Unit 5. From the History of Moscow
5.5.1 Text
The first mention of Moscow appears in the chronicles for 1147, nearly a century before the Mongol-Tatar invasion. In those times Moscow belonged to Yury Dolgoruky, Prince of Vladimir. It was a small settlement on the banks of the Moskva River. At the prince's order a wooden fortress (a Kremlin) was erected on a high hill above the river. In the 13th century Moscow became the centre of a principality. Moscow expanded its territory until it reached supremacy over all the other Russian principalities, though still a Tatar vassal state. In 1320s the Orthodox church moved its administration from Vladimir to Moscow and that rose its prestige.
Prince Ivan I Kalita (1325—1341) was the first Moscow prince to be granted the right to collect the tribute money from the other Russian principalities. His grandson, Prince Dmitry Donskoi, was the victor of the battle of Kulikovo over Mongols in 1380.
Prince Ivan III who had earned himself the title Ivan the Great expanded Muscovy northwards. He subjugated Novgorod in 1487.
In 1472 Ivan the Great strengthened his position by marrying Sophia Paleologus as his second wife. She was a niece of the last Byzantine emperor. Since then Ivan had adopted the prestigious Byzantine emblem of the double-headed eagle.
Already Ivan III saw Muscovy as an imperial power. Texts were propagated in order to give the dynasty a Roman pedigree and Byzantine regalia. To transform Moscow into a capital, a huge building programme was undertaken, involving the reconstruction of the Kremlin. The results were impressive. After the fall of Constantinople a monk from Pskov, writing to Ivan's son Vassily III, referred to Moscow as the third Rome: "Two Romes have already fallen, but the third remains standing, and the fourth there will not be."
When Ivan III died in 1505, his power of Muskovy was consolidated by his successor Vassily III, who annexed the principalities of Pskov (1510), Smolensk (1514), and Ryazan (1521).
5.5.2 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
Muscovy – Москвия
settlement – поселение
principality – княжество
supremacy – зд. верховная власть
vassal – вассальный, зависимый
tribute – дань
to subjugate – покорять, подчинять
to strengthen – усилить
to propagate – распространяться
pedigree – родословная
to undertake – предпринять
successor – преемник
to annex - присоединять
5.5.3 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 Who is considered to be the founder of Moscow?
2 When was Moscow first mentioned?
3 What happened in 1320s?
4 What can you tell about the reign of Ivan Kalita and Ivan the Great?
5 What did Ivan the Great’s second marriage mean for him?
6 What programme was undertaken to transform Moscow into a capital of imperial power?
7 Who consolidated Muscovy after Ivan the Great’s death?
5.5.4 Match the two parts of the sentences
| 1 The first mention of Moscow … 2 It was a small settlement … 3 In 1320s the Orthodox church … 4 Prince Dmitry Donskoi … 5 In 1472 Ivan the Great strengthened … 6 To transform Moscow into a capital … | a) moved its administration from Vladimir to Moscow. b) was the victor of the battle of Kulikovo over Mongols in 1380. c) on the banks of the Moskva River. d) appears in the chronicles for 1147. e) a huge building programme was undertaken. f) his position by marrying Sophia Paleologus. |
5.5.5 Agree or disagree with the following sentences
1 In the 13th century Moscow became the centre of Russia.
2 Prince Ivan I Kalita was the first Moscow prince to be granted the right to collect the tribute money from the other Russia principalities.
3 In 1472 Ivan I Kalita strengthened his position by marrying Sophia Paleologus as his second wife.
4 Ivan III died in 1505.
5 The first mention of Moscovy appears in the chronicles for 1147.
6 Sophia Paleologus was a daughter of the last Byzantine emperor.
5.5.6 Find the synonyms to the following words according to the text
dependent; levy; to subdue; to intensify; to spread; to join; family tree; to enlarge.
