ART

Lead-in
● Do you like art? What are your favourite forms of art?
● Do you have favourite artists or works of art?
● What famous painters or paintings do you know?
● Have you seen the paintings “Girl with the Pearl Earring” or “Mona Lisa”?
Who are the artists?

Vocabulary
Allure Checkered Dimensionality Oriental
Subtlety Foreshortening Gaze Varnish
Intimacy Distortion Spearhead Smudge
Onlooker Easel Merchant Enigmatic

Video 1
Why is Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring” considered a masterpiece? (4:34 min)
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-vermeer-s-girl-with-the-pearl-earring-considered-a-
masterpiece-james-earle

Exercise 1.1. Watch the video for the first time and fill in the gaps in the sentences.
1. Belonging to a Dutch style of idealized, sometimes overly _______ known as tronies,
the “Girl with the Pearl Earring” has the allure and
subtlety characteristic of Vermeer’s work.
2. With the checkered floor in his works, Vermeer
demonstrates his command of _______.
3. He uses a dark, flat background to further
spotlight her _______.
4. Instead of being like a set piece in a _______
scene, she becomes a psychological subject.
5. Traditional subjects of portraiture were often
_______.
6. It created a merchant class and new _______.
7. The pearl itself, a symbol of _______, is
actually an exaggeration.
8. In her _______ way, she represents the birth of a
modern perspective on economics, politics, and love.

Exercise 1.2. Watch the video once again and choose the correct answer.
1. Why is the “Girl with the Pearl Earring” considered a mysterious painting by Vermeer?
a) This is due to her position in the picture.
 b) Because of the unusual monochromatic background where the girl is depicted.
c) The mystery is the very image of an unknown model.
2. Why are the mentioned paintings by Vermeer “A Girl Reading a Letter”, “A Piano
Lesson”, “A Portrait Artist at Work” different from the “Girl with the Pearl Earring”?
a) These works are not considered portraits; they are just scenes of everyday life.
b) They convey a sense of intimacy and closeness, but as if at a distance.
c) All the characters in these paintings have prototypes except for the Girl.
3. How does Vermeer create the illusion of a remote object in a painting?
a) He plays with the placement of objects by depicting them at different levels on the
canvas.
b) He uses pastel colours.
c) He paints a checkered floor that enhances distortion and visual distance.
4. What is the psychological aspect of the picture?
a) The girl opens her mouth, as if she wants to say something.
b) The artist is secretly in love with the model he is painting.
c) The girl is trying to attract the viewer with her gaze.
5. What new painting techniques does Vermeer use when depicting the Girl?
a) He plays with objects, hiding their parts to give the illusion of their distance.
b) The artist softens the edges of the objects to weaken the light and to convey their
shape.
c) He uses light and shadow to emphasize the three-dimensional space of the painting.
6. What symbol do we notice in the picture?
a) The girl’s eyes.
b) The pearl.
c) The girl’s position.
7. In which gallery can we see Vermeer’s original painting “Girl with the Pearl Earring”?
a) In the Mauritshuis Art Museum in The Hague, the Netherlands.
b) In the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
c) In the National Gallery of London, England.

Exercise 1.3. Answer the questions.

1. What social class does the Girl belong to? What helps you understand that looking at
the painting?
2. What illusion does Vermeer create? How does he do it?
3. In your opinion, is the Girl in fact turning towards you or away from you?

Vocabulary
Hoist smth off Gushing Conspicuous Skyrocket
Two-pronged Hypnotic Treacherous Inconceivable
Groundbreaking Enviable Household name Smuggle
Hazy Flock Heist Exemplary

Video 2
Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? (5:37 min)
https://www.ted.com/talks/noah_charney_why_is_the_mona_lisa_so_famous

Exercise 2.1. Watch the video for the first time and choose the correct answer.
1. Who is the prototype of the “Mona Lisa”?
a) A businessman.
b) The wife of an Italian businessman.
c) It’s a self-portrait of Da Vinci.
2. How was the technique of “atmospheric perspective” applied in the “Mona Lisa”?
a) It made the illusion of profound depth.
b) It softened the edges of the forms.
c) It made the “Mona Lisa” more realistic.
3. How did Leonardo use the “sfumato” effect in the “Mona Lisa”
painting?
a) It made the illusion of profound depth.
b) It softened the edges of the forms.
c) It made the “Mona Lisa” more realistic.
4. How did the art historian Giorgio Vasari “help” Leonardo gain
popularity in the world?
a) He showed the painting to the public.
b) He wrote about the special effects of the painting in his
popular book.
c) He sold the painting to Napoleon.
5. What part of Mona Lisa’s face raised the hype and increased
public interest in the painting in the 19th century?
a) Her eyes.
b) Her hair.
c) Her lips.
6. What happened on August 21, 1911 at the Louvre, Paris?
a) The “Mona Lisa” was stolen.
b) The “Mona Lisa” was sold to the Louvre.
c) The original painting was destroyed.
7. What famous artist was interrogated by the police while searching for the robber? Why?
a) Salvador Dali because he was in Paris at that time.
b) Pablo Picasso because he was connected to a previous Louvre theft.
c) Peruggia because he had worked at the Louvre.

Exercise 2.2. Watch the video once again and answer the questions.
1. What problems did Peruggia face while stealing the “Mona Lisa” from the Louvre?
How did he manage to escape from there?
2. When did Leonardo Da Vinci start painting the “Mona Lisa” and how many years was
he working on the portrait?
3. Why did Peruggia steal the “Mona Lisa”? Where did he smuggle the painting? What
happened to him eventually?
Exercise 2.3. Can you remember who these people are and in what context they were
mentioned in the video?
o Vincenzo Peruggia o Giorgio Vasari
o Lisa Gherardini o Napoleon
o King Francois I o Pablo Picasso

Discussion questions
● Why do you think the public interest in the “Mona Lisa” increased after it was
stolen?
● The “Mona Lisa” is famous for her mysterious smile. Would you agree that her smile
is really mysterious?
● Why do you think the “Girl with the Pearl Earring” is often referred to as the “Mona
Lisa of the North” or “Dutch Mona Lisa”? Why are the two paintings often
compared? What do they have in common?
● Which of the two paintings do you like more?
● Why do you think some paintings become world famous masterpieces and some
become forgotten with time?

Home assignment
Choose a painting you like and find the history behind its creation. Prepare a short
presentation about it.