Leonardo has here painted this worldly-minded woman her portrait is much more famous than she herself ever was with a marvellous charm and suavity, a finesse of expression never reached before and hardly ever equalled since. Contrast the head of the Christ at Milan, Leonardo's conception of divinity expressed in perfect humanity, with the subtle and sphinx-like smile of this languorous creature.
The landscape background, against which Mona Lisa is posed, recalls the severe, rather than exuberant, landscape and the dim vistas of mountain ranges seen in the neighbourhood of his own birthplace.
The portrait was bought during the reign of Francis I for a sum which is to-day equal to about ₤1800.
Leonardo, by the way, does not seem to have been really affected by any individual affection for any woman, and, like Michelangelo and Raphael, never married.
TASKS:
I. Give Russian equivalents of the following:
to set to work in earnest; to derive ones name from smth; smb is inaccurate in saying that ; to loiter over smth; to put smth on one side; owing to smth; surname; eulogy of /on/ smth; to be proper to smth; subtlety of the pencil; to faithfully reproduce every peculiarity of nature; to do smth to perfection; to take the precaution of doing smth; in the full muturity of smbs talent; to subject a painting to restoration; a worldly-minded woman; to be hardly equaled; to be posed against the landscape background; to be equal to (a sum); to be affected by smth; affection for smb; dim vistas of mountain ranges.
II. Match the English adjectives with their Russian equivalents:
1. earnest A.
2. inaccurate B.
3. ultimate C.
4. subtle D. - /
5. lustrous E.
6. pale F.
7. livid G.
8. constant H. ,
9. admirable I.
10. marvelous J.
11. languorous K.
12. exuberant L. ,
III. Find in the text all the the Past Simple tense forms and give their plain stem and Past Participle forms after the following pattern:
| 1. The Plain Stem | 2. The Past Simple Tense | 3. The Past Participle |
| be | was | been |
IV. Fill in the blanks with the given words and word combinations:
in earnest, owing to, to perfection, lustrous, derived, formed any idea, summoned, erection, outline, exceedingly, proper to, precautions, exuberant, vistas, loitering.
1. This new technology is sure to open up new . in electronics. 2. The . of Italy is suggestive of a boot. 3. If you want to be a success, youve got to set to work .. 4. a torrential rain, the painters had to cancel their plein-air session. 5. Holmes asked me if I had as to why the bed was clamped to the floor. 6. It was not that Holmes entirely lacked the feelings mankind. 7. The invalid appearing to be on his deaths door, his relatives were to his bedside. 8. St. Pauls Cathedral is a truly impressive .. 9. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon with scores of idlers . about in the park. 10. She seemed unable to feel at ease unless her clothes and make-up were arranged 11. There are a great many words both in English and in Russian from Latin. 12. This prodigy of a boy proved to be endowed with a most .. talent. 13. The young man couldnt help indulging in the . life of the high society. 14. One has to take . against fire. 15. I am .. grateful to you for your most obliging assistance.
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V. Find in the text synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
1. to linger over ones work; 2. laudatory words about smth.; 3. to arrive at a conclusion; 4. wonderful; 5. due to; 6. ripeness, 7. delicate; 8. wetness; 9. to combine; 10. courtesy; 11. maybe; 12. to return; 13. to borrow /to trace/ ones name from ; 11. to picture / to represent; 12. to copy / to reproduce; 13. to wish; 14. to submit smth./smb. to smth else; 15. in the end / at last; 16. to seem; 17. whoever ; 18. to make; 19. ultimate; 20. last / family/ name.
