Unit III.
Social Problems Through Art and Children in Russian Painting
Bogdanov-Belsky Nikolai Petrovich
Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky was born in the province of Smolensk into a peasant family. From 1884 to 1889 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under Makovsky, Polenov and Pryanishnikov. From 1890 onwards he exhibited with the Itinerants, and in 1895 became a member of the Society for Circulating Art Exhibitions. Bogdanov-Belsky had a particular liking for depicting peasants, especially peasant children. His generally acclaimed paintings devoted to village school life are “Oral Reckoning at Rachinsky’s People’s school” (1903). Bogdanov-Belsky painted a serious of portraits of eminent figures of contemporary Russian culture, among them the pedagogue, professor Rachinsky (1903), the artist Borhm, the historian and bibliographer Barsukov (1902), Fiodor Shaliapin (1916) and Maxim Gorky (1940).
Exercises
Ex. 1. Read and translate the text using a dictionary.
Ex. 2. Put questions to the text.
Ex. 3. Retell the text.
Speech Exercises
Ex. 1. Practice reading the following words and word combinations. Learn them by heart:
a peasant - êðåñòüÿíèí
ragged clothes - ðâàíàÿ îäåæäà
is leaning on a stick - îïèðàåòñÿ íà ïàëêó
evidently - î÷åâèäíî
that's why - ïîýòîìó
he would like - Îí áû õîòåë
in the background - íà çàäíåì ïëàíå
part - ÷àñòü
perhaps - âîçìîæíî
a kerosene lamp - êåðîñèíîâàÿ ëàìïà
hanging from the ceiling - âèñÿùàÿ íà ïîòîëêå
hard life - òÿæåëàÿ æèçíü
Ex. 2. Make up sentences with these words.
Ex. 3. Which is the odd word out?
a. to grip – to take – to seize – to snatch – to grasp – to comprehend – to clutch;
b. adolescence – reincarnation – maturity – grown uphood – infancy – youth – childhood
Ex. 4. Remember your school years and make up a dialogue with your partner.
Ex. 5. Give Russian equivalent if possible:
a. Like parents, like children.
b. As the tree, so the fruit.
c. Life is not all cakes and ale. (Life is not a bed of roses).
d. Live and learn.
Ex. 6. Comment on the following quotations:
a. Children are born to be happy. (J. Marti)
b. It’s a wise father who knows his own child. (W. Shakespeare)
Ex. 7. Look at the picture by Bogdanov-Belski "At the door of the School" and answer the following questions
Bogdanov-Belski "At the door of the School"
1. This is a picture of a school, isn't it?
2. Is it a picture of a country school or a city school? How do you know?
3. What can we see in the foreground?
4. Who is standing at the door of the classroom?
5. The boy is very poor, isn't he? How do you know?
6. How is the boy dressed?
7. What is the boy leaning on?
8. Why do you think the boy is leaning on a stick?
9. The boy is very tired, isn't he?
10. What has the boy got on his back?
11. Where is the other bag?
12. Why can't the boy learn at school?
13. What must the boy do instead of going to school? Why must he work?
14. Does the boy want to learn at school? What makes you think that he wants to learn?
15. Why has the boy come to school?
16. He would like to sit at the desk with the other children, wouldn't he?
17. What can we see in the background? Can we see the whole of the classroom or only part of it?
18. What can we see on the left?
19. What can we see on the right?
20. Can we see the teacher?
21. Can we see the pupils?
22. What are the pupils doing?
23. One pupil is not writing. What is he doing?
24. Why do you think this pupil is looking at the boy standing at the door? Do you think he is the poor boy's friend?
25. What can we see on the walls of the classroom?
26. Can you see a lamp hanging from the ceiling? Is it an electric lamp or a kerosene lamp?
27. The picture shows the hard life of peasants in old times, doesn't it?
Ex. 8. Read the description of the picture and translate it.
At the Door of the School.
This is a picture of a country school.
In the foreground we see a peasant boy. He is standing at the door of the classroom. The boy is very poor. He is dressed in ragged clothes. He is leaning on a stick. Evidently he is tired. The boy has two bags: one on his back and the other on his side.
The boy cannot learn at school because he is poor. He must work to help his family. But he wants to learn very much, that's why he has come to school. He is looking at the pupils. He would like to sit at the desk, too!
In the background we see part of the classroom. We see part of the blackboard on the left and some desks on the right. The pupils are writing something. One pupil is looking at the boy. Perhaps he is his friend.
On the wall we can see a map and some pictures. There is a kerosene lamp hanging from the ceiling. The picture shows the hard life of peasants in old times.
Ex. 9. Look at the picture by V.M. Maximov “The Poor Supper” (1879) and give the description of this painting.
V.M. Maximov “The Poor Supper” (1879)
Ex. 10. Look at the picture “Oral Reckoning at Rachinsky’s People’s school” (1895) and put 20 questions to it and the give its description.
Bogdanov-Belsky “Oral Reckoning at Rachinsky’s People’s school” (1895)
Ex. 11. Look at the picture by Reshetnikov "A 'Two' Again" and answer the following questions.
