Find the following information in the text and write the number of the museum(s) (see on page 35) beside each question. In some cases you have to write more than one number.

Which of the museums:

A. spans the widest historical period?	F. has 350 exhibition rooms?
B. is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture?	G. is known as a “temple of spirit”?
C. excites and provokes by its architecture?	H. concentrates the radical new forms of art?
D. exhibits coins and medals, ceremonial arms and armor?	I. was named in 18^th century?
E. keeps dynastic collections?	J. received Voltaire’s library?

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (2, see on page 35) was incorporated in 1937, and the Museum of Non-Objective painting, as it was then known, was established two years later. The museum – which assumed temporary residence in a former automobile showroom on East 54^th Street in New York – took as its basis the radical new forms of art being developed by such as Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian.

The first permanent home for the museum was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He envisioned a building that not only broke the rectilinear grid of Manhattan but also shattered existing notions of what a museum could be. He conceived of its curving, continuous space as a “temple of spirit” where viewers could foster a new way of looking. The building opened in 1959. it has never lost its power to excite and provoke, standing today as one of the great works of architecture produced in the 20^th century.

The Hermitage (3, see on page 35) is a world-famous museum of art and cultural history. Within in its walls are close to three million objects. Among them are quite a few true masterpieces of art and unique artifacts from many countries and peoples of the world, ranging from deepest antiquity to the present day. The Hermitage is also a unique architectural complex, an outstanding monument of Russian architecture of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

The museum’s activity is in direct contradiction to the literal meaning of its name. “Hermitage” comes from the French eremite, which means “empty lot,” “hidden corner”. This was the name given in eighteenth-century France to small pavilions on palace grounds.

Along with paintings, the Hermitage received collections of engravings and drawings, antique artifacts, Western European sculptures, works of applied art, arms, coins, medals, and books (including Voltaire’s library). The museum’s exhibits (there are more than 350 exhibition rooms) are at present located in five buildings, connected by passages: the Winter Palace, the three hermitages (Small, Old, and New), and the Hermitage Theatre, in the foyer of which there are now regular exhibitions.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (1, see on page 35) traces its origins to the art collections assembled over centuries by the Habsburg dynasty. Holdings inherited from the Medieval rulers were augmented in the 16^th century by emperors Maximilian I, Ferdinand I, Maximilian II and, in particular, Rudolf II, who was the most prominent collector of the early Modern period. These monarchs enriched the imperial collections with objects of outstanding artistic importance. The individual dynastic collections of the 16^th century were kept in imperial residences in Vienna, Prague, Graz, and Ambras near Innsbruck. The diverse collections of paintings were combined to form the Kunsthistorisches Museum Picture Gallery, which comprises works from the 15^th through the 18^th centuries. Coins and medals from antiquity to the most recent times can be found in the Coin Cabinet. Ceremonial arms and armor from the 15^th through the 17^th centuries were amassed in the Collection of Arms and Armor. The development of modern conceptions of academic disciplines and research led to the “Universal Kunstkammer” splitting into the Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities and the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection, leaving the Kunstkammer with a core of works of decorative arts and sculpture. The Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments was assembled from the holdings of the Kunstkammer and the Este Collection.

After Connecting Museums, 2002 The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

17. Work in pairs Discuss these questions: These words and phrases are sure to help you to express your idea.

Manuscripts that were written centuries ago; collections of portraits painted by world known artists; Belarusian decorations of the time of –; mosaic works; objects in ivory bone; objects in glass and pottery; national embroidery of the Belarusian peasantry; clay pots decorated with ornaments; stone images of ancient gods; fur, felt and cloth garments, headwear and footwear of the 16 century.

- What are the important museums or galleries in your city (or a city you know well)?

- What makes them attractive to tourists? Which would you recommend, and why?

18. Match the following genres of painting with their definitions:

1. a landscape	a) a painting of such unanimated subjects as fruit, flowers and other decorative things;
2. a portrait	b) a picture on a wall or ceiling where a plast is still wet or damp;
3. a still life	c) a picture or representation of the person, especially of a face generally drawn from life;
4. a fresco	d) a painting of the sea
5. a seascape	e) a picture representing a tract of country with the various objects it contains.