VI. Match the underlined words with their syntactical functions and part of speech identifications:
1. Leonardo was back again in Florence.
2. It is from the surname of her husband that she derives the name of "La Joconde.
3. He may have begun it in the spring of 1501.
4. Owing to having taken service under Cesare Borgia in the following year, Leonardo put the portrait on one side.
5. Vasari's eulogy of this portrait may with advantage be quoted.
6. Art can imitate nature.
7. The nose might be easily believed to be alive.
8. The cheek does not appear to be painted.
9. While Leonardo was painting her portrait, he had his sitter amused.
10. He took the precaution of keeping some one constantly near her.
11. The picture has been at times subjected to the free and merciless restoration.
12. It is difficult for the unpractised eye today to form any idea of its original beauty.
13. Contrast the head of the Christ at Milan with the subtle and sphinx-like smile of this languorous creature.
A. The Subject of the Complex Subject Construction expressed by a Noun and an Infinitive;
B. The Complex Object expressed by a Noun and a Past Participle;
C. A Simple Predicate expressed by a Verb in the Present Perfect Passive Form;
D. The Formal Subject;
E. The Prepositional Object expressed by a Gerund in the Indefinite form;
F. The Notional Subject introduced by a Formal one;
G. The Compound Modal Predicate with a Modal Verb followed by an Indefinite Infinitive;
H. The Compound Modal Predicate with a Modal Verb followed by a Perfect Infinitive;
I. The Compound Modal Predicate with a Modal Verb followed by a Passive Infinitive;
J. The Predicate of the Complex Subject Construction expressed by a Verb in the Negative;
K. The Predicate expressed by a verb in the Imperative Mood;
L. A Simple Predicate expressed by a Phrasal Verb;
M. The Adverbial Modifier of Cause Expressed by a Prepositional Phrase with the Perfect form of the Gerund.
VII. Here are some actual translations by students. Choose the best translations and comment on the mistakes:
1. Leonardo set to work in earnest.
a) .
b) .
c) .
d) c .
2. Leonardo may have begun the picture in the spring of 1501.
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a) , 1501- .
b) 1501- .
c) 1501- .
d) 1501- .
3. The carnation of the cheek does not appear to be painted, but truly flesh and blood.
a) , , .
b) , .
c) , .
d) , , , .
4. Mona Lisa's portrait has the finesse of expression never reached before and hardly ever equalled since.
a) ; , , .
b) , , .
c) ; , , .
d) .
5. Contrast the head of the Christ at Milan, Leonardo's conception of divinity expressed in perfect humanity, with the subtle and sphinx-like smile of this languorous creature.
a) , , .
b) , .
c) , ,
d) , , , , .
VIII. Translate the following sentences into English:
1. , 1501- . 2. - , , . 3. : , . 4. ; . 5. , , XVI . 6. , . 7. , , , , , . 8. , , . 9. , , . 10. C . 11. , . 12. , , .
IX. Translate the following words and their derivatives. Single out the root and the affixes of the words. Arrange the words after Pattern I to show their derivational relationship. Analyse the combinability and grammatical meaning of the affixes after Pattern II:
| Pattern I | Pattern II |
accur-a te
  
 in-accur-ate accurate-ness accura-cy
inaccurate-ness
| root: accur(a)- |
| root + -ate [-ɪt] = adjective | |
| in- + adjective = negative adjective | |
| adjective + -ness = noun | |
| root + (a) + -cy = noun |
|| divine, divinity; humane, humanity, inhumane; perfect, perfection, imperfect; proper, improper, properly; subtle, subtlety; || beauty, beautiful; caution, cautious, cautionary, precaution, precautionary; faith, faithful, faithfully, unfaithful; languor, languorous; lustre, lustrous; marvel, marvelous; mercy, merciless, merciful, mercifulness; neighbour, neighbourhood; wonder, wonderful; || to admire, admirable, admiration, admirer; to affect, affection, affectation, affectionate; to marry, marriage, married, unmarried; to neighbour, neighbouring; to practise, practised, unpracticed; to restore, restorer, restoration, restorative. ||
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X. Give detailed answers to the following questions.
1. Why is Mona Lisas portrait often refferred to as that of La Joconde? 2. Why did it take Leonardo so long to accomplish the portrait? 3. What according to Vasari can this portrait demonstrate to a viewer? 4. What makes the portrait look so true to life? 5. How did Leonardo manage to achieve the unforgettable smile on Mona Lisa's lips? 6. In which period of his creative work did Leonardo paint this portrait? 7. Has the portrait survived in its pristine order? Why? 8. Judging by the image Leonardo created, what was Mona Lisa like? 9. How can you describe the famous Mona Lisa's smile? 10. What is featured in the background of the painting? 11. Is the charm and beauty of the portrait indicative of Leonardo's being affected by his sitter?
XI. Work in chain. Express your viewpoint on the following statements one after another. Feel free to agree or disagree with the arguments of the previous speaker. Make use of the vocabulary phrases (p. 88).
1. The famous portrait of Mona Lisa is universally known only as that of Gioconda. 2. Leonardo was not particularly enthusiastic about his work upon this portrait. 3. Gioconda may have looked life-like to Leonardos contemporaries, but she does not look so to the present viewers. 4. Leonardo had Mona Lisa amused lest she grew bored during the sittings. 5. There is nothing exquisite about Mona Lisa: she is depicted as a worldly-minded woman.
XII. Speak on the following points:
1. The model for Leonardos most famous piece of work.
2. The course of Leonardos work on the portrait in question.
3. The peculiarities of the portrait in question.
UNIT III
PRE-TASKS:
I. Practice the pronunciation of the following words and word-combinations and learn them.
preference ['pref(ə)rəns]
Pietà [ˌpɪe'tɑ:] , á, ( ) [ , pietas , ]
the Virgin [ðə 'v:dʒɪn] () ,
knee [ni:]
figure ['fɪgə]
subtle ['sʌtl] , ,
delicate ['delɪkɪt] ,
sufficient [sə'fɪʃənt]
to commemorate (some event) [kə'meməreɪt] , -. ; ,
start in ['stɑ:t 'ɪn] (.) ,
without a flaw [wɪ'ðaʊt ə 'flɔ:]
feature ['fi:t∫ә] ();
an acre ['eɪkə]
( = 4,046.86 ²)
niche [ni:∫]
II. Practice the pronunciation of the following (a) toponyms and (b) proper names:
(a) Bologna [bə'ləʊnjə] .
Vatican ['vætɪkən] (-)
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Venice ['venɪs] .
(b) Adam ['ædəm]
David ['deɪvɪd]
Ghirlandaio [ˌg:lən'dɑ:jəʊ]
the Libyan Sybil [ðə 'lɪbɪən 'sɪb(ɪ)l]
Magdalene ['mægdəlɪn]
Michelangelo Buonarroti [ˌmaɪkə'læŋʒɪləʊ ˌbwɒnə'rɒtɪ]
the Prophet Jeremiah [ðə 'prɒfɪt ˌdʒerɪ'maɪə]
Saint John [sənt 'dʒɒn]
Saint Peter [sənt 'pi:tə] ϸ
III. Try to guess the meaning of the italicized words. Match them with the corresponding cognate words in Russian where possible. When translating the words, mind the so-called pseudo-international words.
1. Michelangelo showed a definite preferenc e for sculpture. 2. He visited Venice and Bologna to execute a piece of work. 3. Sculptors had added Saint John and Magdalene to the scene to help support the inert body and prevent it from seeming to crush the frail Madonna. 4. By subtle positioning and by exaggerating slightly the scale of the Virgin he created a compact and isolated monument of extraordinary emotional force. 5. The chin does not cut off too much of the features from the spectators view, building out the nose and forehead, placing the eyes on a subtly slanting plane. 6. The sharp turn of the neck animates the profile, the veins and sinews give telling vitality to the surface.
IV. Scan the text and single out the main points of each paragraph.
V. Look through the text and write out all the unfamiliar words and phrases. Look them up in your English-Russian Dictionary. Single out the terms on the fine arts and learn them.
VI. Put the words with -(e)s from the text into appropriate columns. Pronounce the words minding that there are three ways of pronouncing -(e)s: [-z], [-s] and [-ɪz] (revise the rule if necessary).
| A Noun in the Plural | A Verb in the Present Simple, 3rd Person, Singular |
VII. Read and translate the text.
MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI (1475 1564)
Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in 1475 in a small town near Florence. When Michelangelo was thirteen he was apprenticed to Ghirlandaio for three years during which time he showed a definite preference for sculpture.
In 1494, he visited Venice and Bologna before going on to Rome to execute his Pietà for Saint Peters (1498 1500). The subject is a very difficult one, for the Virgin holds the body of Christ across her knees. Earlier Renaissance sculptors had added Saint John and Magdalene to the scene to help support the inert body and prevent it from seeming to crush the frail Madonna. Michelangelo excluded the two figures and by subtle positioning and by exaggerating slightly the scale of the Virgin he created a compact and isolated monument of extraordinary emotional force.
Within the majestic dignity of the group there appear countless delicate contrasts. The rigid lines of Christ angle across and around the graceful curves of the Madonna as she rests resignedly, her knees sloping forward, her body arching back and then forward, protectively above. This is the first work Michelangelo ever signed. Legend has it that after the group was installed in the chapel, some northern visitors were overheard attributing it to one of their own countrymen. Whatever the cause, he carved Michael Angelus Bonarotus Florentinus Faciebat on the broad strap that runs across the left breast and shoulder of the Virgin. Before long, however, his distinctive style would grow to be as good as a masters signature.
On his return to Florence in 1502 Michelangelo signed a contract to make the famous statue of David which was to commemorate the deliverance of the city from her enemies. Contract in hand, he started in at once. Around the marble he built a shed which was locked at all times, a precaution that implies a preference for his own company, a distrust of his fellows, and, very possibly, a sharp sense of publicity. He worked with a furious energy so great that he often slept in his clothes, grudging the time it took to take them off and put them on again.