5.5.7 Fill in the blanks with the verb “to be”
1 It … a small settlement on the banks of the Moskva River.
2 Prince Dmitry Donskoi … the victor of the battle of Kulikovo over Mongols in 1380.
3 Texts … propagated in order to give the dynasty a Roman pedigree and Byzantine regalia.
4 “Two Romes have already fallen, but the third remains standing, and the fourth there …”
5 When Ivan III died in 1505, his power of Muskovy … consolidated by his successor Vassily III.
Unit 6. The Kremlin
5.6.1 Text
The Kremlin is the heart of Moscow. It is surrounded by a high wall of 2l/2 kilometers long, built by the Russian builders by order of Ivan III (1462-1505), and supervised by Italian architects. The twenty towers on the Kremlin wall, which give it a unique aspect, were built for decoration and have no military significance. They were constructed in the century when Moscow had ceased to be a fortress. Among the ancient buildings in the Kremlin are the churches and a tall bell tower built in 1600 by Russian architects under Boris Godunov and known as the Веll Tower of Ivan the Great. The largest cathedral, the Uspenski (Assumption), was built in 1475-1479 by Aristotle Fiorovante. There are some very fine old frescoes, some of which were restored in the XX-th century. It was there that the Russian tsars and emperors were crowned.
The Archangel Cathedral was built in 1505 by the Italian architect, Aleviso Novy. The tombs of the Moscow princes and tsars are here, among them the graves of Ivan the Terrible, of his son Ivan, and of his second son, Tsar Fyodor. The Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral was built in 1484 by architects from Pskov. It’s noted for the unusual oil paintings done in the fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries by Andrei Rublev and his pupils, the greatest artists of the time.
Facing the same square is a very beautiful building known as Granovitaya Palata (Palace) which was built in the end of the 15th century by Marco Ruffo and Pietro Solari. In this palace the Moscow tsars held magnificent receptions in honour of foreign ambassadors. The Granovitaya Palace is connected with the enormous Grand Kremlin Palace.
Among other historical monuments in the Kremlin are the Tsar Cannon (sixteenth century) and the Tsar Bell (eighteenth century), both of enormous size and made by Russian masters. In a large wing of the Palace is the Armory and a Museum of Applied Arts where imperial collections of utensils, furniture, weapon and garments of eastern and western workmanship are on display.
In the north-eastern section of the Kremlin is a beautiful building of classic design built by the most famous Russian architect of the eighteenth century, M.Kazakov. In the square opposite this building is the former Arsenal, along the facade of which are numerous cannons captured by the Russian Army from Napoleon in 1812-1814.
5.6.2 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
to be surrounded by smth. – быть окруженным чем-либо
by order of – по приказу (кого-либо)
to be supervised by smb. – под руководством кого-либо
to cease to be a fortress – перестать быть крепостью
a bell tower – колокольня
Ivan the Great – Иван Великий
a cathedral – собор
to be restored – быть отреставрированным
a tsar – царь
an emperor – император
to be crowned – быть коронованным
the tombs of princes and tsars – гробницы князей и царей
a grave – могила
the greatest artist of the time – величайший художник своего времени
to face the square– выходить на площадь
magnificent - пышный
to hold receptions in honor of smb. – проводить приемы в честь кого-либо
a foreign ambassador – иностранный посол
the Grand Kremlin Palace – Большой Кремлевский дворец
the Tsar Cannon – Царь-пушка
the Tsar Bell – Царь-колокол
a wing – крыло
the Armoury – Оружейная палата
a Museum of Applied Arts – Музей прикладного искусства
an imperial collection – императорская коллекция
utensils – предметы быта
a garment – предмет одежды
to be on display – выставляться, экспонироваться
a building of classic design – здание в классическом стиле
5.6.3 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 What is the history of the Kremlin towers?
2 When and what for were the Kremlin towers built?
3 What are the Kremlin cathedrals famous for?
4 What are the other famous buildings facing the same square?
5 What is there in the northern section of the Kremlin?
5.6.4 Translate into English
1 Кремль окружен стеной с 20 башнями, построенными для украшения и не имеющими военного значения.
2 Древние постройки Кремля включают церкви, колокольню Ивана Великого и относятся к 15-18 векам. (date back to)
3 Церкви Соборной площади известны своими фресками и гробницами царей.
4 В Успенском соборе короновали царей и императоров.
5 В Грановитой палате давали приемы в честь иностранных послов.
6 В Оружейной палате хранятся мебель, одежда и оружие из царских коллекций.