19. Examine the picture by Rembrandt “Baertje Martens”(c, see on page35) and arrange the sentences to restore its description according to the plan given below

1. The general effect. (The title and the name of the artist. The period or trend represented. Does it appear natural and spontaneous or contrived and artificial?)

2. The contents of the picture. (Place, time and setting. The accessories, the dress and environment. Any attempt to render the emotions of the model. What does the artist accentuate in his subject?)

3. The composition and colouring. (How is the sitter represented? Against what background? Any prevailing format? Is the picture bold or rigid? Do the hands (head, body) look natural and informal? How do the eyes gaze? Does the painter concentrate on the analysis of details? What tints predominate in the colour scheme? Do the colours blend imperceptible? Are the brushstrokes left visible?)

4. Interpretation and evaluation. (Does it exemplify a high degree of artistic skill? What feelings or ideas does it evoke in the viewer?)

Remarkable in its painterly qualities, the portrait of Baertje Martens holds a special place in the Rembrandt collection at the Hermitage.

Baertje Martens (1596-1678), born in Naarden, not far from Amsterdam, married Herman Doomer (1595-1654) in 1618. They had seven children; one son, Lambert Doomer, studied in Rembrandt’s studio in the early 1640s and later was known as a talented artist.

Baertje Martens would be turning forty-four at the time the portrait was painted.

Subtle changes of light and shadow give it an amazing vitality and naturalness.

Rembrandt uses a characteristic manner in depicting her eyes: the lower and upper lids are shaded with a warm pink halftone, giving the gaze special moisture.

The woman’s gaze directed at the viewer and the shy smile touching the corners of her lips are astonishingly relaxed.

The model’s pose is stable and static, but the expression of her face is filled with inner mutability.

The shades of color of the skin on the face and hands are presented with rare conviction. (Rembrandt’s contemporaries praised him for this feature of his painting.)

She is depicted almost frontally, seated in an armchair with a high back.

The light falling from the left softly illuminates her face, the broad round collar, and her clasped hands.

The artist avoids linear elements, softening the contours with halftones.

Some word combinations have been left out of the following descriptions (See on page 35) and put each of the following word combinations in its correct position in the passages below.

An ornate pink, to be turned with, to be especially delicate, a low pedestal, quiet contemplation, a black lace collar, an air of immediacy, an allusion to, to wear, to admire one’s reflection

Manet’s endeavor to capture the flavor of contemporary society extended to portraits of barmaids, street musicians, rag pickers, and other standard Parisian “types” that were favorite subjects of popular illustrated literature. Before the Mirror (b, see on page 35) is thought to be one such painting but more spontaneous in execution. The artist’s vigorous brushstrokes lend _____ to the picture. The corseted woman represented here_____ in a mirror; but this particular scene is extremely private – the woman, in _____ of her own image, _____ her back to the viewer.

Five portraits of the Infanta by Velazquez are known. The painting shown here is the earliest, usually dated 1653 or 1654. Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Gown (a, see on page 35) is one of Velazquez’s most enchanting infant portraits. Margarita Teresa stands on a red and black patterned carpet draped over_____. She _____ and silver brocade dress with _____, a golden necklace, bracelets and a golden chain across her chest. Her hairstyle is simple, as befits her age. The vase of glass on the table, accentuated by sparse, but highly descriptive brushstrokes, _____ and far ahead of its time in terms of its impressionistic treatment. It contains roses, irises, and marguerites – perhaps _____ the sitter’s name.

c

1 a

B

3 c

21. Have you ever seen the world-famous paintings given below? Will you describe them?

1. “The Last Day of Pompeii” (Bryullov)

2. “The Bogatyrs” (Vasnetsov)

3. “Tenth Wave” (Aivasovski)

4. “Demon” (Vrubel)

5. “Golden Autumn” (Levitan)

For ideas:

dark clouds, a flash of lightning, truly remarkable, to look very impressive, strength of the heroes, a sinister atmosphere, to portray, to be in panic, red flames, range of colours, radiate, to cover the sky, to illuminate the scene, emotional storm, to be reflected, despair, sharp psychological expressiveness, airiness and lightness, poetic in tone and atmosphere.

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