内容正文:
Unit 4
Amazing art
Developing ideas
Before reading a passage, think of what you already know about the topic. For example, you may already know some facts about the Chinese horse painter, Han Gan and his paintings. Make connections between your background knowledge about this Chinese historical figure and the new information you read in the passage. This will improve your understanding of new concepts and information.
Han Gan and His Horses
Night-Shining White《照夜白》
Watch the video and answer the questions.
1. Which dynasty did Han Gan live in?
2. Who was Han Gan’s “patron” (伯乐) that discovered his talent?
3. How did Han Gan learn to paint horses so vividly?
Tang Dynasty
Poet Wang Wei sponsored him.
A. He copied other famous horse paintings.
B. He read ancient books about horses’ bodies.
C. He went to the stables(马厩) and observed real horses.
Han Gan was a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty of China. He was known for painting horses from life, capturing their true spirit. His most famous work is Night-Shining White, a painting of a strong white horse tied to a pole. The horse looks powerful and wants to break free. This painting is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Fast-reading
Read the passage and find out what it is about.
a. An introduction to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
b. The story behind Night-Shining White.
c. The famous artist Han Gan.
Fast-reading
Match the main idea with its corresponding paragraph.
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 5
A. What he did as a court painter.
B. Comments on his works.
C. How he became a painter.
D. The artist and his masterpiece.
E. The real teachers of Han Gan.
Han Gan and His
Horses
Careful-reading
Complete the diagram with information from the passage.
Name of the artist
Name of the painting
Description of the painting
The artist and his masterpiece
Personal information
How he became a painter
What he did as a court painter
The life of the artist
Su Shi
Other viewers
Comments on his work
Name of the artist
Name of the painting
Description of the painting
The horse is full of power with burning eyes, bared teeth and kicking hooves.
Han Gan
Night-Shining White
kicking hooves
舞动的马蹄
burning eyes
热切的眼睛
bared teeth
裸露的牙齿
The artist and his masterpiece
The life of the artist(Para.2-4)
Personal information
(birth, dynasty, etc.)
Born into a poor family in the early Tang Dynasty.
How he became a painter
His artistic talent was discovered by Wang Wei. Chosen to serve Emperor Xuanzong in the royal palace.
What he did as a court painter
Observed carefully, lived with the stable workers, painted with his own eyes.
Comments on his work (Para. 5)
Su Shi
“The horses painted by Han Gan are real horses.”
Other viewers
“His horses could gallop off the paper.”
Post-reading
What made Han Gan a successful painter?
WangWei’s help
Han’s natural talent
Years of hard work
His unique method
Para.2
Para.3
Post-reading
What can you learn from Han Gan’s way of painting?
1. The knowledge from books without practice is shallow
after all.We have to try through hard action to know
whether it is useful. 纸上得来终觉浅,绝知此事要躬行。
2. Hard work leads to success. Nothing is impossible to a
willing heart. 有志者,事竟成。
Role-play
Host: Welcome to Art Talk. Today we’re at the Met with Dr. Li. Dr. Li, this painting looks very lively – what is it?
Expert: This is Night-Shining White by Han Gan, from the Tang Dynasty.
Host: I see a horse tied to a pole – it looks like it’s trying to break free.
Expert: Yes. Its eyes burn, teeth are bared, hooves kick. Han Gan captured every detail.
Host: How did he manage to paint so vividly?
Expert: He didn’t copy old paintings. He observed real horses and even lived in the royal stables.
Host: That’s interesting. I also heard he refused a famous teacher?
Expert: Right. He told the emperor, “The horses in your stables are my real teachers.”
Host: So Han Gan didn’t need a famous teacher – he just watched real horses. I guess that’s a lesson for all of us.
Expert: Exactly. Observe real life and let nature be your teacher.
Host: I’ll remember that. Thank you, Dr. Li.
Expert: My pleasure.
Work in groups.
Imagine you are a tour guide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use the information in Activity 3 to introduce the artwork to visitors.
Think about what information to include.
Decide in what order you will introduce.
Night-Shining White《照夜白》
“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Now, please come closer and look at this amazing painting: Night-Shining White, painted by _________, an artist from the Tang Dynasty, who is famous for______________________________________________________________”
“Look at the horse. You can see a horse tied to a pole, appearing to break free. Han Gan wonderfully captures the details as you can feel the power with its___________________________________________________________
Why could Han Gan do that? Because___________________________He once said to the emperor: ‘All the horses in your stables are my real teachers.’
That is the secret of his greatness. So next time you want to learn something well, remember Han Gan – go to life itself, and let nature be your teacher. Thank you.
Para1.
What a magnificent horse! Even after more than a thousand years have passed, we can still feel the power within its burning eyes, bared teeth and kicking hooves.
Night-Shining White, now kept in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is regarded as one of the most significant horse paintings in the history of Chinese art.
Its artist, Han Gan, is known for his skill in capturing not only the physical features of the animal, but also its inner spirit and strength.
splendid/impressive
The horse bared its teeth.
The concert kicked off with a fireworks show.
The new museum, ____________ (feature)a collection of over 1,000 rare artifacts, will open to the public next month.
featuring
Para2.
Born into a poor family in the early Tang Dynasty, the young Han Gan had to help support his family by working in a local wine shop. His artistic talent was discovered by accident when he was sent to the poet Wang Wei’s house to collect payment for some wine.
While waiting at the gate, Han Gan used a stick to draw pictures in the dirt and was seen by the poet himself. Wang Wei decided to sponsor the young man to study painting and recommended him to a master.
Due to Han Gan’s natural talent and years of hard work, he was eventually chosen to serve Emperor Xuanzong in the royal palace.
by chance
I chanced to meet an old friend in the museum yesterday.