5.6.5 Find in the text the English equivalents for
1) быть окруженным чем-либо;
2) перестать быть крепостью;
3) Оружейная палата;
4) Царь-пушка;
5) иностранный посол;
6) выходить на площадь;
7) быть коронованным;
8) гробницы князей;
9) величайший художник своего времени;
10) предметы быта;
11) здание в классическом стиле;
12) Музей прикладного искусства;
13) предмет одежды;
14) выставляться.
Unit 7. St. Petersburg
5.7.1 Text
St Petersburg; is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the «Window to the West». Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by the hundreds. But the work went on. St Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital.
Under later Rulers, the new capital of the Russian Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from western Euroре to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed of grey and rose-coloured granite. The Hermitage Palace and the Winter Palace, the homes of the tsars, were equal to any in Europe.
When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the Great October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin.
During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in, and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city, thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.
Now St. Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million.
St. Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city. At every turn there is something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every comer of the world.
Petersburg's many museums house some of the world's famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures in the world. The city is called Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It's also famous for its beautiful white nights.
5.7.2 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
Peter the Great – Петр Великий
a swampy land – болотистая местность
at the mouth of – в устье (какой-либо реки)
to be in a hurry – торопиться
to drop dead by the hundreds – падать замертво сотнями
under later rulers – при более поздних правителях
to grow rapidly in wealth and beauty – быстро богатеть и хорошеть
to lay out the city – разбивать город
to be constructed of granite – быть построенным из гранита
the Hermitage Palace – Эрмитаж
the Winter Palace – Зимний дворец
to be equal to any in Europe – не уступать любому в Европе
a German – sounding name – название, звучащее на немецкий лад
to be renamed after – быть переименованным и названным в честь (кого-либо)
to suffer a great deal – сильно пострадать
to lay siege to – начать блокаду
to be cut off from the rest of the country – быть отрезанным от остальной части страны
to die of starvation – умирать от голода
daily shelling and air raids – ежедневные бомбежки и воздушные налеты
at every turn – на каждом повороте
to catch one’s eye – привлекать внимание
to house smth. – размещать что-либо
a world’s famous art collection – всемирно знаменитая художественная коллекция
5.7.3 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 How was St Petersburg built?
2 What kind of city was built by the workmen?
3 When was the city renamed?
4 What happened to the city during the Great Patriotic war?
5 What kind of city is St Petersburg?
6 What museums and other sights is St Petersburg noted for?
7 What else is St Petersburg famous for?
5.7.4 Translate into English
1 Санкт-Петербург, второй по величине город России, был основан в 1703 году.
2 Тысячи рабочих, приведенных из всех частей России, построили великолепный город.
3 При более поздних правителях западные архитекторы спланировали город, рабочие построили здания из серого и розового гранита.
4 По красоте Санкт-Петербург не уступает любому из европейских городов.
5 Город пострадал во время блокады, от бомбежек и налетов.
6 После войны Ленинград был восстановлен.
7 Великолепные тысячи туристов из разных стран.
8 Санкт-Петербург знаменит также своими белыми ночами и всемирно известными музеями, которые содержат богатейшие художественные коллекции.
5.7.5 Find in the text the English equivalents for
1) не уступать любому в Европе;
2) сильно пострадать;
3) начать блокаду;
4) Зимний дворец;
5) разбивать город;
6) умирать от голода;
7) привлекать внимание;
8) размещать что-либо;
9) быстро богатеть и хорошеть;
10) болотистая местность;
11) торопиться.
5.7.6 Put the questions to the underlined words and expressions
1 St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the “Window to the West”.
2 Architects were brought from Western Europe.
3 After the Great October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin.
4 During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal.
5 The population of the city is over 5 million.
6 St. Petersburg is famous for its beautiful white nights.
7 The Hermitage contains the richest collection of pictures in the world.
5.7.7 Read and learn the dialogue by heart
- Where do you come from?
- I came from Leningrad.
- What is the name of this city now?
- Some years ago its previous name was restored. It is St. Petersburg again.
- When was your native town founded?
- It was founded at the very beginning of the 18th century.
- What are the historical landmarks of your city?
- First of all it was founded as the capital of the country. So it was for a long time. But in 1918 the city of Moscow became the seat of the government for the second time. My native town is a heroic city. It over came the hardships of the Second World War and blockade. I suppose it is the most beautiful city of Russia.
