Art is the creation or expression of what is beautiful, especially in visual form. Drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, ballet belong to the fine art». Really when something is extremely beautiful or has great cultural value, we say: «It "s art».
The twentieth century has given the world cinema. For a long time there have been disputes whether the cinema is an art or just an entertainment. Nowadays the cinema is considered one of the main contemporary arts. Not so long ago people went to cinemas frequently, but now we prefer to stay at home and watch video films and TV. Maybe cinemas are no longer as popular as they used to be but films will always be one of the best entertainments for people all over the world. Speaking about art one should not forget about music, especially classic music. Outstanding Russian composers make all the world admire their music. It"s almost impossible to find a man who does not know Pyotr Ilyich Tchaicovsky, Michail Glinka, Nicholai Rimsky-Korsakov - the famous composers of 19th century, and Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitriy Shostakovich. The most famous ballets «Swan Lake», «The Sleeping Beauty», «The Nutcracker» and not less famous operas «The Queen of Spades», «Eugine Onegin» are still excellently staged and performed not only in Russian but in many greatest theatres in the world.
Russia is famous for its architecture. The real jewel of architecture is the Moscow Kremlin with its cathedrals, towers and red brick walls. There are also a lot of museums and galleries in Moscow. The most famous gallery of Moscow is Tretyakov gallery, it reflects the whole history of Russian Art. It has a rich collection of early Russian painting including famous icon. The world famous «The Trinity» by Andrey Rublev is exhibited in the gallery. St.Petersburg has great number of real masterpieces of architecture of different styles and is definitely worth visiting and being admired. Russia is rich also in young talents, new Russian culture is forming. We can hear new voices in music and poetry, new canvases of modern artists, great actors and film directors. All of them will make their contribution into Russian Culture and Art.
The most important form of early Russian art was the icons. The word icon means image in Greek. Icon is the religious pictures of Christ and Saints on wooden panel. They decorated churches, mostly placed on the iconostasis. In Russia the finest icons were produced from the midforteenth century. In that time a specific national style icon painting was formed. Russian icon painting reached the highest point of its achievement in the works of Theothan Greek, Andrey Rublev and Dionissy in the mid-15 century. Andrey Rublev is a Russian greatest iconpainter. In 1408 he was engaged on the murals in the Cathedral of the Assumption at Vladimir when he also produced his version of the icon of Vladimirs Virgin. And well known cuch icons as Спас and Троица which was found in Vladimir. A.R.s icons is expressed a distinct filling of harmony, deep spirituality, grace and the beauty of the colors. Rs works is one of the greatest creations of medieval Russian painting.
Art has always been occupation for the few, but has been admired by many. I really enjoy everything that is beautiful. I like painting, sculpture. I am fond of music and theatre.
Some people claim that the world nowadays is too «materialistic». People sometimes fail to appreciate the beauty which surrounds us everywhere. They are too obsessed with, as they say, «real problems». Unfortunately, if you tell them to stop and look around, they’ll think you’re just laughing at them. «Can’t you see I’m busy? Staring at things can’t give me any money!» — will be the answer.
But all of us shouldn’t forget the human personality is a fivefold constitution (a body, a life, a mind, a psychic and a spiritual being). None of these elements stands disconnected from the others. It’s good to climb a career ladder as fast as possible and become prosperous. But don’t forget about your soul — treat it to some art.
In my opinion art plays a great role in the development of the spiritual world of every human being. Art helps to see things from another point of view, it elevates the mind and soul, it helps to develop a good taste. I think it’s very important that talented artists manage to capture and represent such an intangible thing as the mood. Thus the beholder not only gets information about the subject matter of the canvas but also he is able to understand the artist’s attitude to it. And we should agree that a good painter should involve beholders into his creative process. T mean that while painting the artist just gives us some clues, hints better to understand his message but only a very careful art-lover will understand them completely.
People who would like to call themselves educated ought to know a lot about art. It’s all because art shows a person’s outlook. For instance, there are such genres in fine art as a ceremonial portrait or a historical painting. How can a person understand the artist’s message if he doesn’t even know what’s going on the canvas?
