Unit II
Museums, Art Galleries,
Exhibitions
Ex. 1. Practice the reading:
Museums of Moscow:
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts —
Музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина
Tretyakov Gallery —
Третьяковская галерея
Pushkin Museum — Музей А. С.
Пушкина
Museum of Moscow History —
Музей истории Москвы
Central House of Art —
Центральный Дом художника
Battle of Borodino Museum —
Музей-панорама "Бородинская битва"
Andrei Rublyov Museum of Old
Russian Art — Музей древнерусской культуры и искусства имени А. Рублева
Historical Museum —
Исторический музей
Vasnetsov House-Museum —
Дом-музей В. И. Васнецова
Anton Chekhov House-Museum —
Дом-музей А. П. Чехова
Apartment Museum of Maxim
Gorky — Музей-квартира М. Горького
Yesenin Museum — Музей С. А.
Есенина
Museum of Literature —
Литературный музей
Polytechnical Museum —
Политехнический музей
Biology Museum —
Биологический музей имени К. А. Тимирязева
Darwin Museum — Дарвинский
музей
The first museum in Moscow
(the Zoological Museum) was founded in 1791.
Today Moscow has about 150
museums. There are 12 million exhibits in them. 14 million people visit the
Moscow museums yearly.
Ex. 2. Read and translate the
text:
Государственный Бородинский военно-исторический
музей-заповедник
The State War and History
Museum-Reserve of Borodino
The State Museum-Reserve of
Military History of Borodino is situated in 124 km west of Moscow on the field
of the same name. One of the greatest battles was fought here on September 7,
1812. Mikhail Kutuzov led the Russian troops.
Nowadays one can see more than
300 monuments and historic objects on this field.
The foundation of this museum
dates back from August 26, 1839. It has already celebrated its 150th
anniversary.
The main monument of this
memorial was built in 1839 on the territory of disposition of the Russian
battery led by Rayevsky. It was a 30-metre stela. In honour of the centenary
of the Patriotic War of 1812, 36 monuments were unveiled including that to
Mikhail Kutuzov in the village of Gorky. A monument to the Unknown Soldier of
the War of 1812 was established on the occasion of the 150th anniversary.
The field of Borodino with the
total area of 109.7 sq. km was declared the State War and History
Museum-Reserve in 1961. There are many portraits of battle heroes, Kutuzov's
personal things, some pieces of French weapons, many documents concerning the
history of Borodino in this museum. Now the State
War and History Museum-Reserve
of Borodino is one of the biggest in Russian Federation. It co-operates with
the museums of the same character in Bulgaria, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Ex. 3. Learn the words and
answer the questions:
troops — войска
defeat — наносить
поражение
nowadays — в наши дни,
теперь
unveil — торжественно
открывать (памятник)
declare — объявлять
QUESTIONS
1.
Where is the State Museum-Reserve of
Military History of Borodino situated?
2.
How many monuments can one see on this
historic field? What are they?
3.
When was this museum founded?
4.
When was the main monument of this
memorial built?
5.
When was a monument to M. Kutuzov
unveiled?
6.
A monument to the Unknown Soldier of the
War of 1812 was established on the occasion of the 150th anniversary, wasn't
it?
7.
What kind of interesting things can you
see in this museum?
8.
You like to visit museums, don't you?
9.
How often do you go to the museums?
10.
Have you been to this museum?
Speech Exercises
Ex. 1. Comment on the
following situations:
1.
What do you feel when you look at an
outstanding painting?
2.
How do you appreciate the paintings?
3.
What is the best way to make you take an
interest?
4.
What feelings and emotions do you usually
have visiting exhibitions?
Ex. 2. Points to render:
1.
What are the ways and means by which the
artist’s painting is revealed and estimated?
2.
The best way to get understanding and
enjoyment of art is to view many paintings.
3.
Great works of art seem to look different
every time one stands before them.
Ex. 3. Speak about Russian
painters. Do you know any facts about their lives and pictures?