5.7.8 Text
Peter the Great
Peter the Great went down in Russian history for having rejected the Muscovite past. He enthusiastically made Russia closer to West. He was a giant among his contemporaries and a man of genius.
Peter intended to modernize his country and raise it to the first rank of European powers. He engaged skilled foreigners from Prussia, Holland, Great Britain to bring the latest western technology to Russia.
Peter had a passion for navigation. As a founder of the Russia navy, Peter first started to develop the Russian fleet in 1695. He wanted to capture from the Turkey the fortress town of Azov and gain access to the Black Sea.
In 1703 Peter the Great captured the Swedish fortress of Nyenschanz on the River Neva, and on an island nearly he ordered to construct the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first building of the future city of St. Petersburg.
In order to maintain the huge armed forces of Russia, Peter I had to reform many of the traditional administrative, social and fiscal structures of the country. One of the first major steps was to introduce compulsory military service. Another action was to replace the traditional Muscovite hierarchy of titles of the nobility with the Table of Ranks, a system closer to western models.
The Tsar’s reforms extended to many different fields: law, police, military discipline, the navy, commerce, the sciences, the fine arts and education. He introduced a simplified new Russian alphabet. He devoted his whole mind and energy to his mission in life: to add to his empire and to hack a window open on Europe.
The city of St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as a harbour for the Russian fleet. It was built as a fortress from which Russia could threaten the Swedes, and as spiritual centre of the new European Russia. The construction of St. Petersburg was undertaken at a great speed. Forty thousand peasants were engaged in the building of Russia’s new capital. Many of them suffered from disease and malnutrition and met their end in the marshlands.
Peter the Great’s rule had been harsh and his reign was full of radical changes. He died in 1725 at the age of fifty-two. Long after his death, he remained a dominant figure in the minds of the people. Catherine the Great commissioned the most famous monument to him, the Bronze Horseman. The monument was designed by the French sculptor Falconet. It was unveiled in St. Petersburg in 1782 with great pomp and ceremony.
5.7.9 Pronounce the following words
to reject – отвергать
navy – военно-морской флот
access – доступ, выход
to maintain – содержать (зд. армию)
fiscal – финансовый
to introduce – вводить
compulsory – обязательный
nobility – дворянство
Table of Ranks – «Табель о рангах»
simplified – упрощенный
to hack – прорубить (зд. окно)
harbour – гавань
to threaten – угрожать
disease – болезнь
malnutrition – плохое питание
marchland – болото
harsh – жесткий
to commission – поручать
the Bronze Horseman –Медный всадник
to unveil – торжественно открыть
pomp – пышность
5.7.10 Answer the questions upon the text
1 What kind of person was Peter the Great?
2 Can Peter be considered as a father of Russian fleet? Why did Peter start to develop the fleet?
3 What was Peter’s greatest wish?
4 What building did Peter the Great order to construct after capturing the Swedish fortress on the River Neva?
5 What were the results of the Great Northern War against Sweden?
6 In what fields did Peter the Great conduct the reforms? Give some examples of Peter’s reforms.
7 When and why was St. Petersburg founded by Peter the Great?
8 Who was engaged in the building of Russia’s new capital? What were the labor conditions?
9 By whom was the monument to Peter the Great designed? When was it unveiled?
10 To what mission did Peter the Great devote his whole mind and his energy? What it the role of Peter the Great in Russian history?
Unit 8. Tretyakov gallery
5.8.1 Text
The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the best-known picture galleries in Russia. It takes its name from its founder Pavel Tretyakov, a Moscow merchant and art connoisseur.
In the mid-19th century, Tretyakov began to collect Russian paintings. He visited all the exhibitions and art studios and bought the best pictures of contemporary artists. He was especially fond of the works of the Peredvizhniki (or Wanderers) — the artists who belonged to the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions. Little by little Tretyakov extended his range of interest and began to collect earlier Russian paintings. More than once he had to add wings to his house in Lavrushinsky Pereulok, because his collection grew larger and larger.
In 1881 Pavel Tretyakov opened his collection to the public. 11 years later he donated it to the city of Moscow. Since then the gallery has received hundreds of pictures from other museums and private collections.
