ART FOR LIFE’S SAKE

“Great works of art can help us deal with life’s challenges”

By: Alain De Botton

Published: The Wall Street Journal; November 3, 2013; www.online.wsj.com , The Saturday Essay Alternatively, just google the title and author’s name

Level of Difficulty: ****

BEFORE YOU READ

Access the following site and read the short article titled “Practice Looking at Art”.  When you have finished, start the slide show and practice what you have learnt.

http://www.mfah.org/learn/practice-looking-art/

Thanks are due to my dear friend and colleague Füsun Savcı for this wonderful pre reading activity.

QUESTIONS

1.       Read the first three paragraphs of the text and answer the following questions: Use your own words.

·         What is the reason for the first two paragraphs?

·         What is the function of the third paragraph?

·         What kind of an article is this going to be?

2.       Why does the writer believe the purpose of art should be pinpointed? Because it needs to ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3.       What is the purpose of art according to the writer?

4.       Art is described in the text as the apothecary for the soul. What is necessary for art to fulfill this role?

5.       Access the soft copy of the text and start the slide show. Study “At the Linen Closet” closely. The picture depicts a very ordinary topic. What is the artist’s message?

6.       Read the description of Van Utrecht’s picture and study it in the slide show on your screen. What message does the artist aim to convey via this painting? It reflects…………………………….

7.       What is the take home point for 21^st century man? We should learn…………………………………….

8.       Read the description of “North Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Moher” and study the photograph in the slideshow. What does “This” refer to in the phrase “This has a tranquilizing effect”?

9.       What important antidote to the daily hassle does the photo produce?

10.   Now read the description of “Christ Crucified” by Velazquez carefully and study the picture in the slide show. What does “that” refer to in the sentence “This picture of the crucifixion achieves that”?

11.   What is the take home point of this picture?

12.   Read the section describing “The Twilight of Life” and study the picture in the slide show. What feeling does the picture inspire in us?

13.   What makes this picture appealing?

14.   Read the description of the Venetian glass and study the picture in the slide show. Why is the glass fragile?

15.   What is the implication of the above for human society?

16.   What are CEOs supposed to take note of?

17.   Read the section titled “Hope and Cheer” in full and study the pictures. The common concern linked to the popularity of works like “Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lillies” and “The Dancer” is that……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

18.   What is the take home point concerning the message of these two paintings?

WRITING TASK

When this article was going for publication, two sections were accidentally omitted. Your task is to write these sections taking into account all you have learnt in the pre reading activity and the passage you have just read. The first is by Pablo Picasso: Guernica and the link is: http://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp

The second is a set of photographs by Turkish photographer Ali Taptık. Select one to include in the article. The link is: https://www.google.com.tr/search?q=Ali+Tapt%C4%B1k+photographs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=JeSIUtvvO4OEtAa6rICACw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=509#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=J9UJ_tqC3D0plM%3A%3BIDQTayPQt16m0M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftasartdergi.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F09%252FAli-Taptik.Tangent-Series.2011-660x433.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftasartdergi.com%252Fthe-empire-project-2013-unseen-fotograf-fuarinda-tarih-26-29-eylul-2013%252F%3B660%3B433

ART FOR LIFE’S SAKE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

It is so refreshing to be able to enjoy an article on such a subject and better still, to be able to write questions for it. I took great pleasure in putting this task together and I hope you will enjoy working on it. Neither the pre reading activity nor the writing ting task follows the norm, which could be refreshing for more creative people and there is certainly no harm in learning to look at an art work correctly.

1.       They express the current attitude to art both by the public and the current art establishment.

This is where the writer states his view point.

This is going to be an argumentative piece of work where the writer has a view and defends it while refuting counter arguments

2.       Deserve its privileges

3.       Art matters for therapeutic reasons

4.       We have to put aside customary historical reading of works of art in order to invite art to respond to certain quite specific pains and dilemmas of our psyche

5.       The big themes of life – the search for prosperity, happiness and good relationships are always grounded in the way we approach little things; OR, If we recognized the value of ordinary routine, many of our burdens would be lifted.

6.       A delight in human ingenuity and an appreciation of the vast achievements of labor and trade.

7.       To appreciate what really goes in to providing these pleasures

8.       The fact that the black at the bottom becomes the white at the top through a multitude of tiny stages

9.       A tranquil state of mind

10.   Identifies our need for our suffering to have some honor and dignity

11.   It strengthens us a little and offers consolation for the hard tasks of our life.

12.   Love, in which we are moved by the need of the other, by generosity

13.   The fact there is always a fragile bit of us but we keep it very hidden

14.   As a consequence of its search for transparency and refinement and its desire to welcome sunshine and candle light into its depth.

15.   One of the duties of civilization is to allow the more delicate forms of human activity to thrive, to create environments where it is OK to be fragile.

16.   The fact that being mature and civilized means being aware of the effect of one’s strength on others.

17.   The actual conditions of life – war, disease, political error, immorality – are in danger of being forgotten. OR, the fondness for this kind of art is a delusion. OR, we are complicit in a dangerous delusion.

18.   Cheerfulness is an achievement and hope is something to celebrate. Nothing else will do. Everything else is support for this idea so if you have succeeded in locating it, good on you.