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colouring: his ivory face, gold hair, red-gold beard float in tides of deep blue, the colour of the
artist's eyes. Only in Rembrandt's self-portraits it is possible to find such intense self-revelation.
In the fields near the asylum, by day and at night, Van Gogh drew and painted the wonders of
the earth and sky. These pictures communicate a mood of self-identification, which is the mark of
religious ecstasy in Van Gogh. The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, shows not only the stars
Van Gogh observed but exploding masses of gold fire, expanding against the blue. Two of these
swirl through the sky in a kind of cosmic embrace, unimagined by the sleeping town below.
In May 1890 Van Gogh went to Paris for a three-day stay with his brother, then to Auvers
where Dr. Paul Gachet took care of him. Despairing of the cure, he shot himself on July 27, and
died two days later. For all the tragic circumstances of his life, Van Gogh won a spiritual victory in
opening a new path for artistic vision and expression.
Make sure you know how to pronounce the following words:
Vincent Van Gogh [
]; Theo [
]; Protestant [
];
evangelism [
]; Provence [
]
NOTES
A View of La Craw - "Вид на долину Ла Кро"
The Night Cafe - "Ночное кафе"
The Starry Night - "Звездная ночь"
TASKS
I. Read the text. Make sure you understand it. Mark the following statements true or false.
1. In 1886 Van Gogh started to study art but he was out of touch with the colouristic
discoveries of Impressionism.
2. Van Gogh's favourite colours were green, white and blue.
3. In Italy Van Gogh painted his series of masterpieces in a style unprecedented in European
art.
4. Van Gogh constantly drew and painted the wonders of the earth and sky.
5. Van Gogh was fascinated by the beauty of the landscape of northern France with its mists
and rain.
6. Van Gogh won a spiritual victory in opening a new path for artistk vision and expression.
II. How well have you read? Can you answer the following questions?
1. What did Van Gogh do in his youth? What was the theme of Van Gogh's art? What did Van
Gogh work out in Paris under the influence of Impressionism and Japanese prints?
2. Why did Van Gogh leave Paris? What did he do during the next two years? How many
canvases did Van Gogh paint in Arles? What inspired Van Gogh?
3. What was revived in A View of La Craw? What expressive device was used in this painting?
How did Van Gogh transform the Impressionist technique?
4. Why is The Night Cafe characterised as a disturbing picture? What happened in late
December of 1889? What was Van Gogh allowed to do in the hospital?
5. What does Van Gogh's Self-Portrait reveal? What colours dominate in this work of art?
What mood does the picture communicate?
6. What does The Starry Night represent? What were Van Gogh's innovations?
III. i. Give Russian equivalents of the following phrases:
to identify art with emotion; the colouristic discoveries of Impressionism; to free the palette;
space construction; to work out a new, original sense of pattern in contour; emotional instability;
Renaissance perspective; an expressive device; brushstrokes vibrate throughout the picture; to
endow the painting with; cosmic embrace; tragic circumstances; to win a spiritual victory; artistic
vision and expression; a style unprecedented in European art; transformation of Impressionist
technique; against the blue.
ii. Give English equivalents of the following phrases:
одержать духовную победу над; модифицирование техники импрессионистов;
колористические открытия импрессионистов; быть очарованным; мазки пульсируют в
картине: видение художника; трагические обстоятельства; объятие космоса; одержать