The Tretyakov Gallery reflects the whole history of Russian art, from the 11th century to the present day.
It has a rich collection of old Russian icons. The world-famous icon is “The Trinity”, painted in the early 15th century by Andrei Rublev.
The gallery contains halls devoted to the magnificent works of such 18th-century celebrities as Rokotov, Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Shchedrin.
The first half of the 19th century is represented by brilliant paintings by Bryullov, Tropinin, Ivanov, Venetsianov. The second half of the 19th century is especially well represented. The gallery has the best collection of the Peredvizhniki, such as Kramskoy, Perov, Ghe, Yaroshenko, Myasoyedov, and others. Linked with the Peredvizhniki are such great names in Russian art as Surikov, Repin, Vereshchagin, Vasnetsov, Levitan. There you can see historical paintings, portraits, still-lifes, landscapes, seascapes, etc.
Further on we find the cream of turn-of-the century Russian art: Serov, Vrubel, Kustodiev...
Canvases of modern painters are housed in the new building situated on Krymskaya Naberezhnaya (Crimean Embankment).
The Tretyakov Gallery is not only Russia's biggest and most important museum of Russian Art. It's also a research, cultural and educational centre.
5.8.2 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
the State Tretyakov Gallery - Государственная Третьяковская галерея
the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions - Товарищество передвижных выставок
The Trinity - Троица
merchant - купец
connoisseur - знаток
studio - студия
contemporary - современный
little by little - мало-помалу, понемногу
to extend - расширить
range of interest - круг интересов
wing - крыло, флигель, пристройка к дому
to open to the public - открыть для посетителей
to donate - преподносить в качестве дара, передавать в дар
private collection - частная коллекция
to reflect - отражать
icon - икона
to contain - содержать
to devote to - посвящать (чему-либо, кому-либо)
magnificent - великолепный
celebrity - знаменитость
to represent - представлять
to link - связывать
portrait - портрет
still-life - натюрморт (мн. число still-lifes)
landscape - пейзаж
seascape - морской пейзаж
further on - далее
cream - цвет, "сливки", самое лучшее
turn-of-the century - начало века
canvas - холст, полотно
to house - помещать, размещать
research - научно-исследовательский
5.8.3 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 When did Pavel Tretyakov begin to collect Russian paintings?
2 Whose works was he especially fond of?
3 What do you know about the Peredvizhniki?
4 Where did Tretyakov keep his collection?
5 When did he open his collection to the public?
6 What did Tretyakov do with his collection?
7 Who was The Trinity painted by?
8 Do you know any other famous icon-painters?
9 What 18th century portrait-painters do you know?
10 Why is the second half of the 19th century especially well represented at the Gallery?
11 What great Russian names are linked with the Peredvizhniki?
12 What turn-of-the-century Russian artists do you know?
13 Where are canvases of modern painters housed?
14 When did you last go to the Tretyakov Gallery?
15 Who are your favourite Russian painters?
5.8.4 Read and learn the dialogue by heart
5.8.4.1 Dialogue
- Have you ever been to Tretyakov Gallery?
- Yes, I have.
- What can you say about the monument in front of the gallery?
- There is a monument to Pavel Tretyakov, one of the two brothers-businessmen. They organized exhibitions of Russian art, built a special house for such occasions. They had a good taste for art and they used to buy some pieces of art. Russian painters, sculptures considered the Tretyakov proposals to be very creditable. The Tretyakov brothers were real Muscovites. They made another wonderful gift to the city of Moscow – a passage between two streets in the business part of the city. There is a memorial plaque on the wall of one of Moscow houses telling about it.
- What can you say about the gallery collections?
- There are collections of Russian icons, portraits, genre scenes and so on.
- Which painting do you like best of all?
- I can’t say. I like Vasnetsov’s paintings illustrating Russian fairytales. I like Surikov’s paintings because they are close to me. But I take a real delight in Kuingy paintings. They are so unusual and yet realistic.
- What other art museums in Moscow do you know?