Besides historical paintings and portraits there are other genres of fine art such as a landscape, a genre painting, a still life, a religious painting, etc. Each genre usually has some special features (at least, it used to have, because nowadays modern art is developing and it really knows no bounds).
Let’s take a portrait. Though every portrait is distinct and individual, the center point of each is a face or a human figure. Other details are usually subordinated to it. In the background we can see absolutely different things — and it depends on the artist’s design whether the background is vague or it is clearly outlined. The likeness of the good portrait and the original is caught with a sure hand. Moreover, it’s important not only to convey the face features of the person but also to render a sense of his or her character. A good portrait can tell us the whole story of a person’s life!
What are other things which make canvases so different? Certainly, the style of painting plays a great role. Suffice it to say that if we compare an ancient portrait with a portrait which belongs to the epoch of the Renaissance or to modern times, we’ll notice the difference at first sight. In the beginning people didn’t know anything about the rules of painting, about such things as perspective or the way how to convey volume. A great technical contribution was made into painting during the Renaissance, when each picture seemed to strive for perfection. New rules of painting were discovered and canvases became more realistic. Artists started to pay attention to the smallest detail, there was a wide-color scheme in their works, they managed to achieve vision in depth and to create an open-air feeling in the work.
It’s really impossible to mention all the styles of fine art as there are lots of them, but T’ll say some words about one. It’s Impressionism, one of my favourite.
As you can guess from the name «Impressionism», the main aim of the painters who work in this style is to capture and represent the first impression the scene has made on them. They view the scene broadly and that’s why they don’t tend to depict every detail. So, how do they manage to render volume and perspective?
It’s all because they invented a new technique and adopted a new palette. Firstly, they discovered that every color has a complementary one (e.g. violet for greenish-yellow). They used them together and colors dazzled and dissolved in the eyes of beholders producing a wonderful effect. Then, they didn’t mix colors, instead they put down pure colors which at a distance fused and produced the effect desired. They didn’t use black color — only dark green, indigo or deep violet. Besides, impressionists usually used quick, vigorous brush strokes and rarely outlined the objects.
This technique was revolutionary. None had ever tried to do something like this before. That’s why at first people couldn’t understand Impressionism, their works of art were banned, other artists simply despised them. And now these canvases are the most expensive ones in the world.
In prehistoric times the first people used chalk to draw a bison or a deer in their caves. Little children try to draw everything they see around them. You see, people tend to be creative. It’s a wonderful way to express our own personality, a great way to distract from problems. And though some people will say it’s just a waste of time and it’s completely useless, it isn’t. Yes, probably not everyone is gifted enough to become a brilliant artist, but everyone possesses an ability to contemplate. Don’t let your soul be bored — open the world of Art for yourself, explore its mysteries, ask questions and search for answers, enjoy the masterpieces and, probably, create your own one!
What is art?
Art is a way to show one’s emotions or communicate one’s thoughts. Art is an important part of people’s cultural life. There are different forms of art.
Painting, sculpture, photography
Painting is a practice of applying paint or color to a surface. There are a lot of genres and styles. For example, there are landscape, portrait and still life paintings. There are a lot of famous painters, such as Leonardo da Vinci with his Mona Lisa and Rafael with his Sistine Madonna.
Sculpture is one of the plastic arts. The process of work involves carving or modeling. Stone, clay or wood are the most typical materials.
Photography is also a form of art but is characterized by usage of various technical tools. Thanks to technological progress a photographer can create unforgettable images.
Theatre and cinema
Theatre is a form of art where a group of people performs in front of a live audience. The performance is usually based on a real or imagined event. The actors communicate this experience to the public through gestures, songs and words.
Cinema is a relatively new form of art. The action is performed on the screen. Today, cinema is a very popular leisure activity.
Music and architecture
Music has always been an important part of human’s life. Different genres of music can be used for relaxation, awakening, and what not. Everyone has heard about Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and other great composers.
