1.a huge art fan, I knew exactly what I 2.(look) forward to most about my trip to Paris: visiting the Musee d'Orsay. 3.(house) in an old railway building, this world-famous an museum 4.f some of the best-known paintings from theImpressionist movement of the 19th century.
5.I wandered through the Impressionist gallery, I appreciated masterpieces like The Ballet Class and The Card Players. Even though I 6.(admire) them hundreds of times on my computer screen, nothing 7.(prepare) me for the wonder I 8.(feel) when I finally 9.(lay) eyes on the real thing. 10.it was hard to pick a favourite painting out of so many amazing works, the artists who 11.(make) the deepest impression 12. me 13.(be) two of the greatest Impressionist painters, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
I could see from Monefs works that he was greatly inspired by nature. In the last three decades of his life he painted 14.(most) scenes from his garden. One of these scenes 15.(show) in the famous piece Blue Water Lilies, which I studied for quite 16.while in the gallery. I couldn't believe it 17.I heard he did around 250 paintings of the same water lily pond, all 18.different colours and styles. It is amazing that every lime Monet 19.(study) this simple scene, he brought the pond's beauty 20.the canvas in a unique way.
Renoir, I noticed, 21.(prefer) to paint scenes of everyday life. For me, the most interesting of his paintings 22.(be) his 1876 masterpiece Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 23.(show) life in a busy neighbourhood of Paris 23+.a Sunday afternoon. When I saw it up 24.c, I 25.(strike) by the small areas of light 26.a the painting, 27.the way the soft edges of thefigures seemed 28.(mix) together. Thereso much going on, 29.so little clear detail. This effect makes the 30.(live) movement of the dance almost jump out 31.the viewer.
32. the paintings had very different settings, it was their similarities 33.stayed with me long after I left the Musee d'Orsay-similarities which can be seen throughout the Impressionists' paintings. Monet and Renoir, 34.with other like-minded artists, 35.(seek) liberation from the rules of the old style. Everyday subject matter was the main focus of their works, as opposed 36.the history paintings that had traditionally dominated European art. They employed free brushwork and 37.(use) colours to show the effect of light on things, 38.(create) paintings that 39.(be) far less 40.(real) than the works 41.came before. To me, these techniques are the essence of the Impressionist view of art. Impressionist artists did not try to paint every detail in 42. scene-just a brief “impression” Ihey had at that moment, 43.(burn) with vivid colours and light, before it disappeared.
The Impressionists* vision inspired a whole new generation of Post-Impressionist painters such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, 44. works are also displayed at the Musee d'Orsay. It is also 45.(worth) of note that Post-Impressionist painters were not the only ones 46.(influence) by Impressionism-the movement 47.(have) a lasting influence on modern art, 48.(encourage) artists to look at the world from 49.entirely new point of view. It certainly 50.(leave) a lasting impression on me too!
B4U3 Extended Reading
Zhang Zeduan's Qingming Scroll is a masterwork of Chinese art. 1.(paint) on a five-mctrc-long silk scroll, it offers an important insight 2.life in China in the 12th century. It is 3.(common) believed that the city 4.(describe) in the painting is Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng), 5.capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. The ancient scroll 6.(survive) the test of time 7.(remark) well, and is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The scroll 8.(consist) of three main sections. The first section presents a peaceful scene of rural life near Bianjing, 9.(feature) crop fields, a river 10.(wind) through the landscape, and farmers hard at work. The second section shows the riverbanks and the central bridge 11.(live) with activity 12. boats sail in and out of Bianjing. Civilians can also be seen 13.(walk) through the city gate 14.both directions. The third and final section pictures life
inside the city 15. (it). Here, hundreds of people from all walks of life, including butchers, hairdressers and government officials, can be seen going about their daily business. The 16.(combine) of these three sections gives the viewer an idea of 17.life was like for the people of Bianjing.
Zhang's amazing 18.(art) technique is apparent all across the scroll. 19.(use) ink on silk, he creates realistic images of scenery, buildings and people, and20.(display) a remarkable mastery of perspective. The 21.(impress) aspect of the painting, however, is probably Zhang's precise brushwork. This well-dcvclopcd ability, as well as the scrolfs 22.(ambition) size, allows Zhang to show an enormous amount of detail- you could study the painting for hours and still discover something new.
