Individual Reading "The Moon and Sixpence"

Summary 2

1. The writer arrived in Paris and found out that Strickland had settled in a small room of a shabby hotel, and there was no any woman with him. 2. It appeared that the man left his wife to realize himself in painting and had made up his mind not to return. 3. Upon coming back to London, the young author informed Mrs. Strickland and her relatives of this, and every of them was astonished. 4. The abandoned wife became a typist, ran her own business and in five years was quite succesful. 5. The young man meanwhile went to Paris to see an old friend of him, Dirk Stroeve, who had just married a nice modest woman. 6. The couple also knew Strickland, but the wife disliked him, while the husband thought highly of his pictures. 7. The strange artist used to have dinners at the local cafe, and the two friends went to see him there.

Rendering 2 (Painting)

The article under study is taken from The Guardian. It was published under the headline "Federico Barocci: divinity in the details" by Michael Prodger on February 16^th, 2013.

A lot of comment is carried here on the works by Federico Barocci, an old Italian master whose paintings are now exhibited in the National Gallery, London. According to the author, Barocci was the most celebrated artist of his generation, but nowadays he is little known today outside Italy, especially because of religious orientation of his works which did not endear him to Protestant taste, and the distinctive style - fondant colour harmonies and an emotional sweetness. But today the National Gallery's exhibition, containing lots of his canvases, sets out to return him to notice, and – Michael Prodger asserts this – Barocci deserves it, for his contribution to art was significant. To prove the statement, the author produces us with some facts of the artist’s biography. Thus, it is interesting to note that Barocci was very kind and attentive to his sitters and always asked them if they were comfortable in the poses he had chosen for them. As for peculiarities of his work, the author notes that his degree of planning was unprecedented: he knew every inch of his painting before he painted it. Besides, Mr. Prodiger is evidently in favour of the painter’s feeling of colour, for, due to him, no figure in Barocci’s paintings wears just one colour, but always two or three to seduce the viewer into entering the scene.

 

In outspoken terms the author of the article stresses the importance of this exhibition in the National Gallery, that is also a resurrection, as Barocci’s sentiment and power are not incompatible and any amateur of art should know about the artist. I share this point of view and suppose such exhibitions must be often organized in order for modern people not to forget about talented people of the past; especially if they weren’t appreciated in their lifetime, there’d be a good chance for them to become acknowledged and admired nowadays.

Rendering 1 (Painting)

The article I'd like to analyze is taken from The Telegraph and is headlined "Manet, at Royal Academy, review". It was published on January 28^th, 2013, by Alastair Smart.

The article covers exhibition of works by Édouard Manet at Royal Academy in London. Thus, its major theme is the celebrated French artist’s contribution to art, as well as his personality and relationships with his sitters. The author starts with condemning others for little knowledge of the painter and his works and continues by providing some facts from Manet’s biography. Mr. Smart stresses the importance of the artist’s coming from a wealthy family, due to which the painter never had to seek commissions for financial reasons, and this gave him the freedom to experiment. Due to the author’s point of view, in many of Manet’s canvases it wasn’t simply the subject matter that was modern but the technique, for the brushwork was deliberately sketchy, for what he is now referred to Impressionalists. But – and Alastair Smart stresses the importance of that – the artist’s real creativity and innovation primarily displayed itself in the fact that Édouard Manet was among the first to include family and friends in his “genre scenes.” In addition, it’s revealed that in some works the painter’s relationships with his sitters are reflected, such as the ones with purportedly illegitimate son or with a possible lover who married another person.

In conclusion the author suggests that portraiture is the result of a complex relation between sitter and painter, and that surely our appreciation of Manet’s greatness would be even richer if we knew some facts from his biography. I share this point of view and only wish we could not only look at, but also to see.

Individual Reading "The Moon and Sixpence"

Summary 1

1. A promising author gained general acceptance of his new book and was admitted to some literary society. 2. Then he was introduced to Mrs. Strickland, interested in modern literature and thus being in habit of giving dinner parties for famous writers. 3. Once when visiting her the young man got acquainted with her husband, but wasn’t much impressed by him then. 4. Later, upon the return to London from some trip, rumours reached the writer that MR. Strickland had left his wife with two children and without money. 5. Due to his relatives’ knowledge, he had left for Paris, supposedly with some woman, and stopped at a hotel. 6. Having learned about this, the young man visited Mrs. Strickland to present his condolences to her. 7. To his amazement, the lady asked to meet her husband in France and persuade him to return back to family. 8. Reluctantly the young writer agreed to comply with this request.

My Pleasure Reading

Year I Term I - J. Austen "Pride and Prejudice"

Year I Term II - F. Scott Fitzgerald "Tender Is the Night"

Year II Term III - I. Murdoch "Under the Net"

Year II Term IV - E. Gaskell "Wives and Daughters"

Year III Term V - J. London "Martin Eden"

Year III Term VI - H. Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird"