The Birth of Realism

As the Romantic movement waned, exponents of the visual arts sought to depict the world in a more literal way. Focus shifted away from idealism to a more realistic rendering of nature, social relationships, and the characteristics of the individual, society, and the nation at large. This new realism assumed various forms in the different countries where it took root.

Realism was a historical movement that had a profound influence on the literature and figurative arts of Europe. The most systematic and coherent form evolved in France during the revolutions of 1830 and 1848. It reached its peak during the Second Empire (1852-70) and began to wane in the 1870s.

Modern Art

The beginnings of modern painting started in 19th-century France. The paintings of Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet, and the Impressionists represent a deepening rejection of the prevailing academic tradition and a quest for a more naturalistic representation of the visual world. From about the 1890s on, different movements and styles arose, such as Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Expressionism, Suprematism, Constructivism, Metaphysical painting, De Stijl, Dada, Surrealism, Social Realism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, Op art, Minimal art, and Neo-Expressionism. Despite the enormous variety seen in these movements, most of them are characteristically modern in expressing a spiritual response to the changed conditions of life in the 20th century.

An important trend throughout the 20th century has been the abstract, or non-objective, art – i.e., art in which little or no attempt is made to objectively reproduce or depict the appearances or forms of objects in the realm of nature or the existing physical world. It should also be noted that the development of photography and of allied photomechanical techniques of reproduction has had an obscure but certainly important influence on the development of modern art, because these mechanical techniques freed (or deprived) manually executed drawing and painting of their crucial role as the only means of accurately depicting the visible world.

IV Answer the questions:

1. When did the European movement in the visual arts called "neoclassicism" begin?

2. What is the difference between the Baroque and Neo-classical paintings?

3. What movement elevated folk art?

4. What are the main features of Realism?

5. When did Realism reach its peak?

6. When did the modern art start?

7. What did the Impressionists represent in their works?

8. What was an important trend in modern art throughout the 20th century?

V Complete the sentences with the words from the text:

1. Neoclassicism began as a reaction against both the surviving … styles.

2. Neoclassical paintings are devoid of pastel colours and haziness; instead, they have … colours.

3. … reached its peak during the Second Empire (1852-70) and began to wane in the 1870s.

4. The beginnings of modern painting started in...

5. … is an art in which little or no attempt is made to objectively reproduce or depict the appearances or forms of objects.

VI Find the English equivalents to the words:

сприйняття, замість, наукова раціоналізація, занепадати, відображувати, існуючий фізичний світ, важливий вплив, вирішальна роль

VII Make up sentences with the terms:

purity, instead, emphasis, attempt, to reproduce, horror, existing, to take root

VIII Give definitions to the words:

desire, perception, to originate, to deprive, allied, trepidation, devoid

IX Translate sentences into English:

1. Неокласицизм виник завдяки бажанню митців повернути чистоту мистецтва Древнього Риму.

2. Романтизм – це художній, літературний та інтелектуальний рух, який виник під час Індустріальної революції.

3. Реалізм намагався більш реалістично показати природу, соціальні відносини та особливості суспільства.

4. Реалізм – це історичний рух, що мав дуже великий вплив на літературу та образотворче мистецтво.

5. Наприкінці 19 століття у сучасному мистецтві з’являється багато різних напрямків.

X Speak on the topic using the following words and word-combinations:

devoid of pastel colours and haziness, artistic, literary, intellectual movement, folk art, nature and custom, realistic rendering of nature, profound influence, naturalistic representation, non-objective

Text B

I Read and remember:

1. triumphant appearance – тріумфальна поява

2. haute couture – висока мода

3. profit – прибуток

4. hourglass – пісочний годинник

5. waist – талія

6. voluptuously –розкішно

7. inset gigot sleeves – втачні рукава «бараняча нога»

8. sumptuously – пишно

9. whalebone – китовий вус

10. embroidery – вишивка

II Read the text and define the main idea of it:

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