- I can say about the Museum of Fine Arts in Volhonka Street. It was Marina Tsvetayeva’s father, the Moscow University professor who organized it as an educational museum for the university students. But later it grew into a great museum of foreign arts. Nowadays the Museum of Fine Arts is the pride of the city of Moscow and the whole Russia as well as Tretyakov Gallery is.
5.8.4.2 Dialogue
- Do you know names of other Russia’s pianists?
- Yes, I do.
- What are they?
- Nicolai Petrov is one of them. By the way, he is related to the famous singer of the Bolshoi Theatre Ivan Petrov.
- Do you visit conservatoire?
- Yes, I do, but not very often.
- Do you play any instrument?
- No, I do not.
- Do you know any composer’s names?
- Certainly. They are Chopin, Schumann, Bach, Debussy and so on.
- But all of them are foreign composers. Do you know any Russian composers?
- Of course, I do. I’m fond of Russian opera music. I enjoy visiting Bolshoi Theatre. I look forward to listening to opera “Hovanschina” by Musorgski. It’s a pity the Rimski-Korsakov opera “Snow-Maiden” is not performed in Bolshoi Theatre nowadays.
- But there are a lot of ballets staged now.
- My mum is a great admirer of ballet.
5.8.5 Text. Valentin Serov
One of my favourite artists is Valentin Serov. When I first saw his famous pictures — the Girl with Peaches and the Girl in the Sunlight — in the Tretyakov Gallery, frankly speaking, I wasn't too impressed. The girls seemed quite ordinary and I couldn't understand what was so special about these portraits.
Some years later I happened to be in Abramtsevo, where these two pictures had been painted. It's a very beautiful place. Abramtsevo belonged to Savva Mamontov, a well known patron of arts. Our guide told us about the people who had been invited there. It seemed that all artists, actors and writers of that period had stayed at Abramtsevo or at least visited it.
When I went to the Tretyakov Gallery after that and looked at the Girl with Peaches again, I suddenly remembered that day in Abramtsevo, and for the first time I noticed the play of light and shade in the picture, the atmosphere of a sunny summer day.
It's surprising that Serov painted this picture when he was only 22 years old. I read somewhere that at the time he had not seen the works of French Impressionists, who tried to catch the sunlight and the air and transfer it to the canvas. But he managed to do it perfectly.
Serov was born in 1865. His father was a well-known composer and the boy grew up in the atmosphere of creative activity. His first art teacher was Repin, who noticed that the boy could catch the likeness of a model often more quickly and surely than older artists.
Later Serov studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated from it
when he was 20. ,
For several years he taught at Moscow School of Painting Sculpture and Architecture. But teaching did not interfere with his painting. Probably now he would be called a workaholic. He painted almost 700 canvases, though, unfortunately, his life was not very long — he died in 1911.
He was a brilliant landscape painter, he created genre scenes, but he is mostly remembered as a portraitist. The list of his portraits reads as "who-is-who" in Russian culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He painted Savva Mamontov, Konstantin Korovin, Ilya Repin, Isaak Levitan, Nikolai Leskov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the great actress Yermolova... The list can be continued. And practically all his portraits are excellent from the technical point of view — the colours, the composition, but there is more than that they show people's personality.
5.8.6 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
Valentin Serov - Валентин Серов
Tretyakov Gallery - Третьяковская галерея
Abramtsevo - Абрамцево
Savva Mamontov - Савва Мамонтов
Girl with Peaches - Девочка с персиками
Girl in the Sunlight - Девушка, освещенная солнцем
Academy of Fine Arts - Академия изящных искусств
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture - Московское училище живописи, ваяния и зодчества
frankly speaking - откровенно говоря
to be impressed - быть под впечатлением
ordinary - обыкновенный
special - особенный
to belong - принадлежать
patron of arts - покровитель искусств
guide - гид, экскурсовод
atmosphere - атмосфера
Impressionist - импрессионист
to transfer - переносить
canvas - полотно
composer - композитор
creative activity - творческая деятельность
likeness - сходство
to interfere with - мешать
workaholic - трудоголик
landscape painter - пейзажист
genre scene - жанровая сцена
portraitist - портретист
reads as - читается как
"who-is-who" - "кто есть кто"
from the technical point of view - с точки зрения техники
personality - личность, характер
5.8.7 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 What is Abramtsevo famous for?
