Реферат: The role of art in our life

The role of art in our life.

            Art is an all embracing notion(music, painting, theatre, literature and so on). Art had the most importantrole in the development of the mankind. The first were found on walls ofancient caves. So we can guess that painting was the first way of art. Paintingis the most understandable way of art, because it gives us the most full andvivid impression.

            Seneka once said: “All art is burimitation of nature”. I don’t agree with him. I think that art has manyfunctions and it’s hard to overestimate the role of art in one’s life. Art hasgreat influence on our souls, feelings, forms our moral values. Art forms ouroutlook and enriches our inner world. Art influences greatly the developmentand of evolution of  consciousness of aperson and of the mankind. Art makes us think of the sense of life, how peoplemust live, what is ideal of beauty, what is love, — the eternal questions. Arthelps us to understand people who lived hundred years ago and to learn thehistory of the mankind. Art creates our notion about beauty and harmony. Arthelps people to understand outside world and each others. Art develops our goodqualities. Art has a great educational significance. Art brings people up — makes them more humane and kind. The language of art is universal. Everybody,in spite of age, nationality, occupation understands what is said by thepainter. Art gives people a possibility to express ourselves and to becomefamous. But I don’t think that every painter becomes famous. Only talented,genius people like da Vinci, Raphael and others can create great, eternal art,real masterpieces. Art is great only if it has links with people’s lives,interests, ideals. If it hasn’t, it won’t be understood and acknowledged. Realart appeals to the heart and mind of a man, to his feelings and it proclaimslife.

            As to the trends of art, I preferold art. Painting of old masters is one of the greatest treasures mankind hascollected in the history of its civilisation. The pictures of old painters arein all big museum of the world (for example, the Hermitage, the Tretiakovskayagallery and others). Old painting reflects the collective experience of humanspiritual life of many centuries, because, as I have already said, painting isthe first way of art. As to country schools of painting, I prefer Englishpainting school. My favourite English painter is George Romney.

            George Romney was born in 1734. Hewas a son of a cabinetmaker. He was apprenticed to Christopher Steele, atravelling portraitist between 1775 and 1757; at that time Romney establishedhimself in Kendal, Westmoreland, where he had a fairly prosperous trade insmall portraits. In 1762 he left for London; here he broadened his styleconsiderably. In 1763 and 1765 he won awards at the Society of Arts. During thenext few years he became more popular as a portrait painter. In 1764 Romneypaid a short visit to Paris. In 1773 he left England and spent two years inItaly, mainly Rome, studying antique sculpture and the work of Raphael. Thesestudies had a major influence on the development of his style.

            On his return to England in 1775Romney rapidly became and remained for many years one of the most fashionableportrait painters in London; his patrons ranged from the Prince of Wales andmembers of the aristocracy to the literary and dramatic figures of the day.Second only to Sir Joshua Reynolds in popularity, Romney was, however, such apathologically timid character that he never ventured to present himself forthe honours of the Royal Academy of Arts and hence acquired an unmeritedreputation of a recluse. In 1782 he met his “divine lady”, Emma Hart, laterLady Hamilton, of whom he painted a great number of famous portraits in variouscharacter roles. Romney painted four pictures for John Boydell’s ShakespeareGallery between 1786 and 1791. These were among the very few subject hefinished, though he left thousands of rough sketches that are of greatinterest. Unlike his public work, these sketches link Romney with theimaginative world of William Blake. After 1796, ill health forced Romney tostop painting. The last years were spent in Kendal. George Romney died in 1801.

            The most vivid impression on me hasproduced Romney’s picture “The portrait of duchess Elisabeth Derby”, which wasfinished in 1778. It is an oil painting, canvas.

            The figure of a beautiful rich womanis placed on the landscape background. It is a full length portrait. The womanis represented sitting. The figure is arranged in a vertical format. Colouringis subtle, soft, delicate and restful. Brushstrokes are not visible.

            The women is dressed in luminousdress, through which one can see contours of her figure. The lady’s figure islighted up evenly. The women has beautiful big dark eyes, tall forehead, rosycheeks, straight nose and beautiful lips. The profession of the woman isn’tindicated, but she has graceful hands, so one can guess that she doesn’t workwith her hands. We can judge that she is a representative of high class family.

            Every pleat of the woman’s dress,coiffure and other details are painted very precisely. As to my opinion thedetails are not emphasised purposely. Accuracy in details is the result ofsupreme mastery in technique of the painter. So the figure is a harmoniousunity.

            The landscape isn’t painted soexactly. There is a piece of blue-grey sky in the right-corner of the picture,but on the horizon the clouds are condensing. The forest behind the lady isn’tgreen, it is obscure and gloomy. Predominant colour is brown. There is a sharpcontrast between lighted up figure and dark landscape. The figure is close tothe observer than to the landscape. So the figure doesn’t blend with thelandscape.

            The posture of the lady is verynatural. Her eyes are gazed before and upper herself. She is deep in herthoughts.

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