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33
Caravaggio's paintings were condemned by Bolognese artists and critics in Rome, and some
were even refused by the clergy. Nonetheless, a decade after his tragic death Caravaggio's everyday
naturalism, his hard pictorial style, his intense light-and-dark contrasts had inspired a host of
followers in Rome, Naples, Spain, France, the Netherlands. His revolutionary art must be
considered a major factor in the formation of two of the greatest painters in the 17-th century
Rembrandt and Velazquez.
Make sure you know how to pronounce the following words:
Caravaggio [
]; Rembrandt [
]; Matthew [
]; Saul [
];
Lombardy [
]; Netherlands [
]
NOTES
Calling of Saint Matthew - "Призвание апостола Матфея"
Conversion of Saint Paul - "Обращение Савла"
"at the receipt of custom" (Matthew 9:9) - "у сбора пошлин"
TASKS
I. Read the text. Make sure you understand it. Mark the following statements true or false.
1. Caravaggio's life was happy and eventless.
2. The style of this genius revolutionized European art.
3. Caravaggio never rebelled against convention.
4. The Calling of Saint Matthew is a realistic painting.
5. Saint Paul was pictured drastically foreshortened.
6. Caravaggio's naturalism inspired a great number of followers in Europe.
II. How well have you read? Can you answer the following questions?
1. Where was Caravaggio trained? What society did Caravaggio live in? What was
Caravaggio's relationship with authority?
2. How did Caravaggio protest against convention?
3. How did Caravaggio arrange the figures in the Calling of Saint Matthew? What did
Caravaggio deny in this painting?
4. What was Caravaggio's attitude to the Renaissance masters? How did Caravaggio quote
Michelangelo in the Calling of Saint Matthew? What was the source of this quotation?
5. What was the favourite subject during the Counter-Reformation? How did Caravaggio
picture it? Did Caravaggio paint Saul against a background of nowhere? Was it Caravaggio's
greatest achievement? What were his other achievements?
6. How were Caravaggio's paintings treated by artists and critics during his life-time? Did this
attitude change after his death?
III. i. Give Russian equivalents of the following phrases:
a background of nowhere; a hard, firm style; light-and-dark contrasts; pictorial style;
drastically foreshortened; a long-life rebel; conventional people; to represent religious scenes in
terms of daily life; an unruly genius; to obtain a commission; scenes from smb's life; to represent an
event in the soul-stirring way; a background object; to deny the existence of; the realistic scene;
Venetian colourism; to quote; gaudily dressed youths; a vernacular translation; the beam of light; to
instil a new soul; to descend from heaven; an unidentified source of light; Renaissance masters.
ii. Give English equivalents of the following phrases:
изображать религиозный сюжет как повседневное событие; луч света; обыватели;
венецианский колоризм; перевод на народный язык; вдохнуть новую душу; тяжелый,
жесткий стиль; цитирование; изобразительный стиль; свет без указания источника; заказчики
отказывались от картин; ниспровергать классические традиции художников Ренессанса;
спустя десятилетие; излюбленный сюжет; божественная любовь; нейтральный фон; единст-
венный различимый предмет на заднем плане; реалистические сцены; новаторское
искусство.
iii. Make up sentences of your own with the given phrases.
IV. Here are descriptions of some of Caravaggio 's works of art. Match them up to the given
titles.