C. Words connected with events in the arts

There's an exhibition (Am. Eng.: exhibit) of paintings by Manet on in London.

They're going to publish a new edition of the works of Cervantes next year.

The Opera Society are doing a performance of Don Giovanni.

Our local cinema's showing Bergman's Persona next week.

Note: What's on at the cinema/theatre, etc. next week?

Task 2. Which branch of the arts do you think these people are talking about?

Example: 'It was a strong cast but the play itself is weak.' Theatre

1. 'It's called Peace. It stands in the main square.'

2. 'Animation doesn't have to be just Disney, you know.'

3. 'It was just pure movement, with very exciting rhythms.'

4. 'It doesn't have to rhyme to be good.'

5. 'Oils to me don't have the delicacy of water-colours.'

6. 'Her design for the new shopping centre won an award.'

7. 'I read them and imagine what they'd be like on stage.'

8. 'The first chapter was boring but it got better later.'

9. 'I was falling asleep by the second act.'

Task 3. Definite article or not? Fill the gap with the if necessary.

1. The government doesn't give enough money to................ arts.

2. She's got a diploma in................ dance from the Performing Arts Academy.

3. I've got some tickets for................ ballet. Interested?

4................. art of writing a short story is to interest the reader from the very first line.

5. I can't stand................ modern poetry; it's so pretentious.

6. I was no good at................ art at school. What about you?

Task 4. Each one of these sentences contains a mistake of usage of words connected with the arts. Find the mistake and correct it. You may need a dictionary.

Example: The scene at this theatre projects right out into the audience.

not 'scene but 'stage (the place where the actors perform)

1. What's the name of the editorial of that book you recommended? Was it Cambridge University Press?

2. 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' is my favourite verse of English poetry.

3. He's a very famous sculpture; he did that statue in the park, you know, the one with the soldiers.

4. Most of the novels in this collection are only five or six pages long. They're great for reading on short journeys.

5. There's an exposition of ceramics at the museum next week.

6. The sceneries are excellent in that new production of Macbeth, so dark and mysterious.

7. What's in the Opera House next week? Anything interesting?

Task 5. Ask questions for which these remarks would be suitable answers.

Example: It's an oil on canvas. What sort of painting is it?

1. Yes, it got rave reviews.

2. No, I'm not really a concert-goer, but thanks anyway.

3. Oh, some beautiful old buildings and some ugly new ones.

4. The cast were fine, but the direction was weak.

5. A new Hungarian film; fancy going to see it?

Task 6. Sort these words into three columns.

Task 7. Put the definite article the where it is necessary. Leave the gap blank if it is not necessary.

1. The government is increasing the amount of money it gives every year to............... arts.

2. She was trained in............... ballet and............... modern dance.

3. We've got some tickets for............... theatre. Would you like to come with us?

4................ art of writing a biography is to try to imagine the world in which the person lived.

5. I prefer............... modern poetry; it's easier to read than the classics.

6. He was very good at............... art at school. Now he works as a book illustrator.

Task 8. Choose the correct answer of the choices underlined.

We went to see a new produce/production/producing of Romeo and Juliet last week. The sceneries/sights/sets were very atmospheric and realistic and the costumes/suits/dresses were wonderful, with a good persons/list/cast, and the actions/acting/acts was excellent. Cerise O'Donnell put/took/gave a marvellous performance/show/play. It did/took/got some brave/rave/crave recences/reprieves/reviews in the papers the day after.

Task 9. Answer the questions or fill in the gaps.

1. What's.............. the opera house next week?

2. Our local cinema is.............. a James Bond film all this week.

3. Which of the arts are these associated with?

(a) a beautiful, hand-painted china vase.

(b) a newly-designed shopping centre.

(c) a water-colour.

4. Where in a newspaper would you look for a review of a new play?

5. What do we call a person who likes art very much?

6. NINA: I've just bought a new e............... of the complete works of Shakespeare.

BOB: Oh, yes. Who p............... it?

7. Have you seen the e.............. of paintings by Picasso in the City Gallery?

8. RORY: Who did that fabulous new piece of s............... in the main square?

FRAN: Oh, it's by a Norwegian s............... called Erik Fossberg.

& — READING& SPEAKING

1.2. WHAT IS ART?

Task 1. With a partner, try to make up a definition of art. Then consult several monolingual dictionaries and compare your definition with the ones given there. How much do they have in common? How different are they?

Task 2. Read the text and translate it in the written form.

WHAT IS ART?

What is art? This is still a controversial question after centuries of debate. No particular definition, however wide or narrow, has ever been universally accepted. In its traditional sense the term ''the arts" refers to the whole range of cultural phenomena that have a primarily aesthetic function: music, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, theatre, film and related forms.

The practice of the arts goes back to the prehistory of humankind. Artistic creation is a distinctive characteristic of the human species and serves countless needs and purposes. Art may be produced purely for art's or the artist's sake or to give pleasure and to entertain; on the other hand art is also a reflection of its time; finally, art can become directly committed to social and political issues. The arts can be regarded as the collective memory of humankind and as an instrument of truth.

State subsidies and private sponsorship are important for the fostering of the arts. Although the rise of democracy has freed artists from censorship and personal harassment, it is still difficult for most artists to make a living from art. Accordingly, most artists are not " professionals" in the strict sense of the word: they earn their living elsewhere and cannot devote themselves to the arts on a full-time basis. The English poet Philip Larkin (1922-1985), for instance, worked as a librarian, and one of America's most important composers, Charles Ives (1874-1954), was an insurance executive. Today, particularly cost-intensive arts like theatre and film, receive some state support. Institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts in the USA or the Arts Council in the UK support the arts.

Mass media influence has resulted in works of art being far more accessible to the general public today. This has stimulated artistic creativity in a greater number of people than ever before in human history.

The progress in reproductive technologies – from print, photography, the phonograph, motion pictures, radio and television to the latest computerized audiovisual equipment – has greatly contributed to the spread of popular art forms as opposed to art that aims at an elite of highly educated people. Naturally mass culture and the commercialization of art raise many questions. Can artists aim at a large market without doing damage to the quality of their work? With so many artists and so much art around, how can an artist still be " original" and avoid producing kitsch? How can a local and personal style be preserved when at the same time the artist produces for an almost global public? And how can a work of art do justice to an increasingly complex reality?

Task 3. Answer the questions on the text.

1. Is it easy to give the answer to the question “What is art? ”
2. What functions does art have in a human society?
3. Is it lucrative to be an artist?
4. How does mass media influence the arts?
5. What does the expression mass culture imply?
6. Can you prove from the text that dramatic technological changes have a big impact on art as well as other spheres of human activities?
7. Do we need the arts?
8. What is kitsch? Define the word and give examples of the phenomenon.

Task 4. Complete the gaps with words from the text:

1. Deer has been eaten by man since _____________.
2. The decision to use the atomic bomb remains the most _____________ question of the Second World War.
3. Recent studies have shown that advertising usually _____________ competition and therefore low prices.
4. The ski resort is easily _____________ from the hotel via free public transportation.
5. Celebrities often suffer from paparazzi _____________.
6. The local wood was made into key rings and other tourist _____________.
7. The company looks for highly _____________ people, who are willing to study for further professional qualifications in their own time.
8. Staff and management training has _____________ much to the sense of fellowship and corporal social identity.

Task 5. Paraphrase the underlined vocabulary units in the text in the written form. Make up 5 fresh-context sentences with the word combinations you like most.

Task 6. Write a summary of the text “What is art? ”.