2 Who did Savva Mamontov invite to Abramtsevo?
3 When was Valentin Serov born?
4 Who was his first teacher?
5 Where did Serov study?
6 How old was he when he painted the Girl with Peaches?
7 How many canvases did he paint?
8 What kind of pictures did Serov paint?
9 Can you name any of his famous portraits?
10 Who is your favourite painter?
11 Have you ever been to the Tretyakov Gallery?
12 What kind of pictures do you prefer — portraits, landscapes, genre scenes?
13 Somebody said that when an artist creates a portrait it is not a portrait of his sitter, but a portrait of the artist himself. Do you agree?
5.8.8 Text. Isaac Levitan
Isaac Ilyich Levitan, the great Russian artist, became the first painter of the Russian scenery, who revealed all its beauty. He is a real poet of the Russian countryside. He continued and developed the traditions of painters of the Russian realistic school -— Savrasov, Polenov, Serov. Levitan found significant meaning and poetry in what would seem the most everyday subjects.
He is a very individual sort of painter. You can't but appreciate his paintings, because there is something in his landscapes that reflects our own moods.
He deeply felt what he wished to express and his brush transferred these feelings to the canvas. It is interesting to note that a master of landscape, he never introduced figures into it. Though if you look at the Autumn Day in Sokolniki - everything seems to bring out the loneliness of the figure in the centre: the trees losing their leaves, the remote, indifferent sky, the path going off into the distance. But the fact is that it was not Levitan who painted the figure. It was Checkov's brother Nicolai who did it.
His travels over the Volga region influenced Levitan's art, the impression made on him by the great Russian river was unforgettable. For his life and painting he chose Plyoss — a small beautiful town on the Volga. His paintings Evening, Golden Plyoss, After Rain reflect his love for nature.
Last summer I visited Plyoss and saw the places where the great pictures were painted. Many people admire his pictures Deep Waters, Evening Bells, Springtime, The Last Snow and, of course, his famous Golden Autumn. All his paintings are very emotional, lyrical and realistic.
In the closing years of his life Levitan made several journeys abroad to France, Italy and Germany where he painted a number of landscapes, although his best works of the period were devoted to Russia. He was only 40 when he died in 1900.
Levitan's influence on the painters of lyrical landscapes was great. Levitan's feeling for nature, his great love for his native land, his ability to reveal and depict the poetry of the Russian land have won his paintings the love and gratitude of people.
5.8.9 Vocabulary. Pronounce the following words
Isaac Ilyich Levitan - Исаак Ильич Левитан (1860-1900)
Savrasov - Саврасов А.К. (русский живописец передвижник)
Polenov - Поленов В.Д. (русский живописец, передвижник)
Serov - Серов В.А. (русский живописец, передвижник)
Plyoss - Плес (город на берегу Волги)
scenery - пейзаж
to reveal - открывать, обнаруживать
countryside - сельская местность
to develop - развивать, совершенствовать
realistic - реалистический
significant - важный, значительный
individual - индивидуальный, особенный, оригинальный
you can't but - нельзя не...
to appreciate - ценить
landscape - пейзаж
to reflect - отражать
mood - настроение
to express - выражать, отражать
brush - кисть
to transfer - переносить
canvas - холст, полотно
to introduce - вводить, представлять, вносить
figure - фигура
to bring out - выявлять, обнаруживать
loneliness - одиночество
remote - отдаленный
indifferent - безразличный, равнодушный, холодный
to influence - влиять
to make an impression on – производить впечатление на
unforgettable - незабываемый
to admire - восхищаться
emotional - эмоциональный, волнующий
lyrical - лирический
closing years - последние годы (жизни)
journey - поездка, путешествие
abroad - за границей, за границу
although - хотя
to devote to - посвящать (кому-либо, чему-либо)
to depict - изображать, рисовать
gratitude - благодарность
5.8.10 Questions. Answer the questions upon the text
1 What is Levitan famous for?
2 Levitan is a very individual sort of painter. Can you prove it?
3 What traditions did Levitan continue and develop?
4 What place did Levitan choose for his life and painting?
5 Did the Volga influence his art?
6 How old was Levitan when he died?
7 Why do so many people like his pictures?