Art Gallery
Ex. 1. Read and translate the
text:
THE TRETYAKOV GALLERY
One of the best-known picture
galleries in the Soviet Union and perhaps in the world is the State Tretyakov
Gallery in Moscow. It is housed in a small but very Russian-looking building
in the centre of Moscow, close to the Kremlin and the Moskva River.
The gallery takes its name
from its founder P. M. Tretyakov, who began to collect Russian paintings in
1856 for the purpose of bringing art close to all the people. The gallery,
with the excellent collection it contained, was nationalized in 1918 and since
then it has received many thousands of works of art, making it one of the best
collections of Russian painting. In fact its collection is now so large that a
new building will soon be built not far from the Gorky Park of Culture and
Rest, so that the riches it contains will be seen by still more lovers of art
in the Soviet Union and abroad.
The gallery contains halls
devoted to old Russian painting to the great painters of the 18th and 19th
centuries, to great masters such as Ivanov, Levitan, Serov, Surikov, Repin,
and to the Soviet period in art.
Probably the best known among
the old Russian painters is Andrei Rublev. His "Trinity", painted about the
year 1411, is remarkable because, although it is in the manner of the old icon
painters, it is more humanistic and reflects in a new way the life and soul of
the Russian people.
Tretyakov began his collection
with the works of the travelling artists or "peredvizhniki", so it is natural
that canvases of masters such as Kramskoy, Perov and Ge have a big place
there. Well known to lovers of art all over the world are "Morning in the
Forest" by Shishkin and "Ivan Tsarevich on the Grey Wolf" by Vasnetsov, both
in the tradition of the travelling artists.
The Soviet people love the
works of Levitan, who also took part in the travelling artists' movement. How
colourful and Russian are his landscapes "Golden Autumn", "A Birch Grove",
"After the Rain"! How sad is his "Vladimirka", showing the road of the
political prisoners into exile in tsarist times.
Repin, to whom a whole hall is
devoted, is one of the best-known of Russian painters. His works reflect the
history of the Russian state ("Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan"); the life
of the Russian people ("The Volga Boatmen" which moves us in the same manner
as the well-known Russian song sung so often by Shalyapin); the working
people's struggle ("Not expected"— the return of a political exile, "The
Arrest of the Propagandist"). Repin is also famous for his portraits —
self-portrait, portraits of L. Tolstoy, Rubinstein and others, which can be
seen in the Tretyakov Gallery.
The many new exhibits the
gallery has received since the Great October Socialist Revolution include
works by painters of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th
century, and especially canvases of Soviet artists. The gallery now contains
many works by Ioganson, Gerasimov, Plastov and many others. These show the
life and work of the Soviet people, scenes of war and of labour, political and
everyday life, the efforts of the Soviet people to build socialism and a happy
and peaceful life for all people.
The Tretyakov Gallery, besides
the big collections in its halls, also organizes exhibitions in other towns
and halls. Thus it continues the tradition of its founder and of Soviet
culture by bringing real art closer to the people.
Ex. 2. Answer the questions to
the text:
1.
What is one of the best-known picture
galleries in Russia?
2.
Where is it housed?
3.
Who does the gallery take its name from?
4.
When did P.M. Tretyakov begin to collect
Russian paintings?
5.
Why did Tretyakov collect Russian
paintings?
6.
When was it nationalized?
7.
What are the riches the gallery contains?
8.
What great masters can one see in the
halls of the State Gallery?
9.
Who is the painter of the best known icon
“The Trinity”?
10.
What is this icon famous for?
11.
What canvases did Tretyakov begin his
collection with?
12.
Who are the representatives of the
travelling artist’s movement?
13.
What masters of landscape and portraits is
the State Gallery proud of?
14.
Does the Tretyakov Gallery continue the
tradition of its founder?
Speech Exercises
Ex. 1. Find in the text
synonyms to:
a painter; to reflect; to
contain; a landscape; a painting; to collect; to organize exhibitions.