If ________ (heat), ice will turn into water.
Once ________ (see), the film can never be forgotten.
When he ________ (ask) about his past, he kept silent.
heated
seen
was asked
Para3.
The Tang emperors were very fond of horses. This meant that the animal was a frequent subject for artists. At that time, the most common way to study horse painting was by copying the works of previous painters.
Han Gan’s method, however, was different – he observed the animal itself.
be keen on/be enthusiastic about/ be hooked on
They observe the tradition of giving red envelopes during the Spring Festival.
The teacher observed that many students had improved their handwriting.
Do they observe Christmas in that country?
imitate/mirror模仿
He was a frequent visitor to the royal stables and even moved in to live with the stable workers for quite some time. The horses, whether resting or on the move, offered him plenty of inspiration.
The more time he spent observing these animals, the more his understanding of them grew. Day after day, Han Gan painted the horses, his brush presenting every detail that he saw with his own eyes.
He frequented the royal stables.
To eat one, you have to decide whether to bite a small hole in it first, releasing the stream and risking a spill (溢出), ______ to put the whole dumpling in your mouth, letting the hot soup explode on your tongue.
or
独立主格
His voice trembling with anger, he struggled to utter a single word.
The little boy sobbing quietly, his mother knelt down and held him tight.
All preparations made, the team set off on their adventures.
All the tickets ____________ (sell) out, they had to wait for the next show.
The guide ________ (lead) the way, we had no trouble finding the ancient temple.
So much time ________ (waste) on the meaningless argument, they regretted it deeply.
Weather ________ (permit), the spaceship will be launched tomorrow morning.
sold/having been sold
leading
wasted
permitting
Para4.
It is said that when the Emperor asked Han Gan to take a master of horse painting as his teacher, the artist replied, “I have my own teachers, Your Majesty. All the horses in your stables are my very teachers.”
It is reported / believed / thought that...
It is widely acknowledged that climate change is a global challenge requiring immediate action.
It is believed that regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease.
sb. be said to do/ to be doing /to have done
He is said to be a good doctor.
She is said to be writing a new novel.
The thief is said to have escaped.
Para 5.
Those who saw Han Gan’s horse paintings all sang high praises for his unique skill, saying that his horses “could gallop off the paper.”
Even Su Shi, the famous poet of the Song Dynasty, expressed his admiration for Han Gan as a master of horse painting with the words, “The horses painted by Han Gan are real horses.”
speak/think highly of
Writing about an artwork
Sunflowers
Arles, Junuray 1889,
Vincent van Gogh(1853-1890)
oil on canvas, 95cm by 73cm
Read the museum introduction to the painting and answer the questions.
What else do you know about Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings?
It’s believed that Van Gogh made 11 sunflower paintings. In his mind, the yellow represented the color of the sun, the sunshine served as symbol of love. For Van Gogh, the sunflower was the best subject to express his thoughts. The summer was short, and the blooming period of the sunflower was even shorter. Van Gogh also ended his short life just like the sunflower.
2. What do you think of this sunflower painting?
In this painting, there are 15 sunflowers in all directions and in various forms, which are blooming brightly in a yellow vase, showing the painter's appreciation and love for the life chasing sunshine.
Read the writing help and know about how a passage about appreciating an artwork is well organized.
Introduction give basic information about the artist and the artwork
Main body describe the artwork
Conclusion give your own comments
Introduction: give basic information about the artist and the artwork
Introduction
✩This sunflower painting was an 1 oil on canvas
by 2 Van Gogh.
✩It is among his 3 most famous sunflowers in a vase,
✩It was completed 4 in Arles in 1889.
Complete the writing outline with the information in Activity 5.
Main body: describe the artwork
Main body ✩It shows 5 that the flowers are at different stages of life.
✩It is painted mostly in 6 mostly in three shade of yellow.
✩The colors range from 7 bright yellows to brownish yellows.
✩8 The sunflower paintings held special meaning for Van Gogh.
Conclusion: give your own comments
Conclusion
The sunflowers are no longer simple plants, but a sincere and enthusiastic blooming life, just like van gogh himself. Van gogh expressed his understanding of life to the world through depicting the sunflowers, and showed his unique spiritual world.
Now write an article about the painting Sunflowers.
This sunflower painting is an oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, a great painter from the Netherlands. It was completed in Arles in 1889 and is among his most famous works.
It shows sunflowers in a vase, mostly in three shades of yellow, from bright yellows to brownish yellows. I can see the flowers are at different stages of life-some are just starting to bloom and some are starting to wither.
Reference samples:
The painting leaves a great impression on me. I think it shows the meaning of life. Each of the flowers is trying its best to grow and show its beauty, no matter which stage of life it is at. The painting gives me a deeper understanding of life.
Reference samples:
Presenting ideas
Look at the pictures. Who are they? What are they doing?
They’re artists in different areas of art. i.e. musicians, a calligrapher, a craftsman, and a painter.
Recommend a local artist and complete the form with information about him/her.
Name
Speciality
Representative works
Key features
Reasons for recommendation
Work in groups. Talk about your recommended artist and vote for the most interesting. Use the information in Activity 1 and the expressions in the box to help you.
Useful expressions
I recommend…because…
I think… is the best choice, because…
He / She specialises in …
His / Her work shows…
I agree with him / her.
I’m afraid that I have to disagree. I think…
Present your chosen artist to the class. Vote for the best “Neighborhood Artist”.
Do you know of any other artists famous for painting animals? Introduce one to the class.
Choose one of the artists you are familiar with, and write a short passage about him or her.
THANKS FOR WATCHING
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