Form 10. Unit 5. Lesson 2

Painting as a Poetry. Chagall’s “I and Village”

While listening activity

Exercise 1

Match the words:

1.   rural	A. imagination
2.  child’s	B. shapes and symbols
3. a green-faced	C. surrounding
4. I	D. and the Village
5. the geometric	E. man

Exercise 2

Fill in the missing words:

1. The whole could be viewed as a jigsaw puzzle in a child’ s _____________.

2. The components are randomly put together to produce an ____ arrangement.

3. A stark contrast exists between the ____ , the______ and the _______.

4. A man dressed in black hurries past an upside _____ down woman playing what looks like a violin.

5. «I and the Village» illustrates the relations between human be­ings and the natural _____ surrounding them.

Exercise 3

True or False:

1. Cha­gall’s «I and the Village» is a dreamlike representation of goats, pastures, a farmer, a pianist , and simplistic images of houses, some of them upside-down.

2. In the background, there is a man dressed in black.

3. The colours are rich.

4. In the fore­ground of the painting there is an Orthodox church.

5. The small and large circles have been said to represent 3 spatial phenomena.

Exercise 4

Answer the questions:

1. What is the title of the painting?

2. What is the painting full of ?

3. What does  “I and the Village” illustrate ?

Tapescript

Influenced by a childhood spent in rural surroundings, Cha­gall’s ‘I and the Village’ is a dreamlike representation of goats, pastures, a farmer, a violinist, and simplistic images of houses, some of them upside-down. The whole could be viewed as a jigsaw puzzle in a child’s imagination. Clearly  exhibiting aspects of Cub­ism, the components are randomly put together to produce an ab­stract arrangement. The colours are rich and a stark contrast exists between the red, the green and the blue. It is a painting that provides many viewpoints and perspectives.

The painting is full of intrigue and symbolism. In the fore­ground of the painting, a green-faced man, wearing a cross around his neck, a cap on his head, and holding a glowing tree, stares directly across at the head of a goat. In the background, a row of houses, an Orthodox church, and a man dressed in black hurries past an upside down woman playing what looks like a violin.

The geometric shapes and symbols catch the viewer’s attention. The small and large circles have been said to represent 3 spatial phenomena: the sun’s revolution in orbit, the earth’s revolution around the sun, and the moon’s revolution around the earth.

‘I and the Village’ illustrates the relations between human be­ings and the natural world surrounding them. It is a clear display of the relationship between humans, animals and plants.