Ex. 2. Say as many sentences
as you can, using the following substitution pattern:
|
Gainsborough |
is |
an outstanding |
painter of the |
19th |
century |
|
Morland |
|
a brilliant |
|
18th |
|
|
Reynolds |
|
a prominent |
|
17th |
|
|
Van Dyck |
|
|
|
16th |
|
|
Michelangelo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rembrandt |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bryullov |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shishkin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Surikov |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vasnetsov |
|
|
|
|
|
Ex. 3. Use the following words
and word combinations in sentences of your own:
well-known; to be housed; to
be devoted to; a work of art; a real master of; a collection of the 18th
century; to continue the tradition of; humanistic; to reflect; the life and
soul of; to receive; Russian culture; close to people.
a gallery; the State Gallery;
the National Gallery; the Tate Gallery; the State Tretyakov Gallery; the Art
Gallery.
Ex. 4. Which is the odd word
out?
a)
painter, photographer, potter, sculptor,
sailor, weaver.
b) drawing,
painting, embroidery, needlework, sculpture, sewing, sketching, teaching,
weaving.
c)
to colour, to dye, to read, to paint, to
stain, to tinge, to tint.
Ex. 5. Translate the following
sentences into Russian:
1.
It is housed in a small but very
Russian-looking building in the centre of Moscow, close to the Kremlin and the
Moskva River.
2.
The gallery was nationalized in 1918 and
since then it has received many thousands of works of art.
3.
In fact its collection is now so large
that a new building will soon be built not far from the Gorky Park of Culture
and Rest, so that the riches will be seen by still more lovers of art.
Ex. 6. Complete the following
sentences using the words from the text:
1.
The gallery, with the excellent collection
it …, was nationalized in 1918.
2.
The riches it …, will be seen by still
more lovers of art in Russia and abroad.
3.
The gallery … halls devoted to old Russian
painting, to the great painters of 18th and 19th
centuries, to great masters such as Ivanov, Levitan, Serov, Surikov, Repin.
4.
The gallery now … many works by Ioganson,
Gerasimov, Plastov and many others.
Ex. 7. Translate into English
using the vocabulary of the Unit:
1.
Я вижу ты интересуешься пейзажами Левитана.
2.
Ты заметил тот прекрасный портрет «Девушка
в зеленом»?
3.
Коллекция галереи Тейта содержит работы
Констебля, Блейка, Тернера и других британских мастеров.
4.
Коллекция картин Передвижников отражает
историю России18 и 19 столетий.
5.
Какой уникальной древнерусской иконой
владеет Третьяковская галерея?
6.
Общеизвестно, что это произведение
искусства очень ценное.
7.
У них было много общего в изображении
жизни и души русского народа.
Ex. 8. Say some sentences
about the portrait given below:

Portrait of P.M. Tretyakov by
I. Kramskoy
Ex. 9. Say some words about
the gallery that he founded.
Ex. 10. Read, translate and
learn the dialogues:
CONVERSATION IN THE TRETYAKOV
GALLERY
"Ah! I see you are interested
in Repin's portraits." "Yes, I like this one of Pirogov very much." "What I
like about Repin's portraits is the expression of the eyes. Did you notice
Pirogov's eyes in his portrait?"
"Yes,
the eyes of a thinker and at the same time of a very human person."
"But you know that is
noticeable also in Repin's other canvases. Take for example his "Ivan the
Terrible and His Son Ivan". The tsar's eyes, which shine against the dark
background, really reflect his soul: his horror because he has killed his son
and also his love for the Russian state, which made him commit- that crime."
"I think you are right! The
expression of the eyes is also very characteristic in such canvases as "The
Arrest of the Propagandist"; strong will and readiness to die for his cause in
the eyes of the man who is arrested, surprise, fear and hatred of the
gendarmes in the eyes of some other people in the room."
"And what about 'The Volga
Boatmen'?"
"I think their eyes show
suffering, and at the same time their will to fight and to live."