Architectural works are often perceived as a form of art. Architecture is quite versatile. There are a lot of styles, shapes and trends. One can’t help admiring the Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi or the Winter Palace by Francesco Rastrelli.
Понятие искусства
Искусство – это способ передать свои эмоции или выразить свои мысли. Искусство является важной частью культурной жизни людей. Существуют разные формы искусства.
Живопись, скульптура, фотография
Живопись характеризуется нанесением краски или цвета на поверхность. В живописи есть много жанров и стилей. Например, пейзаж, портрет и натюрморт. Известны имена многих живописцев, среди которых Леонардо да Винчи с его картиной «Мона Лиза» и Рафаэль с его «Сикстинской Мадонной».
Скульптура относится к изящным искусствам. Процесс работы характеризуется резьбой или лепкой. Основными материалами являются камень, глина и дерево.
Фотография также относится к искусству, но характеризуется применением различных технических приспособлений. Благодаря технологическому прогрессу, фотограф может создавать незабываемые снимки.
Театри кино
Театр – это вид искусства, в котором группа людей выступает перед аудиторией. Представление, как правило, основано на реальных или выдуманных событиях. Актеры общаются с публикой с помощью жестов, песен и слов.
Кино – сравнительно молодой вид искусства. В нем действие происходит на экране. Сегодня кино является очень популярным видом досуга.
Музыка и архитектура
Музыка всегда была важной частью человеческой жизни. Различные жанры музыки используются для расслабления, пробуждения и многого другого. Каждый слышал о Людвиге ван Бетховене, Вольфганге Амадее Моцарте и других великих композиторах.
Архитектурные работы также являются предметом искусства. Архитектура крайне многообразна. В архитектуре существуют различные стили, формы и направления. Нельзя не любоваться Собором Святого Семейства Антонио Гауди или Зимним дворцом Франческо Растрелли.
There many arts in the world, but the most popular are: literature, music, theatre, cinema and others. Every person has his or her own favorite art.
Music has always fascinated people. It touches their hearts and makes them laugh or cry. Music can be heard everywhere. Nowadays there are a lot of musical genres: classical music, rock music, pop music, club music and others. I can listen to any genre of music. It depends on my mood. When I am sad I listen to classical music. When I am happy I like listening to energetic, fast music and hard beat. However, some people listen to one kind of music only and they listen to it no matter what mood they are in.
There are a lot of wonderful works of literature-Famous writers and poets created a big variety of poems, stories and novels that are read over the world. Russian poets and writers like Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are famous all over the world. Their works are translated into many languages.
Theatre is a popular kind of arts, too. There are a lot of theatres in Russia, but most of them are situated in Moscow. The Bolshoi Theatre and the Maly Theatre are world famous. If you like opera you should go to the Bolshoi Theatre. The tickets are rather expensive though. The Maly Theatre stages dramas and plays based on classical novels.
I am a theatre-goer. I prefer going to drama theatres. I do not like opera and ballet. Not long ago I saw Uncle"s Dream by Dostoevsky in the Vakhtangov Theatre I liked the play a lot. The decorations were rich and the famous actors played very well. There was a storm of applause after the performance.
Nowadays theatres are becoming less and less popular, and cinema has got big popularity instead. There are a lot of cinemas in Moscow: modern and old-fashioned, cheap and expensive. Modern films are full of audio and computer special effects and people go to the cinema to enjoy them. The so-called home cinemas have appeared lately. More and more people buy modern TV-sets with large flat screens and special sound equipment and watch films at home.
My favorite art is painting. I enjoy going to art galleries to look at paintings. I think that this type of art will exist forever. Artists express their feelings and emotions in their paintings. There are a lot of art galleries in Moscow, but the most famous one is me Tretyakov Gallery. It has large collections of paintings by Russian and foreign painters. My favorite painting is landscape. I think that Russian landscapists are the best in the world. I love going to this gallery when I have free time. One of my friends draws very well she is going to enter the University of Arts to become a professional artist. But I think that amateurs are the best artists.
Unfortunately I do not have any talent for this or that art. I used to sing in childhood, but then I gave it up. I think that arts are not for me.
