CURRICULUM EXTRA • Unit 8

Visual arts: Modern art movements

1 Match the modern art movements 1–5 with the descriptions a–e. a This style originated in Russia around
Then match the art movements with the pieces of art f–j. 1915. The artists believed that art
should show the modern industrial
description art
world.
1 abstract expressionism
b In this style the artists used cubes
2 impresssionism
and other geometrical shapes.
3 cubism
Picasso is a famous artist in this style.
4 expressionism
c This style shows emotions, not
5 constructivism
objects. Large brushes are often used
and sometimes paint is thrown at
the canvas.
d In this style, the artists tried to show
the impression of the moment. Short
brush strokes are used to represent
the effect of changing light on
objects.
e In this style, objects from nature are
distorted or exaggerated and colours
f The Waterlily Pond g Black lines are intensified to express emotion.
by Claude Monet by Wassily Kandinsky

h The Scream i Constructivist Composition j Landscape and Houses at Ceret

by Edvard Munch by Lyubov Sergeevna Popova by Juan Gris

2 Complete the text about Vincent van Gogh with the words in the box.

develop fame influences self-portraits suffering

The greatest artists 1 their ideas more quickly than the rest
of the world, and for this reason the public doesn’t always like their work.
But years after their death, their art becomes famous and it 2
the work of future artists. A good example of this is Vincent van Gogh. In
his life he painted a lot of pictures, but he couldn’t sell his work. Many of
his most famous paintings are 3 that show us his face and
personality. You can also see signs of his 4
while he was ill in
the last years of his life. But van Gogh wasn’t trying to show himself to
the world. It was because he often didn’t have enough money to pay for
a model! Today, over a hundred years after his death, van Gogh has found Sunflowers
5
and his paintings sell for millions of pounds.  by Vincent van Gogh

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 CURRICULUM EXTRA • Unit 8

3 Read the text. Then tick (✔) the correct boxes in the table.
Frida Kahlo Andy Warhol
1
came from a working-class family.
2
started to create art while ill in bed.
3
was injured.
4
was shot.

Two important artists of the 20th century

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 in Mexico to parents of Mexican and European backgrounds. She
grew up in a middle-class family and enjoyed a good education. But her life changed in 1925 when
she suffered terrible injuries in a road accident. The injuries affected her health for the rest of her life.
However, they also pushed her to start painting while she was recovering.
Many of Kahlo’s paintings are self-portraits and show her feelings about her parents’ backgrounds,
her physical suffering and her difficult marriage to the artist, Diego Rivera. She often appears with
animals or symbols around her and she sometimes appears twice in the same painting – features of
surrealism. However, there is evidence of other styles in her work. The Renaissance period influenced
her early paintings, while later Mexican folk art and religious imagery became important aspects.
Andy Warhol was born in the USA in 1928 and grew up in a working-class family. His parents were
immigrants from former Czechoslovakia. As a child he became ill and spent a lot of time in bed. There
he developed his talent for drawing.
After art college, Warhol first found success as an illustrator. His career in fine art began when he
started using famous celebrities and brand names in his art, both common themes of the pop art style.
His most famous pictures show the face of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup cans. He also made
sculptures and films and worked with various musicians.
During the 1960s his studio, the Factory, became famous as a meeting place for artists, musicians,
writers and celebrities. One of these, Valerie Solanas, shot him in 1968. He was seriously injured in
the attack. In the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol achieved international recognition as an artist and his
work was exhibited around the world.

4 Read the text again and write True or False for 5 Look at the pictures in exercise 1. Which do you
sentences 1–6. Correct the false sentences. prefer? Give reasons why.
1 Frida Kahlo didn’t study when she was a child.

2 Frida was happily married.

3 Frida was influenced by several art movements.
6 Write a short biography of an important cultural
4 Andy Warhol’s parents came from the USA. person in your country. He / She doesn’t have to
be an artist. Write about 100 words. Think about
5 His art shows unusual faces and objects. the following things:
• where born
6 Andy Warhol isn’t only famous for his pictures. • details of childhood
• what influenced him / her
• what he / she achieved
• how he / she became famous

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press Curriculum Extra  Unit 8  ENGLISH PLUS 3 Second edition 2