Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words - Olsen Amy E. 2012

Chapter 14. Art History

Always Something New

The art world has steadily been moving away from the more realistic sculptures and paintings of the Greek, Roman, and Renaissance artists. Starting in the 1800s, especially with the Impressionists, artists began to create works that were more emblematic of items than actu­ally having to look like them. The Impressionists wanted their paintings to be evocative of a certain mood or time of day. They played with light in order to suggest a feel­ing about the scene they captured. Their style was not always appreciated at the time, but they have become perennial favorites with museum goers and collec­tors. In this exhibition, you will find several works by Impressionists including Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Morisot.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Yellow Wheat and Cypresses, 1889. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, Great Britain. Copyright Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

We also feature the Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) in his own gallery. He used many of the techniques he learned from the Impressionists, but his real concern was with the moods certain colors convey. The vivid yel­lows he uses in many of his paintings suggest a world filled with energy, sometimes subdued by the calming greens and blues. He eschewed conventional techniques and used thick brush strokes to make his scenes come alive. Van Gogh was a prolific artist creating more than 2,000 works, though he only sold one painting, Red Vineyard at Aries, bought by the Impressionist artist Anna Boch. After his death, his reputation flourished. His Portrait of Dr. Gachet, done in 1890, was auctioned for $82.5 million in 1990. At the time, it was the most expensive painting ever sold.

Subsequent art movements have moved even further from realistic interpretations of people and objects. Our exhibition features works by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) that show how Cubism fragmented people and objects to again move away from realistic portrayals. The angles used in much of Picasso's work pay tribute to the African masks that inspired him. Other galleries present the sur­realism of Salvador Dali, the splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock, and the Pop art of Andy Warhol to further show the diversity of artistic styles in the last one hundred years.

Besides paintings, explore contrasts between nature and the machine in photographs by Ansel Adams and Margaret Bourke-White, among others, in our renovated photo gallery. Delight in the creations by Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, and others in the sculpture garden and enjoy the Japanese tea bowls, Chinese vases, and Native American pottery in the ceramics gallery. And don't miss the varied hues found in the textile gallery. The reds, purples, oranges, and blues quickly attract viewers to the rugs, quilts, scarves, and clothing from such varied places as Central America, Morocco, and India.

The goal of this exhibition is to show that the essence of art is a love of diverse styles, so be sure not to miss the two gal­leries devoted to new local artists. As we looked through their portfolios, we found that their work has been inspired by a range of styles and periods including Egyptian wall paintings, Chinese landscapes, Mexican murals, and a multitude of modem art movements.

Innovations and combinations of past artistic styles are what keep art exciting. We want you to feel like you will never know what you might encounter the next time you enter the mu­seum. Please enjoy the eclectic display we have organized for your enjoyment this spring.

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 86, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 91. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

symbolic

lasting through many years

creating abundant works

suggestive

avoided

□ 1. emblematic (line 5)

□ 2. evocative (line 7)

□ 3. perennial (line 11)

□ 4. eschewed (line 19)

□ 5. prolific (line 20)

Set Two

colors

following or coming after

the crucial element

portable cases for holding loose sheets of paper or drawings

something given or done to show one's admiration

□ 6. subsequent (line 25)

□ 7. tribute (line 30)

□ 8. hues (line 40)

□ 9. essence (line 44)

□ 10. portfolios (line 47)

Self-Tests

1 In each group, circle the word that does not have a connection to the other three words.

2 Complete the following quotations overheard in art museums around the world. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

emblematic

subsequent

essence

eschew

hues

evocative

portfolio

tribute

perennial

prolific

1. "I like how many of the modem art pieces pay ... to earlier times. The paintings of bridges certainly show an appreciation of a subject matter used by artists in the past."

2. "Georgia O'Keeffe has been a(n) ... favorite of mine. I love how her glorious flower paintings present the beauty of nature."

3. "Diego Rivera's mural gave me a great perspective on the struggles Mexico has experienced, and I was impressed to le^ how ... artists have continued to explore the possibilities of the mural to tell about historical events."

4. "If I were an artist, I would do miniature paintings, so that they would be easy to fit into my ... ."

5. "I know Picasso was trying to ... traditional forms in his paintings, but I cannot see a woman on that staircase."

6. "The African mask exhibit was ... of how we often hide who we are."

7. "Dali's paintings really capture the ... of the dream world."

8. "The pink and purple ... in Suzanne Valadon's Lilacs and Peonies show the delicacy of spring."

9. "I hadn't realized how ... Claude Monet was. He did more than two thousand paintings, and he certainly liked to do a lot of his garden, especially of the pond."

10. "I found the Hiroshige print of the rain shower to be quite ...; I could feel myself in a downpour."

3 Put a T for true or F for false next to each sentence.

1. To make sure that one's investments are doing well, a person should have an annual review of his or her portfolio.

2. An artist who creates one painting every ten years could be called prolific.

3. Nature has been a perennial subject matter for art and poetry.

4. Flags are emblematic of a country.

5. Tie-dye shirts are evocative of the 1960s.

6. A popular hue for buildings is lime green.

7. Most people would eschew the offer of a free plane ticket.

8. Several nations pay a tribute to Canada for protection.

9. Subsequent generations want to demonstrate their skills in various fields including art, music, sports, and politics.

10. The essence of doing well in school is studying.

Context' Clue Mini-lesson 4

This lesson uses the general meaning of a sentence or passage to help you understand the meaning of the underlined word. In the paragraph below, circle any words that give you clues to the meaning. Write your definitions of the underlined words in the blanks that follow the paragraph.

The area looked devoid of any chance for life. The ground was hard, and the few plants around looked dead. But the pioneers felt the land was arable. They carefully tended the land, and within five years it was transformed into a verdant paradise. Orchards of apples and pears sprinkled the landscape; lettuce, com, and other vegetables filled the fields; and flowering trees adorned each yard. The pioneers had known that to . cultivate the area all they needed was patience and hard work, which they had gladly supplied.

Your Definition

1. Devoid

2. Arable

3. Verdant

4. Cultivate

Interactive Version: You are the art critic for the local newspaper. Use at least six of the vocabulary words to write your weekly column about the painting on the right. You can decide whether to admire the work or condemn it, or do a bit of both.

Claude Monet (1840-1926), White Waterlilies, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow. Copyright Scala/Art Resource, NY

Word Part Reminder

Below are a few exercises to help you review the word parts you have been learning. Fill in the missing word part from the list, and circle the meaning of the word part found in each sentence. Try to complete the questions without returning to the Word Parts chapters, but if you get stuck, look back at Chapter 11.

phobia

ex

flux

port

1. I want to buy a fan that is easy to carry, so I will look for a ... able model.

2. I have a fear of fire; my pyro ... has prevented me from ever roasting marshmallows at our annual campout.

3. When I was a kid, the boys tried to keep us out of their clubhouse, but we didn't let them ... clude us on days when they had cookies.

4. New students have been flowing into the college this semester. I don't know what has led to this sudden in ... .

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.