Complete the description with the words in the box

background left-hand side looks like seems to be there are there is

In the foreground 1 __________ a man standing on a bridge. He 2__________ he is screaming. His face is expressing surprise and fear. His mouth is open in an ‘O’ shape, his eyes are wide open and his hands are on his bald head. In the 3__________, on the 4__________, 5__________ two people walking towards him but they don’t look worried. The sky is blood red and beneath the bridge, a blue river 6__________ flowing to the sea.

 

SHAPE OF PAINTINGS

What is the shape of the following paintings?

1. s _ _ _ _ _	2. r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ar	3. c _ _ _ _ _ ar
4. t _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ar	5. o _ _ _

Lesson 21.

READING

Read the text:

What Is a “Masterpiece”?

Some exceptional paintings are said to be “great” rather than “good.” These works of art are called masterpieces. A masterpiece is more than a picture of something. It also tells a story and excites strong emotions in the viewers.

A masterpiece calls on all the senses. Viewers might smell the sea, taste a peach, or even feel motion. In the dreariness of winter, a masterpiece can transport viewers to a bright spring. The next time you view a painting, ask yourself what senses it awakens. A masterpiece makes viewers feel what they see. Ancient cave paintings of stampeding bison reflect the terror in the animals’ eyes. They tell the viewer something about fear.

Loneliness, joy, hope, unhappiness, and courage—these are some of theemotions great artists call upon in creating their masterpieces.

A masterpiece gives clues about the artist’s world, culture, and character. By choice of subject, artists reflect their surroundings and their state of mind. During his “blue period,” for example, the 20^th century artist Pablo Picasso painted the poor people of Paris. The main color of the works was blue—a color which often symbolizes sadness. Like the color, Picasso’s subjects were sad.

During this time in his life, Picasso himself was poor and unhealthy.

The next time you go to a museum or look in an art book, take a closer look at a great painting. By studying the masterpiece, see what facts about history or the artist you can discover.

WORD SEARCH

 

1. What eleven-letter noun in the reading

means “a great work of art”? m_______________________

2. What six-letter plural noun in the reading

names a category that includes sight,

hearing, smell, taste, and touch? s _______________________

3. What eight-letter plural noun in the

reading names a category that includes

loneliness, joy, fear, and hope? e _______________________

SYNONYMS

Complete the crossword puzzle with words from the reading. Clue words are synonyms(words with a similar meaning) of the answer words.

ACROSS

4. bravery, valor

6. feelings

DOWN

1. charging, rushing

2. civilization

3. buffalo

5. observer, onlooker

WORD CONNOTATIONS

Connotations are the feelings and ideas we associate with certain words. For example, the word skinny sounds negative, but the word slender suggests positive feelings. Write a plus sign (+) for positive or a minus sign (–) for negative to show the connotations of the words from the reading.

1. __ dreariness 2. __ hope 3. __ joy 4. __ loneliness 5. __ spring

Write another word from the reading that has a positive connotation. _______________________

Write another word from the reading that has a negative connotation. _______________________

PAINTING.

Answer the clues.

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R _

2 _ _ _ _ E _

3_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ M

4 B _ _ _ _

5 _ _ _ R _ _ _

6 _ A _ _ _ _

7 _ _ N _ _ _

8 _ _ _ D _ _ _ _ _

9 _ T _ _ _

1. work of art made by carving in stone or wood (9)

2. method of carving in which a design stands out from a flat surface (6)

3. style in art represented by Monet or Renoir (13)

4. an instrument for painting (5)

5. to cut e.g. words on wood, stone or metal (7)

6. material used for sculpting (6)

7. a piece of strong rough cloth used for an oil painting (6)

8. picture with a view (9)

9. precious; is used in making jewellery (5)

3. READING

Read the text:

Mona Lisa

She was painted in the early 1500s by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Today, she hangs in the Louvre, an art museum in Paris that was originally built as a palace for kings. She is Mona Lisa — one of the most famous portraits in the world.

The subject of the portrait was a woman from the city of Florence, Italy. At age 16, Mona Lisa married Francesco del Giaconda—a wealthy merchant 19 years her senior. When Giaconda asked da Vinci to paint his young wife, the artist was struck by the woman’s beauty, so he agreed. Stories say that da Vinci hired jesters to sing and dance while Mona Lisa sat for her portrait.

Perhaps this accounts for her special smile—one that has been described as both “mysterious” and “haunting.”

Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile is intriguing. So are these fascinating facts about the painting:

• The original name of the painting was not Mona Lisa— it was La Giaconda.

• The subject of the portrait has no eyebrows. It was the fashion of the day to shave them off!

• X-rays of the painting show that there are three different versions of the subject, all painted by da Vinci, layered under the final portrait.

• In 1911, an employee of the Louvre stole the Mona Lisa from the museum. It was not returned until 1913, when the thief tried to sell the painting to an art collector. The theft has been called the biggest art heist in history.

• The Mona Lisa has been an inspiration to musicians. Composer Max von Schillings wrote an opera about the painting. In 1958, American songwriters Livingston and Evans wrote a hit song about the portrait. Its lyrics ask if Mona Lisa smiles to “hide a broken heart.”

WORD SEARCH

1. What eight-letter noun from the reading

means “a picture of a person, usually

focusing on the face”? p_________________________

2. What ten-letter adjective from the reading

describes something that arouses interest

or curiosity? i _________________________

3. What five-letter noun in the reading contains

a hyphen and means “photographs that

penetrate solids to reveal the insides”? x _________________________

SYNONYMS