Technically this statue marked a change in Michelangelos development. In a single work he achieved the difficult transition from normal scale to the colossal without a flaw, setting back the chin slightly, so that it would not cut off too much of the features from the spectators view, building out the nose and forehead, placing the eyes on a subtly slanting plane. He relied on the sharp turn of the neck to animate the profile and selected veins and sinews to give telling vitality to the surface.
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At the age of thirty Michelangelo was called to Rome and for the next thirty years he worked there for a succession of Popes. Apart from the unfinished tomb for Pope Julius II, which was to have been his masterpiece in sculpture, the most important work of this period is the magnificent and elaborate painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. This immense ceiling, almost an acre in area, is forty feet above the ground, curved in form and interrupted by window openings. It would have been a tremendous problem to any experienced painter; as for Michelangelo, who had as yet done very little painting, and nothing at all on an overhead surface, it was a formidable challenge.
The Prophet Jeremiah on the Sistine ceiling is one of the most expressive figures; the bent shoulders and general downward movement symbolize the sadness of this great seer, who sits, chin in hand and eyes half closed, revealing his thoughtful dejection. Most masters of the High Renaissance were able to express the emotions of their figures through positions of the arms and legs or postures of the body; they attached as much importance to these factors as to the expression on the face itself. This is as true of Jeremiah as of Adam in the Creation scene (also on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel) or Leonardos Madonna of the Rocks.
What is especially striking and characteristic of Michelangelo in the portrayal of Jeremiah is the illusion of a three-dimensional space in which the figure can actually move. This is effected through the powerful contour line of the form itself, and the painted recess of the niche in which it is set. Jeremiahs legs are drawn in under him, implying the same possibility of movements as do the hunched shoulders and sunken head.
When the monumental painting in the Sistine Chapel was finished, it was signed: Michelangelo, Sculptor.
Michelangelos thoughtful, passionate force of character was reflected in his work, with its abundance of contorted nudes whose emotions are expressed through the device of turning one part of the body in a different direction from another, and yet balancing the parts of the body. In a study for Sistine Chapel ceiling the Libyan Sybil is drawn in red chalk. The chalk lines model with great force the forms of the head and the mighty back and arms. Great care has been given to the anatomical structure of the figure and the muscles show with more distinctness and salience than they would even in the most highly trained athlete. The figure has been thought of in the round, from all sides, as a sculptor would conceive it, and not as an appearance of the model from one position only the usual practice of painters.
TASKS:
I. Give Russian equivalents of the following.
1. to show a definite preference for smth; 2. to execute (a picture); 3. majestic dignity; 4. to rest resignedly; 5. Legend has it that ; 6. to attribute smth to smb; 7. from this time on; 8. on smbs return; 9. statue to commemorate (some event); 10. a preference for ones own company; 11. a sharp sense of publicity; 12. to grudge the time it takes to do smth; 13. (a piece of art) marks a change in an artists development; 14. a succession of Popes; 15. the ceiling interrupted by window openings; 16. to attach importance to smth; 17. to effect an illusion through smth.; 18. to draw in ones legs under oneself; 19. an abundance of smth; 20. through the device of (doing) smth.
II. Give English equivalents of the following:
1. -. -.; 2. -. -.; 3. -.; 4. (-. ) -.; 5. -. -.; 6. , ; 7. -. ; 8. ; 9. -., , (-.); 10. -.; 11. ; 12. ; 13. ; 14. ( ); 15. ; 16. (2 ); 17. (-.), (-. ); 18. ; 19. ; 20. -.
III. Match the definitions below with the following words:
abundance; an apprentice; to attribute; to commemorate; dejection; dignity; to exaggerate; a flaw; frail; to imply; a precaution; publicity; to rely; slanting; a succession; three-dimensional.
1. activity meant to stimulate the interest of the public; 2. set at an angled position; 3. to make smth. seem more superior or inferior than it is in reality; 4. the condition of being worthy of respect, esteem or honour; 5. to claim that smth was produced by a particular person, often wrongly; 6. to honour the memory of smb or smth; 7. appearing to possess the dimentions of height, width and depth; 8. to suggest smth indirectly, as a logical consequence of smth; 9. a young person working for a skilled person for a fixed period, usually for low wages, in return for being taught his employers skill in art, craft or trade; 10. a mistake that prevents smth from being totally perfect and detracts from its value; 11. physically weak or delicate and vulnerable to injury; 12. to have faith or confidence in smth or smb; 13. a sequence of people or things following each other in time or order; 14. sadness and lack of hope, especially as a result of disappointment; 15. an action taken in advance to avoid danger, to prevent problems, etc.; 16. a quantity that is more than enough.
