III. Speech practice.

Exercise 5. Give the description of what is depicted on Borisov-Musatov’s pictures.

Exercise 6. Prove that Borisov-Musatov was the most profound and the quietest of retrospective poets.

Exercise 7. Make up the plan of the story and retell it.

ІV. Discussion points.

Exercise 8. Many people think that pictures should depict the life around us. What do you think about it? What do you think about Borisov-Musatov’s dreamy paintings.

Active Vocabulary

Upsurge

outside world

quaint charm

middle-class family

to seek inspiration

to have an impact on

self-portrait

to depict

distinct style

in one’s lifetime

a plain-air painting

art critic

phantom world

to appreciate

water-colour sketches

mural painting

easel pieces

large-scale painting

wall-painting

retrospective

reproductions Keys. Ex. 1. a - 2; b - 2; c - 3; d - 4 ; e - 7.

Ex. 3. a - F; b - F; c - F; d - F; e - T.

Ex. 4. 1 - b; 2 - a; 3 - c; 4 - b; 5 - a ; 6 - c ; 7 - c.

Text 2

І. Reading.

Read the text “Russia's Bucolic Artist” and do the exercises given after the text.

Russia's Bucolic Artist

Peter the Great's reforms in the early 18th century had, as one of the side effects in the sphere of the arts, the transplanting of Western painting techniques and styles into Russia, which previously had chiefly pro­duced icon and religious fresco painting for churches and homes. The result of the rise of secular painting was a brilliant galaxy of Russian portrait- painters in the 18th and early 19th century. The 19th century saw the emergence of the historical and social school in the visual arts, primarily the Peredvizhniks (itinerant artists known for their traveling exhibitions), a bleak and drab-colored realism that preceded the blossoming forth of the Silver Age in the arts - Russia's major con­tribution to world arts after icon painting.

Yet, between the 18th-century portraitists and the 19th-century decline in the arts there appeared an ex­traordinary artist, who is barely known in the world and rarely counted among the best in Russia, Alexei Venetsianov (1780-1847). Venetsianov was bom 220 years ago on February 18. Coming at a time when the role of the Arts Academy was falling, Venetsianov him­self never studied at the academy (although he was later affiliated with it). He worked as a draftsman in his younger years, later as a land surveyor. In those days, the job of land surveyor involved no sophisticated equipment and mostly consisted in roaming the terrain with one of those giant dividers used to measure fields; this, as we shall see, would have an obvious impact on his art. Instead of the Arts Academy, Venetsianov studied, beginning in 1807, under the outstanding por­trait-painter Vladimir Borovikovsky. Before that Venet­sianov had only painted in his free time, copying can­vases in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. But the young man's career would soon take off precipitously. Before long, he was recognized by the public as a prominent portraitist although most art lovers still pre­ferred Borovikovsky and Kiprensky. In his portraits Venetsianov was regarded as too modest, lacking the artistic brilliance, insufficiently heartfelt. Venetsianov himself soon realized that he was not cut out for portrait-painting. In 1823 he made the following inscription on one of his portraits: "Venetsianov hereby ends his portrait- painting." Although the artist did not literally fulfill his promise, still creating portraits occasion- Hially, his main field of interest shifted decisively in the early 1820s. This change occurred against the back-ground of the post-1812 patriotic revival in Russia. Venetsianov had published cartoons of Napoleon and his allies in 1812. After 1812 the arts turned toward the common people, dealing with historical subjects and creating folk images, revising aesthetic values in the process. Artists had shown concern for the people in the 18th century, too, but their interest then was marginal.

Moreover, after 1812 the gentry had developed a revolutionary ideology based on this concern for the life of the people is Contrary to Soviet assertions that Venetsianov depicted reality faithfully (only artists who were alleged to be realists were recognized in the Soviet years, so the art historians had to pretend that the artists they wrote about were realists), what the former portrait-painter did was create a mythical world, permeated with deep lyricism, a Russian peasant world that probably never existed. Moreover, he persistently avoided depicting any action in his canvases.

Concern with the people or the national (narodnost) was a controversial phenomenon. After all, narodnost was one of the three mainstays of official government policy (Orthodox faith, Autocracy, and Narodnost). On the other hand, the Decembrists had their own, intellectual concept of the common people, though all of the leaders and most of the members of the Decembrist secret societies were either aristo crats or members of the gentry. One art critic of the 1830s offered the following definition: "By narodnost mean the patriotic inspiration in the fine arts which, nourished on native impressions and recollections, reflects in artists' works the magnificent native sky, the sacred native land, precious native legends, live mores and customs, native life, native glory, native grandeur."

