At the beginning of the 1860s a group of students asked the first great realist in painting of their time Courbet to open a new studio and to direct it. In all art-schools at that time young artists were to paint only pictures on historical themes of the past in academic style.
Courbet's approach to art was more interesting because it was new, so they decided to invite him to be their teacher.
The text below is Courbet's answer to the group of students.
"Gentlemen and dear friends,
You want to continue your artistic education in a new school and it is kind of you to invite me to direct it. You are sure that I shall be able to do it. But before I give my answer we must be clear on the meanings of the words "to Direct, Art and Artists". Let me explain to you that I have no students and I cannot have them, because I believe that every artist should be his own master and nobody can teach him art. The talent of each artist is his own ability to study art. It is a result of his own inspiration. Every artist should study tradition, but in addition he must be sensitive to the ideas and objects of the time in which he lives.
Only the artists of a certain age can depict that age, I mean to say the artists that live during it. I am sure that the artists of a certain age can't depict the past or the future, and they have no right to do it, because they may falsify history. I am not against historical art, but I believe that it must be contemporary. That is why I am against teaching at our schools. The new ages ought not to beautify or simplify the past. The human spirit should always start anew, always in the present. The human spirit must give attention to the life surrounding it, it must solve problems of the present time. That's why it must go from synthesis to synthesis, from conclusion to conclusion.
In addition I should like to emphasize that the true artists are those who are able to develop tradition further and express their own epoch. The true artists are those who are able to find BEAUTY. I believe that beauty is in NATURE and the true artist finds it. When he finds it it belongs to art or rather to the artist who was able to make it visible, who was able to find and to develop the means of expression, who was able to use the right artistic devices to express it. Here are my guiding principles. With this approach to art I am afraid I won't be able to direct any school. I can only explain the method of how to become a painter with all his individuality.
Sincerely yours,
Gustave Courbet".
. 3. :
1. Whom did a group of students ask to open a new studio? 2. What were artists to paint at art-schools in the 1860s? 3. What approach to art did they find more interesting? 4. Why couldnt Courbet have students? 5. What is the talent of each student according to Courbet? 6. What should every artist study according to Courbet? 7. Why cant the artists of a certain age depict the past or the future, according to Courbet? 8. Was Courbet against historical art? 9. What must the human spirit give attention to (according to Courbet)? 10. What kind of artists does Courbet call true?
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TEXT II
. 1. . :
to abhore [əb`hÉ:] , to alter [`É:ltə] () to arrange [ə`reindʒ] , to borrow [`bÉrou] to care (about) [kεə] () () to forgive (forgave, forgiven) [fə`giv, fə`geiv, fə`givn] to fuse [fju:z] , to herald [`herəld] , ignore [ig`nÉ:] to introduce [,intrə`dju:s] to propose [prə`pouz] to suggest [sΛ`dʒest] to witness [`witnis] grace [greis] hallmark [`hÉ:l`ma:k] herald [`herəld] inclination [,inkli`nei∫n] necessity [ni`sesiti] observation [,Ébzə:vei∫n] portraiture [`pÉ:trit∫ə] posterity [pəs`teriti] reason [`ri:zn] sitter [`sitə] subject [`sΛbdʒikt] , subject matter teaching [`ti:t∫iŋ] , toe [tou] velvet [`velvit] , alongside [ə`lÉŋsaid] bitterly [`bitəli] however [hau`evə] air [εə] care [kεə] demand [di`ma:nd] discovery [dis`kΛvəri] disposition [,dispə`zi∫n] exposition [,ekspə`zi∫n] familiarity [fə,mili`æriti] . , fault [fÉ:lt] frame [freim] deliberate(ly) [di`libərit(li)] () desirable [di`zaiərəbl] glittering [`glitəriŋ] , obvious [`Ébviəs] (the) only [`ounli] satin [`sæ:tin] silk [silk] woollen [`wulin] would-be [`wudbi:] to be familiar with to be opposed (to) () to be responsible (for) , to bring into line with to find it important that , to be sick of , to do must to + Inf , to have nothing to do with in accordance with to remind smb of smth [ri`maind]
:
antitheses [æn`tiθisis], aristocratic [,æristə`krætik], apostle [ə`pÉsl], drapery [`dreipəri], eccentric [ik`sentrik], isolate [`aisəleit], personage [`pə:snidʒ], proportion [prə`pÉ:∫n], standard [`stændəd], viola-da gamba [vi`oulədə-`gæmbə], zenith [`zeniθ]
. 2. :
