選必一U3Reading

Firstimpressions

3June

Paris,France

Asahugeartfan,IknewexactlywhatIwaslookingforwardtomostaboutmytriptoParis:visitingtheMuséed’Orsay.Housedinanoldrailwaybuilding,thisworldfamousartmuseumfeaturessomeofthebestknownpaintingsfromtheImpressionistmovementofthe19thcentury.

AsIwanderedthroughtheImpressionistgallery,IappreciatedmasterpieceslikeTheBalletClassandTheCardPlayers.EventhoughIhadadmiredthemhundredsoftimesonmyputerscreen,nothingcouldhavepreparedmeforthewonderIfeltwhenIfinallylaideyesontherealthing.Whileitwashardtopickafavouritepaintingoutofsomanyamazingworks,theartistswhomadethedeepestimpressiononmeweretwoofthegreatestImpressionistpainters,ClaudeMonetandPierreAugusteRenoir.

IcouldseefromMonet’sworksthathewasgreatlyinspiredbynature.Inthelastthreedecadesofhislifehepaintedmostlyscenesfromhisgarden.OneofthesescenesisshowninthefamouspieceBlueWaterLilies,whichIstudiedforquiteawhileinthegallery.Icouldn’tbelieveitwhenIheardhedidaround250paintingsofthesamewaterlilypond,allindifferentcoloursandstyles.ItisamazingthateverytimeMonetstudiedthissimplescene,hebroughtthepond’sbeautytothecanvasinauniqueway.

Renoir,Inoticed,preferredtopaintscenesofeverydaylife.Forme,themostinterestingofhispaintingsishis1876masterpieceDanceatLeMoulindelaGalette,whichshowslifeinabusyneighbourhoodofParisonaSundayafternoon.WhenIsawitupclose,Iwasstruckbythesmallareasoflightacrossthepainting,andthewaythesoftedgesofthefiguresseemedtomixtogether.There’ssomuchgoingon,butsolittlecleardetail.Thiseffectmakesthelivelymovementofthedancealmostjumpoutattheviewer.

Althoughthepaintingshadverydifferentsettings,itwastheirsimilaritiesthatstayedwithmelongafterIlefttheMuséed’Orsay—similaritieswhichcanbeseenthroughouttheImpressionist’spaintings.MonetandRenoir,alongwithotherlikemindedartists,soughtliberationfromtherulesoftheoldstyle.Everydaysubjectmatterwasthemainfocusoftheirworks,asopposedtothehistorypaintingsthathadtraditionallydominatedEuropeanart.Theyemployedfreebrushworkandusedcolourstoshowtheeffectoflightonthings,creatingpaintingsthatwerefarlessrealisticthantheworksthatcamebefore.Tome,thesetechniquesaretheessenceoftheImpressionistviewofart.Impressionistartistsdidnottrytopainteverydetailinascene—justabrief“impression”theyhadatthatmoment,burningwithvividcoloursandlight,beforeitdisappeared.

TheImpressionists’visioninspiredawholenewgenerationofPostImpressionistpainterssuchasVincentvanGoghandPaulGauguin,whoseworksarealsodisplayedattheMuséed’Orsay.ItisalsoworthyofnotethatPostImpressionistpainterswerenottheonlyonestobeinfluencedbyImpressionism—themovementhashadalastinginfluenceonmodernart,encouragingartiststolookattheworldfromanentirelynewpointofview.Itcertainlyleftalastingimpressiononmetoo!

Fastreading

Task1:Readthepassagequicklyandgetthemainideaofeachparagraph.

Para.1

MytriptoParis:visitingthe

Para.2

Twogreatest

Para.3

Painter:

Para.4

Painter:

Para.5

Swhichcanbeseenthroughouttheimpressionists’paintings.

Para.6

IofImpressionists.

Task2:Matchparagraphswithmainideas.（Structure）P32A1

Para.1

SimilaritiesinImpressionistpaintersandtheirinfluence.

Paras.24

AgeneralintroductiontothemuseumMuséed’Orsay.

Paras.56

DescriptionsofpaintingsofClaudeMonetandPierreAugusteRenoir.

2.Carefulreading

Task3:Let'sscan Paras.12andanswerthequestions.

1.Whatisthemuseumandwhereisit?(Para.1)

2.Whomadethedeepestimpressiononthewriter?

Task4:ReadParas.34andcollecttheelementsofthetwopainters’works.

ClaudeMonet

PierreAugusteRenoir

Famouspieces

_______________

DanceatLeMoulindelaGalette

Subjectsofpainting

Hepaintedmostlyscenesfromhisinthelastthree_________ofhislife.

Hepreferredtopaintscenesof__________life.

Otherinformation

Hepaintedabout__________paintingsofthesamewaterlilypond,allindifferentcoloursand________.

Hebroughtthepond’sbeautytothecanvasina________way

Hismasterpieceshowslifeina______neighbourhoodofParisona________________.

Itischaracterizedbythesmallareasof________acrossthepaintingandthewaythesoft________ofthefiguresseemedtomixtogether.

Task5:ReadPara.5andmakeaparison.

theImpressionists’paintings

theworks