Thus, Venetsianov could cater to both official tastes and the tastes of the opposition. Around 1820, the artist left his government service and devoted himself entirely to painting. He also organized an art school in his Vyshny Volochek district, where more than seventy artists were eventually trained. Venetsi­anov, however, abandoned everything he had learned in the 12 years of canvas copying in the Hermitage. He developed his own style in painting landscapes with figures of peasants and villages usually looming in the distance. The first canvas marking his turn­about was called "The Barn." The artist portrayed the inside of a landlord's barn with doors wide open. One sees peasant carts with farm laborers deep inside, and bright sunlight flowing in. Although Venetsianov is faithful in depicting the peasants and all the at­tributes of farming, he adds to his works the lyrical emotions absent from the reality he depicts. As Venetsianov saw it, the task of art was not to simply reproduce reality. He introduced the poetical element into nature, life and his heroes. As one of the first art­ists to turn to the peasantry as the principal theme of his works, Venetsianov perceived human qualities in the peasants, who, for most educated people in Rus­sia at the time, were little better than cattle. His paint­ing "The Bam" was followed in the mid-1820s and at the turn of the 1830s by a series of pictures devoted to peasant life. "Spring: Plowed Field," and "Summer: Harvesting" portray the peasant's labors, also in a poetical vein. "Landlady's Morning," "Children in the Field," and "Reapers" depict Russian peasant men and women. A prominent place in Venetsianov's works is taken by "The Sleeping Herdsboy." The artist always displayed particular warmth and lyrical elation when he portrayed children. Purity and harmony were the qualities of his works that were most appropriate in recreating the children's world. The sleeping boy in the painting is fictional. He has no whip or livestock. One wonders where those vicious black flies are that make life unbearable in the countryside during the summer. But the boy is one with nature, and that is the message of the painting.

While the postures of Venetsianov's peasants are far from natural, his works are a big step away from the stiff figures one finds in most 18th century painting. Venetsianov has a keen eye, and expertly puts his ob­servations on canvas. His peasants are quintessential Russian; suffice it to compare them with the Kostroma peasants painted more than a century later by artist Yefim Chestnyakov. It is difficult to say whether it is human figures or the landscape that are more impor­tant in Venetsianov's paintings. The landscape is more than just the background in his works. It is perhaps the key element in his conveying of emotions and the structure of the image. For the first time, a Russian art­ist specifically painted the Russian landscape, not some conventional artistic bit of nature. In 'The Sleep­ing Herdsboy," it is the landscape that conveys the se­renity and peace dominating the scene. Venetsianov's color scheme is never bright, but the unique combina­tion of grays, pinks, light greens and light blues creates a special mood. Both the image of nature and the im­age of the human being are manifestations of the idyllic world outlook in Venetsianov's art.

ІІ. Comprehension.

Exercise 1. Find where in the text it is said:

a) that Venetsianov was a self-taught painter;

b) that he created a Russian peasant world that existed only in his pictures;

c) that Venetsianov organized an art school

d) that landscapes are very important in his pictures.

Exercise 2. Find in the text the answers to the following questions:

a) What changes did Peter the Great’s reforms bring into art?

b) Where did Venetsianov learn to paint?

c) Why did art loves prefer Borovikovsky and Kiprensky to Venetsianov?

d) What were the themes of his pictures after 1812?

e) What art style did he develop?

f) How did he portray children?

g) What is his color scheme?

Exercise 3. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

a) Venetsianov studied art at St. Petersbury Academy of Arts.

b) For a long time the artist was in the government service.

c) Venetsianov realized that he was not very good at portrait painting.

d) Venetsianov depicted scenes from peasant life showing how hard their life was.

e) In the picture “The Sleeping Herd story” Venetsianov depicted his neighbour.

f) Russian Landscapes are the key elements in his paintings.

Exercise 4. Reading comprehension test..

1. Before Peter the Great’s reforms Russian artist chiefly produced.

a). only portraits of rich people;

b). icons and frescoes for churches;

c). only Biblical scenes;

2. Venetsianov was an extraordinary artist

a).well-known in the world;

b).well-known as the best artist in Russia;

c).barely known in the world;

3. The job of the land surveyor was

a). to plant forests;

b). to measure fields;

c). to fight harmful insects.

4. After 1812 the arts turned towards

a). the common people;

b). the heroes of the war;

c). the gentry.

5. In his canvas “The Barn” Venetsianov depicts

a). a landlord inside his barn;

b). peasant carts and farm labourers;

c). seep, pigs and cows.

6. Venetsianov introduced

a). new technique of painting;

b). the poetic element into nature and his heroes and life;

c). Biblical themes into his pictures.

7. In 1820-s and 1830-s he painted a series of canvases devoted to

a). Russian landscapes;

b). Russian historic monuments;

c). peasant life.

8. A special mood in his canvases creates

a). a combination of greys, pinks, light greens and blues;

b) a combination of very bright colours;

c). a combination of dark and bright colours.