"I agree with you. And I think
that we can see in Repin's own eyes, in his self-portrait, the soul of a man
who sees all of life, who understands his comrades and sees the good and bad
in them. All that is necessary to paint such famous canvases."
SHORT CONVERSATIONS
1. "Hello, Igor! Are you going
anywhere special?"
"I'm going to the Pushkin
Museum of Fine Arts. There's an exhibition of French impressionists there."
"Oh, impressionists,
naturalists, surrealists! I don't understand all those schools in art, I never
go to such exhibitions."
"But you'll never understand
art if you don't take any interest in it. I don't like all the modern schools
either, but we learn a lot by seeing the world through other people's eyes."
2. "Hello, Raya! Where are you
going in such a hurry?"
"To the Polytechnical Museum
to see the exhibition of earth satellites."
"The sputniks? Now that's
interesting. Is the entrance free?"
"Yes, it is, but there are
always a lot of people who want to go. This evening is organized by our club."
"May I come with you?"
"I suppose so, if you want
to,"
"Of course, I do!"
"Come on then, Sasha. We must
hurry or we'll be late for the beginning."
Ex. 11. Reproduce the
dialogues from Ex. 10.
Ex. 12. Describe your visit to
a museum or an art gallery.
Ex. 13. Speak on the following
situations:
a. Your
hobby is collecting stamps of Russian painters. You meet a friend of yours who
is also interested in Russian painting. You describe your collection and try
to get new stamps of Russian painting of the 18th and 19th
centuries.
b. You
want to buy a birthday present for your teacher. You think a reproduction of
famous paintings will be a suitable present. You discuss it with the
shop-assistant what to buy and choose a landscape by Levitan.
Ex. 14. Make up a dialogue of
your own using the words:
to notice; paintings by
Shishkin; exhibition; master; tradition; natural; purpose; to surprise;
special; manner.
Ex. 15. Look through the
video-film “The Tretyakov Gallery p. I” and make the plan.
Additional Material
Ex. 1. Read and translate the
text using a dictionary.
THE
TRETYAKOV GALLERY
There are
many interesting galleries in our country. The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the
famous and well-known picture galleries in our country and all over the world.
The State
Tretyakov Gallery is situated in a Russian-looking building in the centre of
Moscow. This gallery is named after its founder Peter Tretyakov. He began to
collect Russian paintings in 1856. He wanted these paintings to be seen by
people.
This
gallery and collections of paintings were nationalized in 1918.
The first
works in Tretyakov's collection were the paintings of the "Peredvizhniki". The
collector bought paintings "Morning in a Pine Wood" by Shishkin and "Ivan
Tsarevich on the Grey Wolf" by Vasnetsov.
The
gallery has got many halls. There are halls devoted to the great Russian
painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. We can see pictures by such painters
as Serov, Repin, Ivanov, Levitan and others. You can see the landscapes "After
Rain" and "Golden Autumn". These paintings by Levitan are beautiful. I like to
see his paintings because he is one of my favourite artists. I compare his
painting "Golden Autumn" with the poem "Autumn" by Pushkin.
There are
some paintings by Repin in the Tretyakov Gallery. His paintings are connected
with the history of our country. For example, his painting "Ivan Grozny
Murders His Son Ivan". There are some portraits of Lev Tolstoy and a
self-portrait of Repin in this hall.
I like
the painting "Trinity" by Andrei Rublyov. This work reflects the life and soul
of the Russian people.
This
gallery has many new exhibits now. You can see works of the painters of the
end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century there. I like works by
Gerasimov. I think that he is a very talented painter.
WORDS
1.
Trinity
— Троица
2.
compare
— сопоставлять, сравнивать
3.
favourite
— любимый
4.
painting
— живопись
5.
exhibit
— экспонат
6.
talented
— талантливый
Ex.2.
Answer the questions:
1.
Are there many galleries in our country?
2.
What is one of the famous galleries?
3.
Who was the founder of this gallery?
4.
When did Peter Tretyakov begin to collect
paintings?
5.
Where is this gallery situated?
6.
How many halls are there in the State
Tretyakov Gallery?
7.
What Russian artists do you know?
8.
Do you know the paintings of the
"Peredvizhniki"?
9.
You like some landscapes by Levitan, don't
you?
10. Why
do you like works by Repin?
Ex. 3. Discuss the following
statements:
a.
Genius does what it must, and talent does
what it can.
b.
Genius is a talent provided with ideas.
c.
Genius is the capacity to see ten things
where the ordinary man sees one.
Ex. 4. Comment on the
following quotations:
a. “A picture is a poem
without words”.
Horace (65-8 BC)
b. “All art is but imitation
of nature”
Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD)
c. “A mere copier of nature
can never produce anything great”
Reynolds (1723-1792)
Ex. 5. Look through the
video-film “The Tretyakov Gallery (p. II)”
a.
Give your impression of it
b.
What new facts have you learnt?
Ex. 6. Practice reading the
following words and words combinations. Learn them by heart:
outstanding - выдающийся
brilliant -
блестящий
prominent -
выдающийся
a
painter - художник
a
portraitist - портретист
a
century -
столетие
pastoral
scenes
- пасторальные сцены
nature
- природа
landscape -
пейзаж
sea-scape
- морской пейзаж
genre
scenes
- жанровые сцены
still-life
- натюрморт
battle
scenes - батальные
сцены
the
artist's deep psychological approach
– глубокий
психологический
подход
enables
him
– дает ему возможность
to
portray
– изображать
to
create
– создавать
to
impact
– передавать
likeness – портретное сходство
a
sinister atmosphere –
зловещая
атмосфера
a true
impression of the sitter –
правдивое
изображение
модели
enlivens the landscape –
оживляет
пейзаж
the
ruins of the castle –
развалины
замка
a real
masterpiece of world painting
– настоящий
шедевр
мировой
живописи
Revision Exercises
Ex. 1. Say where they were
born:
a.
(Kramskoy/Voronezh) was born in Voronezh.
b.
(Kiprensky/Petergoff)
c.
(Venetsianov/Moscow)
d.
(Surikov/ Krasnoyarsk)
e.
(Serov/St. Petersburg)
Ex. 2. Who was this painting
painted by?
a.
“Ukraine Night”
b.
“The Vladimirka Road”
c.
“The Movers”
d.
“Hunters at rest”
e.
“Portrait of the Composer Musorgsky”
Ex. 3. Insert the words where
necessary:
was housed; is situated;
was born; is enriched; was trained; is occupied; are shown
a.
Tretyakov Gallery … constantly … by works
of Russian and Soviet painters, sculptors, graphic artisis.
b.
It … in a small but very Russian looking
building in the centre of Moscow.
c.
A.S. Stepanov … at the Moscow School of
Painting, Sculpture and Architecture by Sorokin and Pryanishnikov.
d.
A predominant place in Stepanov’s work …
by autumn and winter landscape remarkable for their plain-air effects.
e.
Surikov … in Krasnoyarsk in the family of
a Cossack.
f.
The Hermitage … in St. Petersburg and its
art exhibitions … around Russia.
Speech Exercises
Ex. 1. Read and translate the
dialogue
-
What do you know about Russian art?
-
I am fond of Russian avant-garde. The
canvases of Tatlin, Malevich, Kandinsky do credit to our nation and
traditions.
-
I wonder where Russian avant-garde art has
ever been displayed abroad.
-
Yes, today Russian avant-garde art is
being displayed in its entirety – both in Russia and abroad. Previously only
the canvases of the artists of the 1920s were popular.
-
It must be very interesting.
-
You have said it. The exhibition usually
attracts crowds of people.
-
Yes, even among very young people there
are very talented and progressive artists. Their pictures give much food for
thought.
-
Certainly.
Ex. 2. Speak about your last
visit to the exhibition.
Ex. 3. Write down an essay on
your impression of this exhibition.