Reshetnikov "A 'Two' Again"
1. This is a picture of a bad pupil, isn't it?
2. What can we see in the foreground?
3. Has the boy just come home?
4. Where is he standing?
5. What has he got in his hand?
6. Does he look sad?
7. The boy is ashamed, isn't he?
8. Can he look his mother in the face?
9. Why can't he look his mother in the face?
10. How is the boy's mother looking at him?
11. Why is the boy's mother looking at her son with reproach?
12. Do you think it is the first "two" the boy has got?
13. What makes you think it isn't the first "two"?
14. What is the boy's mother sorry for?
15. The boy has a little brother, hasn't he?
16. Where is the boy's little brother?
17. Why is the little brother smiling? Is he glad to see his elder brother?
18. Does the little boy understand that his mother is sorry? Why doesn't he?
19. Does he know that it is bad to get "twos"?
20. What is he glad of?
21. Whom can we see in the background?
22. Where is the boy's sister standing?
23. What is the boy's sister doing? Why is she putting her books and exercise-books on the table? She is going to do her home-work, isn't she?
24. Do you think the boy's sister is a good pupil? What makes you think so? How is she looking at the boy?
25. The dog is very glad to see the boy, isn't it? How do you know?
26. Why doesn't the boy pay attention to the dog?
27. What mark would the boy like to have in his record-book instead of "two"?
28. What does the picture show?
Ex. 12. Practice reading the following words and word combinations. Learn them by heart.
sad ïå÷àëüíûé
he is ashamed - åìó ñòûäíî
cannot look his mother in the face - íå ìîæåò ñìîòðåòü â ëèöî ñâîåé ìàìå
reproach - óïðåê
to pay attention to - îáðàùàòü âíèìàíèå íà
instead of - âìåñòî
Ex. 13. Read the description of the picture.
A “Two” Again.
In this picture we see a bad pupil who has got a "two".
In the foreground we see the boy. He has just come home from school. He is standing in the middle of the room with his bag in his hand. He is very sad and ashamed. He cannot look his mother in the face. His mother is looking at him with reproach. Evidently it is not the first "two". She is sorry to have such a son.
His little brother is smiling. He is too little and does not understand that his mother is sorry. But he knows that it is bad to get "twos". He is glad he does not get them.
In the background we see the boy's sister. She is standing at the table. She is putting her books and exercise-books on the table. Evidently she. is going to do her homework. She is also looking at her brother with reproach.
Only the dog is glad to see the boy. But the boy does not pay attention to the dog. He is too sad. He would like to have a "five" in his record-book instead of "two"!
The picture shows how bad it is to get "twos".
Ex. 14. Describe the picture close to the text, or learn the text by heart.
Ex. 15. Practice reading the following word-combinations. Learn them by heart.
served in the army - ñëóæèë â àðìèè
is standing at attention - ñòîèò ïî ñòîéêå ñìèðíî
he is reporting - îí ðàïîðòóåò
must be pleased - äîëæíî áûòü, äîâîëåí
a fir-tree decorated for the New Year - åëêà, óêðàøåííàÿ ê Íîâîìó Ãîäó
to see the New Year in - âñòðå÷àòü Íîâûé Ãîä
Ex. 16. Look at the picture by Reshetnikov "Arrived for the Holidays" and answer the following questions.
Reshetnikov "Arrived for the Holidays"
1. In this picture we see a pupil of a Suvorov school, don't we?
2. The boy has just come home, hasn't he?
3. Has the boy come home for the summer holidays or for the winter holidays? How do you know?
4. Whom can we see in the foreground?
5. Is the boy smiling?
6. Do you think the boy is glad to have come home? What makes you think so?
7. Is the boy standing at attention before his grandfather?
8. The boy is reporting to his grandfather, isn't he? What do you think he is reporting about?
9. Do you think the boy is a good pupil? Why do you think so?
10. Is the boy's grandfather also standing at attention?
11. Evidently the boy's grandfather served in the army when he was young, didn't he?
12. What makes us think the boy's grandfather served in the army when he was young?
13. The grandfather is listening to the boy's report, isn't he?
14. Is the grandfather smiling? Why?
15. Is the grandfather pleased to hear about the boy's good marks?
16. Whom can we see in the background?
17. Where is the girl standing? Whom is she looking at?
18. Is the girl glad to see her brother? How do you know?
19. Are the boy's parents at home? Where are they?
20. What can you see in the corner of the room?
Ex. 17. Read the description of the picture.
"Arrived for the Holidays".
In this picture we see a pupil of a Suvorov school who has come home for the winter holidays.
In the foreground we see the boy and his grandfather. The boy has just come. He is standing at attention. He is glad to have come home. Perhaps he is reporting to his grandfather about his marks. Evidently he is a good pupil. He is glad to tell hi grandfather about his good marks. He is smiling.
The grandfather is standing at attention, too. Evidently he served in the army when he was young. He is listening to the boy's report. He must be pleased to hear about his grandson's good marks.
In the background we see the boy's sister. She is standing at the table and looking at her brother. She is very glad to see him.
We cannot see the boy's parents. Perhaps they are at work.
In the corner we can see a fir-tree decorated for the New Year. The family is ready to see the New Year in.
Ex. 18. Describe the picture close to the text, or learn the text by heart.
Ex. 19. Look at the picture “Visiting the Poors” by V.E. Makovsky (1874) and describe the life of children before the revolution. Write down the description of the picture.
V.E. Makovsky “Visiting the Poors” (1874)
Ex. 20. Look at the picture and describe it.
I.P. Bogdanov “The New” 1893
È.Ï. Áîãäàíîâ «Íîâè÷îê» 1893
Ex. 21. Summarize the facts given in the pictures and describe children's life before the revolution. Try to find out some more facts and paintings about children at the beginning of the 20th century.