Thanks to all this fine detail, the Qingming Scroll provides a comprehensive look at life during the Northern Song Dynasty, It23.(reveal) a great deal about the 12th-century Chinese customs, clothing, transportation methods, business practices, and a wide range of buildings, such as temples, teahouses and government structures. At first sight, the overall scene of life in the capital city appears peaceful and cheerful. However, some critics suggest that on closer 24.(inspect), the painting actually exposes serious 25.(politic) and social problems. Some boats 26.(carry) food do not seem 27.(belong) to the government, 28.(suggest) that the government 29.(lose) control of food supplies and transportation. Also in the painting arc soldiers 30.appear to ignore their duties. There are some less obvious 31.(indicate) of trouble too. For example, in the centre of the scroll, a boat is in danger of 32.(crash) into the bridge. These sorts of details point to a crisis developing in the city. In fact, the Northern Song Dynasty was 33.decline by this stage. About twenty years after the painting was completed, it was overthrown.
Zhang's 34.(time) scroll is an important example of 35.(real) in the history of Chinese paintings. Its value is down not only to its great scale, artistic quality and attention to detail, but also 36.its 37.(represent) of daily life. Such is its worth that several later emperors even asked the 38.(talent) artists of their day to make copies of the scroll. Some of these copies are now regarded as precious works of art in their own right. With the Qingming Scroll, Zhang made an outstanding contribution to Chinese art and greatly influenced generations of future artists.
The original scroll is still in one piece despite its age, but it is extremely delicate.Because of this, it is not often displayed to the public. The last time it was 39.exhibition, crowds waited in line for hours for the rare chance to see the famous painting with their own eyes. The public's continued 40.(enthusiastic) about the Qingming Scroll, even after all these centuries, speaks volumes about the power of this historic piece of art.
B4U3 Reading
LAs a huge art fan, I knew exactly what I 2.was looking forward to most about my trip to Paris: visiting the Musee d'Orsay. 3.Housed in an old railway building, this world-famous art museumd.features some of the best-known paintings from the Impressionist movemenl of the 19th century.
5.As I wandered through the Impressionist gallery, I appreciated masterpieces like The Ballet Class and The Card Players. Even though I had 6.admired them hundreds of times on my computer screen, nothing 7.could have prepared me for the wonder I 8.felt when I finally 9Jaid eyes on the real thing. 10.While it was hard to pick a favourite painting out of so many amazing works, the artists who ILmade the deepest impression 12.on me 13.were two of the greatest Impressionist painters, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
I could see from Monet's works that he was greatly inspired by nature. In the last three decades of his life he painted 14,mostly scenes from his garden. One of these scenes 15.is shown in the famous piece Blue Water Lilies, which I studied for quite 16.a while in the gallery. I couldn't believe it 17.whcn I heard he did around 250 paintings of the same water
lily pond, all 18.in different colours and styles. It is amazing that every time Monet 19.studicd this simple scene, he brought the pond's beauty 20.to the canvas in a unique way.
Renoir, I noticed, 2Lprefeired to paint scenes of everyday life. For me, the most interesting of his paintings 22.is his 1876 masterpiece Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 23.showina life in a busy neighbourhood of Paris 23+.on a Sunday afternoon. When I saw it up 24.close, 125.was struck by the small areas of light 26.across the painting, 27.and the way the soft edges of the figures seemed 28・t
。mix together. There's so much going on, 29・
but so little clear detail. This effect makes the 30.lively movement of the dance almost jump out 3Lat the viewer.
32.A3hough the paintings had very different settings, it was their similarities 33.stayed with me long after I left the Musee d'Orsay—similarities which can be seen throughout the Impressionists, paintings. Monet and Renoir, 34.aloni with other like-minded artists, 35.sought 1 iberation from the rules of the old style. Everyday subject matter was the main focus of their works, as opposed 36. tolhe history paintings that had traditionally dominated European art. They employed free brushwork and 37.used colours to show the effect of light on things, 38.creating paintings that 39.wcrc far less 4().realistic than the works 4Lthat came before. To me, these techniques are the essence of the Impressionist view of art. Impressionist artists did not try to paint every detail in 42.a scene-just a brief “impression\" they had at that moment, 43.buminu with vivid colours and light, before it disappeared.
The Impressionists' vision inspired a whole new generation of Post-Impressionist painters such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, 44.whose works are also displayed at the Musee d'Orsay. It is also 45,worthy of note that Post-Impressionist painters were not the only ones 46.to be influenced by Impressionism-the movement 47.has had a lasting influence on modern art, 48.encouraRiiiH artists to look at the world from 49.an entirely new point of view. It certainly 50.1cft a lasting impression on me too!
