Text a. Impressionism

1. If we look at the bottles in “A Bar at the Folies Bergere” by Manet, we shall notice the treatment of detail here to be quite different from the treatment of detail by the painters of the Academy who are known to look at each leaf, flower and branch separately and set them down separately on canvas like a sum in addition. But all the bottles in Manet’s picture are seen simultaneously in relation to each other. Another way of putting the matter is to say that in Impressionist picture there is only one focus throughout, while in an academic picture there is a different focus for every detail. These two methods of painting are thought to represent different ways of looking at the world, and, neither way is wrong, only while the academician looks particularly at a series of objects, the Impressionist looks generally at the whole.

2. This way of viewing a scene broadly, however, is known to be a part of Impressionism. But a later development of Impressionism, which was considered to be a complete innovation, was the new palette they adopted. They found out that every colour has its complementary, that is to say, an opposing colour which is evoked by the action of the human eye after we have been looking at the said colour for some time; all colours act and react on one another. They discovered that to obtain the full brilliance of any given hue it should be flanked and supported by its complementary colour. For example, violet is the right complementary for a greenish-yellow, an orange-yellow requires a turquoise blue, and so on.

3. It became clear to them that colour was not a simple matter but a very complex one. For example, the colour of grass at our feet is green but grass-covered hills seen at a great distance do not appear green, but blue affected by the atmosphere. The local colour of snow is white but the snow-covered peaks of the mountains under the rays of the setting sun appear to have a bright copper colour.

4. The landscape painter, who wishes to reproduce the actual hues of nature, has to consider not only “local colour”, but also “atmospheric colour” and “illumination colour”, and further take into consideration “complementary colours”. One of the most important discoveries made by the later Impressionist painters was that in the shadows there always appears the complementary colour of light. It you take all this into account you’ll understand the full significance of Monet’s saying “The principal person in a picture is light”.

Exercise 8. I. Read the sonnet 130 and find the Objective Infinitive complex in it (2)

II. State the functions of the Infinitives:

1). to represent, to be, to say in the first passage;

2). to be, to obtain, be flanked in the second passage.

Translate the sentences containing them.

III. Find the sentence containing the Subjective complex in the 3-rd passage. Translate this sentence.

1). State the functions of the Infinitives the 4-th passage. Translate the sentence.

2). Find the sentence with the attributive clause in the second passage, translate this sentence.

Exercise 9. Answer the questions to the text A:

1. What school of painting does Manet belong to?

2. What his picture is mentioned in the text?

3. What is the treatment of detail in this picture?

4. How do the painters of the Academy treat details?

5. Which method of painting is right and which is wrong?

6. What are other developments of Impressionists?

7. How can the full brilliance of any given hue be obtained?

8. Why is the colour of grass at a distance blue?

9. When can the colour of snow be bright copper?

10. What should the landscape painter take into consideration?

11. Comment on the Monet’s saying, “The principal person in a picture is light”.

Exercise 10. Say whether it is true or wrong to the text. If not true, say why. Use the phrases:

I think…

I guess…

To the best of my knowledge; I can’t agree to this; as far as I know it is…

1. Edouard Manet is considered to be an academician painter.

2. All the bottles in Manet picture are seen simultaneously in relation to each other.

3. The academician method of painting is right and the impressionist method is wrong.

4. Colours in nature and in picture do not influence each other.

5. Turquoise is the complementary colour for a greenish-yellow.

6. Grass is green even at a great distance.

7. Snow-covered peaks illuminated by the rays of the setting seen appear to be very very white.

8. Painters should take into consideration not only “local colour” but also “atmospheric colour” and “illumination colour”.

Exercise 11. Translate the following words and combination into Ukrainian, reproduce the situation in which they are used in the text:

to look at each leaf, flower and branch separately; simultaneously; one focus throughout; a series of objects; this way of viewing; a complete innovation, complementary colour; the full brilliance; turquoise blue; simple matter; grass-covered hills; snow-covered peaks; the landscape painter; the complementary colour of light; the principal person.

Exercise 12. Read text B. Answer the questions given after the text. Be sure you know the following words:

palette – палітра

pigment – пігмент

to make familiar – познайомитись

rainbow – райдуга

to discard – відкидати

to modify – змінювати

to refrain – утримуватись

to apply – наносити

pure – чистий

minute – малесенький

touch – мазок

to juxtapose – поміщати разом

to fuse – зливатись

to speck – плямити

mauve – розовато-ліловий

endeavour – спроба

to regard – розглядати

stand point – точка зору