Match the terms on the left with their definitions on the right

1. caricature a) a picture made with a pencil

2. cartoon b) a drawing showing the parts of something to explain how it works

3. collage c) a drawing showing by a line the connection between two quantities

4. diagram d) a rough drawing without many details

5. drawing e) a picture to go with the words of a book

6. fresco f) a picture in solid black

7. graph g) a picture painted in water colour on a surface of fresh wet plaster

8. illustration h) woven cloth hanging on a wall, with pictures woven from colored silk

9. mural i) a humorous drawing, often dealing with something of interest in the new way

10. silhouette j) a representation of a person made so that aspects of his or her appearance appear more noticeable than they really are

11. sketch k) a picture made by an unusual combination of bits of paper, cloth, metal, etc.

12. tapestry 1) a picture painted directly onto the wall

Match the words and their definitions

1) landscape a) is a picture on a wall or ceiling where a plaster is still wet or damp.

2) seascape b) is a painting of such unanimated subjects as fruit, flowers and other decorative things

3) portrait c) is a painting which represents scenes from every day life in a more or less realistic way

4) still life d) is a picture representing a tract of country with the various objects it contains

5) fresco e) is painting or other artistic representation of the sea

6) genre painting f) is a person who is having his portrait painted

7) sitter, subject, model g) is a painting, picture or representation of the person, especially of a face generally drawn from life

Read and translate the text What is Art?

Art has been a part of our life for as long as humanity has existed. For thousands of years people have been creating, looking at, criticizing, and enjoying art. I would like to address three questions: what is art, what is its purpose, and why has it survived for this long.

Humanity has faced these questions for many centuries. How can we distinguish between fine art and a beautiful poster? How can we call both Malevich’s “Black Square” and Da Vinci’s “La Joconde” art, yet not include some people’s paintings into this category? I believe that the only things that distinguish these works are the artist and the artist’s objective. The connection between what the artist means to achieve and what he achieves through the medium is what I believe classifies art. If what the artist meant to say is understood by at least one person in this world, when we can safely call that piece art.

What classifies a masterpiece, however, is when not only one person understands what the artist was trying to say with the piece but when the majority does. Many people believe that the fine arts are elitist. Nevertheless, art is not something that you have to study to understand and enjoy. Art is something that captures the eye. Whether the artist is trying to communicate an emotion, an idea or something else, the most important thing is how well the audience receives it. However, art can also be shocking, something new. If a creative piece by an artist can spark the discussion of whether that piece is art or not, then it is art. Art is something that inspires people, something that transports us into different realities and moves us into the subconscious places that we did not know existed. What is the purpose of art? Art has some very practical purposes. 

There had been difficulties defining art, but as it was defined in general, it is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form. Art can’t easily be defined as simple as any ordinary object because it implies value. And it is also ever-changing and growing making it harder and almost impossible to have a constant clear definition. As it was said, when people ask, “What is art?” or state that something “is not art,” they usually are not seeking a philosophical definition but are instead expressing an opinion that a painting is not realistic enough, that it is offensive, or that it does not use traditional materials. This also shows that people not only make art, but also choose which objects should be called art. Make judgments, but get specific..that is one of the rules of art. You can’t say something isn’t an art just because you want to say so; you have to give good reasons. Originality, individual expression, something to contemplate rather than use..these are some of the qualities that are commonly associated with art.

But as we all know, most of the works of arts are famous and considered work of art today because of some powerful bodies just like the church and government who considered it such, instilling in every peoples mind that it is indeed a work of art without further questions. You got to see that art in all its forms could display power. Aside from power, art displays wealth and prestige in a sense that a work of art is almost priceless. Priceless that it could give extreme emotion to the one who owns it or the one who get to see or hear it. Life is so boring without art, that’s how priceless art is. There is art in our everyday life. Music is played in almost everywhere. We can hear music in almost everywhere we go. The kind of music that we wanted to hear even varies, depends.

The Arts play a large role in the expression of inner thoughts and beauty in my life. From dance and music to abstract art our concept of life is shown through the various ways in which we interpret it. The arts allow us to be as specific or as abstract as we please. It helps us become closer to ourselves and to others around us. Though there has been a lot of confusion as to what the true definition of “good art” is, how we show others what is going on in our minds and inner souls cannot be judged, graded, criticized or revised by anyone other than ourselves.

The arts play a valued role in creating cultures and developing and documenting civilizations. The arts teach us how to communicate through creative expression. Show us how to understand human experiences, past and present. Prepare us to adapt to and respect the ways others think, work, and express themselves. Different art forms help us develop the verbal and nonverbal abilities necessary for lifelong learning. The intellectual demands of the arts help us develop problem-solving abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing and evaluating. Numerous studies point toward a consistent and positive comparison between concrete education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects.