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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #089
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main topic of the lecture?
A) The life of the artist Claude Monet
B) Techniques for painting realistic landscapes
C) A 19th-century movement that changed art
D) The role of art critics in Paris
2. According to the professor, how did Impressionist art differ from traditional art?
A) It focused on religious and historical subjects.
B) It used a darker and more limited range of colors.
C) It was created using quick and visible brushstrokes.
D) It was typically painted in an indoor studio.
3. What does the professor imply about the initial public reaction to Impressionism?
A) It was immediately popular with art buyers.
B) It was largely ignored by the art community.
C) It was considered scandalous and poorly executed.
D) It was seen as a logical evolution from traditional art.
4. Why does the professor mention that Impressionists painted outdoors?
A) To highlight the physical difficulty of their work
B) To explain their preference for historical subjects
C) To emphasize their break from traditional studio practices
D) To suggest that they could not afford to rent studios
Professor: When we think of the Impressionist art movement of the 19th century, we often think of soft, blurry paintings of landscapes and daily life. But at the time, this style was revolutionary and highly controversial.
Traditional European art valued realism and historical subjects, with perfectly smooth, polished surfaces where you couldn't see the brushstrokes. The Impressionists rejected this. Artists like Claude Monet wanted to capture the fleeting ‘impression' of a moment, not a detailed, static image.
To do this, they often painted outdoors, or ‘en plein air,' to observe the changing effects of natural light. They used quick, visible brushstrokes and a bright color palette.
When these works were first exhibited in Paris in 1874, many critics were horrified. They called the paintings unfinished, messy, and compared them to simple sketches. But this new focus on light, color, and subjective perception ultimately paved the way for modern art.
Traditional European art valued realism and historical subjects, with perfectly smooth, polished surfaces where you couldn't see the brushstrokes. The Impressionists rejected this. Artists like Claude Monet wanted to capture the fleeting ‘impression' of a moment, not a detailed, static image.
To do this, they often painted outdoors, or ‘en plein air,' to observe the changing effects of natural light. They used quick, visible brushstrokes and a bright color palette.
When these works were first exhibited in Paris in 1874, many critics were horrified. They called the paintings unfinished, messy, and compared them to simple sketches. But this new focus on light, color, and subjective perception ultimately paved the way for modern art.
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