Reading. 1 Read the text quickly. Then answer the questions. / 0.4 point. a. What is The Thinker? b. Who is Rodin?

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Reading 1 Read the text quickly. Then answer the questions. / 0.4 point a. What is The Thinker? b. Who is Rodin? Rodin originally conceived of The Thinker as the focal point atop his Gates of Hell.

1 Reading 1 Read the text quickly. Then answer the questions. / 0.4 point a. What is The Thinker? b. Who is Rodin? Rodin originally conceived of The Thinker as the focal point atop his Gates of Hell. At first, the sculpture represented the poet Dante (DAHN-tay) contemplating life, death, and his inevitable descent into hell. Over time, however, the figure evolved. Rodin recalled, Guided by my first inspiration I conceived another thinker, a naked man, seated upon a rock, his feet drawn under him, his fist against his teeth, he dreams. The fertile thought slowly elaborates itself within his brain. He is no longer dreamer, he is creator. There is an aspect of self-portraiture in The Thinker. In Rodin s day, artists, and especially sculptors, were often compared to manual laborers because they worked with their hands. With this figure, Rodin demonstrated that artists not only have the physical strength necessary to work with stone and bronze, but also the mental capacity to translate creative thought into visual art. Rodin later said that his Thinker thinks with his knitted brow, his distended nostrils and compressed lips his clenched fist and gripping toes. When it was exhibited in 1904, critics called The Thinker the new Adam, a modern father for all, a Hercules for the modern age, and a man for all time. The Thinker was cast in three sizes, with the sculpture outside the Rodin Museum s gate being an example of the largest, monumental version. There are twenty-two of these large versions around the world. The Thinker has become an almost universal symbol of man s resourcefulness and humanity in an everchanging world. The popularity of the work and its global visibility is one of the reasons Rodin is considered one of the greatest sculptors of all time. RODIN Museum. A Teaching Resource: Activities for the Classroom. Available at: <

2 2 Read the text again. Circle T (true) or F (false). / 0.6 point a. Originally, The Thinker would be part of another sculpture, called Gates of Hell. T F b. Rodin kept his original idea during the whole process of creating The Thinker. T F c. With The Thinker, Rodin showed that artists could translate creative thought into visual art. T F d. The critical reception of The Thinker was very negative in T F e. There is only one version of The Thinker, located outside the Rodin Museum. T F f. Although The Thinker is a popular sculpture, Rodin is not considered to be a great artist. T F 3 Read the text once more. Then complete the sentences with the words from the box. Not all words will be used. / 1 point Adam creator Dante facial Hercules humanity mental popularity Rodin sculptor a. In Rodin s original plans, The Thinker would represent, a poet. b. Rodin s view of his thinker evolved and his figure became a. c. Rodin describes the position of his thinker s body as well as his expression. d. Critics compared The Thinker to two mythological figures: Adam and. e. The Thinker is a symbol of man s ability to solve problems and also of his. Vocabulary 4 Complete the sentences with different types of art. / 0.6 point a. : the art of representing objects, persons, etc. with paints, usually on canvas. b. : the art of representing objects, persons, etc. by means of lines. c. : the art of representing objects, persons, etc. by shaping a substance, such as stone or wood. 5 Complete the sentences with the words from the box. / 1 point colors lines patterns shapes texture a. This painter used vertical in his work to suggest height and strength. b. The use of help painters set the tone and the energy of their work of art. Bright yellow, for example, usually sets a vibrant tone. c. Some painters are very good at creating in their works of art. Look at this painting depicting the beach we can almost feel the grains of sand. d. Painters use all types of in their works of art. They are usually either geometric (like squares and triangles) or biomorphic (rounded and irregular). e. Some painters use in their artwork, in which they repeat or echo elements to express a sense of balance, contrast or harmony.

3 6 Unscramble the letters to write words to complete the sentences. / 0.8 point a. Las Meninas, by Spanish painter Velazquez, is a work of art. (M H L E N P A O N E) b. The Louvre, in Paris, hosts some of the most paintings in the world. (C A P E L E N I X O T) c. Vik Muniz is one of the most Brazilian artists, famous for creating art with unconventional materials. (N O N E V V I A T I) d. Some artists are creating works of art with satellite images taken from Google Maps. (O G U O S R E G) 7 Complete the sentences with some or any. / 0.8 point a. I don t have books about Rodin. b. The workers need time to carry the sculptures into the museum. c. Are there boys in your art class? d. Our art teacher recommended articles about van Gogh s paintings. e. Visitors listen to classical music while they visit the museum. f. of my friends are very good at painting. g. The museum doesn t own works by van Gogh. h. Did you see paintings by Velazquez at Museo del Prado? 8 Underline the correct words to complete the sentences. / 0.8 point a. I don t have many / much paint to finish my painting. b. Do you have many / much paintbrushes in your workshop? c. There isn t many / much antique furniture in that museum. d. There are many / much sculptures made by Rodin around the world. e. Critics don t have many / much information about the works of art. f. How many / much money do you need to organize the art exhibition? g. How many / much artists are mentioned in the exhibition guide? h. Many / Much painters are interested in innovative painting techniques.

9 Check ( ) the correct words to complete the sentences. / 0.8 point a. people went to the art exhibition last weekend. ( ) Few ( ) Little b. There is water left in the bottle. c. There are sculptures in that museum.

10 Look at the pictures. Then complete the sentences with many, much, few or little. / 0.8 point Marianne has money. She has dollars. There are chairs in the room.

4 9 Check ( ) the correct words to complete the sentences. / 0.8 point a. people went to the art exhibition last weekend. ( ) Few ( ) Little b. There is water left in the bottle. c. There are sculptures in that museum. d. Maria has friends at the art school. e. I have homework today. Yay! f. The students have time to finish their paintings. g. That artist uses material in his works of art. h. The art teacher made comments about our work. 10 Look at the pictures. Then complete the sentences with many, much, few or little. / 0.8 point Marianne has money. She has dollars. There are chairs in the room. There is furniture in the room. Jack has minutes to get to work. He has time to get to work. There is food in the fridge. There are eggs and apples in the fridge.

5 Listening 11 Listen to some biographical information about J. M. W. Turner, an English artist. Then complete the summary with the words from the box. / 1.2 points 15 art boy Europe Greece London pictures paints Paris ship talent traveling Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in a., in He started drawing when he was a b.. Some people bought his c. at the time. Turner started to study d. at the Royal Academy when he was 14. He drew statues from ancient e. and Rome. When Turner was f., he showed his works at the Royal Academy for the first time. People said he had a lot of g.. He started h. around Britain when he was 17. Then he traveled around i.. He visited the Louvre, in j.. He started using oil k. after that. He worked in unconventional ways. Once he asked sailors to tie him to the mast of a l. during a storm, so that he could see and feel it. Writing 12 Write a paragraph about an artist you like or a work of art you admire. / 1.2 points

ARTS AND MEDIA. Teacher s notes 1 BE AN ART CRITIC BE AN ARTIST

ARTS AND MEDIA. Teacher s notes 1 BE AN ART CRITIC BE AN ARTIST Level: Elementary Intermediate / A1 B1 Age: Teenagers Time: This lesson can be divided up in various ways to suit the time you have with your students. Below are three time options which you can choose