how the picture makes you feel.

2. Topic: Ten Great Paintings. End product: a class excursion to the Tretyakov Gallery