LAs I wandered in the National Gallery, I was amazed to see all the paintings.I wondered 2.at the skill of the artists, 3.thein use of colour and 4.hnw they played with light and shade. I observed the brushwork they used 5・to enhance their works.I enjoyed the whole experience—6.to be able to bathe my senses in this palace of human creativity. It was surprising then to see so many people 7.viewing importantand precious artworks through their smartphones. It might sound 8・shocking, butthey seemed more interested in taking photos and recording videos of artworksthan 9.aDDreciatinq them 10.with their own eyes. How was it possible, I wondered, to 1 Ltruly appreciate the human touch of a great painting 12.when it 13.was reduced to a few million pixels?14.Looking at artworks through smartphones, I thought, was like trying to appreciate the countryside without 15.beinq able to hear the birds sing, feel the breeze 16.against my face or smell the flowers. Moving slowly through the National Gallery, I was determined to keep my smartphone in my bag and appreciate each individual painting 17.with the best camera in the world: my own eyes.
B4U3 Extended Reading
Zhang Zeduan's Qingming Scroll is a masterwork of Chinese art. —Painted on a five-metre-long silk scroll, it offers an important insight 2.into life in China in the 12th century. It is 3 monly believed that the cityd.described in the painting is Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng), 5.thc capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. The ancient scroll 6・has survived the test of time 7・remarkably well, and is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The scroll 8.consists of three main sections. The first section presents a peaceful scene of rural life near Bianjing, 9.featurinR crop fields, a river 1().winding through the landscape, and farmers hard at work. The second section shows the riverbanks and the central bridge
11.alive with activity 12.as boats sail in and out of Bianjing. Civilians can also be seen 13.walkinH through the city gate (4.in both directions. The third and final section pictures life inside the cityHere, hundreds of peoplefrom all walks of life, including butchers, hairdressers and government officials, can be seen going about their daily business. The 16.cembioation of these three sections gives the viewer an idea of 17»what life was like for the people of Bianjing.
Zhang's amazing 18.artistic technique is apparent all across the scroll. 19.Usina ink on silk, he creates realistic images of scenery, buildings and people, and 2().displays a remarkable mastery of perspective. The 2Lmost impressive aspect of the painting, however, is probably Zhang's precise brushvvork. This well-developed ability, as well as the scrolfs 22.ambitious size, allows Zhang to show an enormous amount of detail— you could study the painting for hours and still discover something new.
Thanks to all this fine detail, the Qingming Scroll provides a comprehensive look at life during the Northern Song Dynasty. It 23.revcals a great deal about the 12th-century Chinese customs, clothing, transportation methods, business practices, and a wide range of buildings, such as temples, teahouses and government structures. At first sight, the overall scene of life in the capital city appears peaceful and cheerful. However, some critics suggest that on closer 24.insvcction, the painting actually exposes serious 25.political and social problems. Some boats 26.carr、inn food do not seem 27.to belong to the government, 28. seREcstinR that
the government has 29.1ost control of food supplies and transportation. Also in the painting are soldiers 30.who appear to ignore their duties. There are some less obvious 3Liiidicators of trouble too. For example, in the centre of the scroll, a boat is in danger of 32.crashing into the bridge. These sorts of details point to a crisis developing in the city. In fact, the Northern Song Dynasty was 33.in decline by this stage. About twenty years after the painting was completed, it was overthrown.
Zhang's 34.timeless scroll is an important example of 35.realism in the history of Chinese paintings. Its value is down not only to its great scale, artistic quality and attention to detail, but also 36.to its 37.reDresentation of daily life. Such is its worth that several later emperors even asked 38・the most talented artists of their day to make copies of the scroll. Some of these copies arc now regarded as precious works of art in their own right. With the Qingming Scroll, Zhang made an outstanding contribution to Chinese art and greatly influenced generations of future artists.
The original scroll is still in one piece despite its age, but it is extremely dclicate.Because of this, it is not often displayed to the public. The last time it was 39.on exhibition, crowds waited in line for hours for the rare chance to see the famous painting with their own eyes. The public's continued 40.cnthusiasm about the Qingming Scroll, even after all these centuries, speaks volumes about the power of this historic piece of art.
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