33    I can describe a painting

This painting, Bathers at Asnieres by Georges Seurat, illustrates a typical scene of 19th-century leisure and the developing industry in this suburb of Paris. In the foreground¹ a group of workmen are relaxing by the river; in the distance you can just see the factory where they probably work. Everyone is looking out at the river and ignoring each other, even the little dog in the bottom left-hand corner². We can sense the warmth of the summer’s day in the bright sunlight, light colours, and shadows.

spotlight  painting and drawing

Bathers at Asnieres is a painting.

Seurat was a painter or artist (artist is a more general word).

paint V.

A drawing is a picture made with a pencil or pen, but not paint, draw V.

I paint a lot of portraits.

I can’t draw faces very well.

Glossary

illustrate sth  explain sth in a picture or diagram. illustration N.

scene  a view you can see in a picture or from the place where you are.

leisure  time when you do not have to work.

industry  the production of goods in factories. industrial ADJ.

in the distance  far away from you.

just  If you can just see sth, you can only see it with difficulty.   

ignore sb/sth  pay no attention to sb/sth.  

even  used for emphasizing sth that is surprising.   

sense sth  get a feeling about sth that you can’t directly see or hear.  

warmth  a pleasant heat. 

bright  having a lot of light. OPP dark, brightness N. 

 

1     Look at the big picture. Write your answers to the questions.

►   Where is the man in the red swimming costume sitting? In the middle of the picture.

1     How many people are there in the foreground? ________

2     Are the boats in the foreground or the background?  ________

3     Are the men sitting in the shade? ________

4     Is the dog in the bottom left-hand corner? ________

5     Can you see the dog’s shadow? ________

6     Is the picture a drawing or a painting? ________

7     Where are the factories? ________

8     On which side of the picture is the boy in the river? ________

9     Are the colours dark or bright? ________

10   On which side is the man wearing the light-coloured hat? ________

 

1     five

2     the background

3     no

4     yes

5     yes

6     a painting

7     in the distance/background

8     on the right-hand side

9     bright

10   on the left-hand side

3     Put the words in order. Use contractions, e.g. it’s, they’re.

►   dog / foreground / the / in / is / the  The dog’s in the foreground.

1     the / it / you / see / in / can / distance  ________

2     bottom / the / corner / he / is / in / lying / left-hand  ________

3     of / right-hand / is / on / the / it / side / the/ painting?  ________

4     they / the / centre / drawing / of / are / in / sitting / the  ________      

5     in / left-hand / some / there / corner / are / trees / top / the ________

1     You can see it in the distance.

2     He’s lying in the bottom left-hand corner.

3     Is it on the right-hand side of the painting?

4     They’re sitting in the centre of the drawing.;

5     There're some trees in the top left-hand corner.

5     ABOUT YOU Think about a painting you know and like. Write your answers, or ask another student.

1     What’s the name of the artist who painted it? ________

2     Do you know when it was painted? ________         

3     What does the painting illustrate? ________

4     What do you like about the painting? ________

5     Do you do any painting or drawing yourself? If so, what do you do? ________

Answers from a Polish person

1     Gabriela Trykler.

2     Yes, in 1995.

3     It’s an abstract painting.

4     I like the many different ways I can interpret it, depending on my mood. I also like the colours.

5     No, I don’t.