Worksheet

Unit 1 Introduction to Impressionism

A. Match the Impressionism-related term on the left with its correct definition on the right.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

en plein air   fleeting   vivid   movement   palette

1. Impressionists tried to capture a __________ moment, like the reflection of sunlight on water.
2. Claude Monet often painted __________, which means "in the open air."
3. The __________ of Impressionism began in Paris in the 1870s.
4. Artists used __________, bright colors instead of dark, mixed tones.
5. An Impressionist's __________ (color mixing board) often contained pure, unmixed paints.

C. Complete the paragraph by putting the verbs in brackets into the correct tense (Past Simple or Past Continuous).

In the 1870s, a group of artists in Paris ____________ (begin) to rebel against the official art academy. While traditional painters ____________ (work) in dark studios, the Impressionists ____________ (paint) outdoors. One day, Claude Monet ____________ (create) a painting titled Impression, Sunrise. When a critic ____________ (see) the work, he ____________ (mock) it because it looked unfinished. While the critic ____________ (write) his negative review, he accidentally ____________ (give) the movement its name.

D. Advanced Reading Comprehension – Impressionism & the Rise of Modern Vision

The Radical Eye: How Impressionism Changed Art Forever

When the first Impressionist exhibition opened in Paris in 1874, it provoked outrage. Critics called the works “unfinished,” “sloppy,” and even “insulting.” One reviewer famously quipped that wall-hangings were more refined. Yet within a generation, this despised movement had fundamentally reshaped Western art. What made Impressionism so revolutionary was not merely a new technique, but a radical shift in perception itself.

Prior to the Impressionists, academic painting adhered to a set of rigid conventions: mythological or historical subjects, smooth finishes, muted tones, and studio-bound execution. Paintings were expected to look like windows onto an idealized world—static, composed, and timeless. The Impressionists rejected nearly all of these premises. Inspired by new scientific research into optics and color theory, they abandoned the studio for the streets and countryside. This practice of working en plein air allowed them to observe how light actually behaves—how shadows are not brown or black but instead contain blues, purples, and greens, and how color shifts from one moment to the next.

To capture these fleeting effects, Impressionists developed a corresponding technique. They applied paint in small, discrete dabs of pure, unblended color. Rather than mixing pigments on a palette, they let the viewer’s eye perform the mixture optically. From a distance, adjacent strokes of red and yellow appear to blend into orange; blue and yellow side by side create green. This method, known as optical mixing, imbued their canvases with a shimmering vibrancy impossible to achieve with traditional blending.

However, the movement’s significance extends beyond brushwork. By choosing to paint modern life—railway stations, boulevards, dance halls, and ordinary people at leisure—the Impressionists elevated the trivial and the transient to the status of high art. Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Claude Monet’s serial studies of Rouen Cathedral at different hours are not merely pictures of things; they are meditations on modernity: its pace, its flickering surfaces, and the subjective nature of seeing itself.

Nevertheless, the public’s initial hostility should not be misunderstood as universal ignorance. The Impressionists faced genuine institutional barriers. The powerful Académie des Beaux-Arts controlled the annual Salon, the only major exhibition venue in France. Rejection from the Salon meant near-invisibility. By organizing their own independent exhibitions, the Impressionists did more than display art—they challenged the very machinery of artistic authority. In doing so, they paved the way for every avant-garde movement that followed, from Fauvism to Abstract Expressionism.

Today, an Impressionist painting is synonymous with beauty and expense. But to understand it properly, one must recover a sense of its original shock: the scandal of seeing the world not as it is supposed to be, but as it momentarily, shimmeringly appears.

Read each statement. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) based only on the text.

1. The 1874 Impressionist exhibition was well-attended but poorly reviewed. ___________
2. Academic painters before Impressionism rarely painted outdoors. ___________
3. Impressionists mixed colors on their palettes more carefully than traditional artists. ___________
4. Monet painted the same cathedral multiple times to study changing light conditions. ___________
5. The Académie des Beaux-Arts eventually supported the Impressionists. ___________
6. Abstract Expressionism was directly inspired by Impressionist brushwork. ___________

Read the article and answer the following questions.

1. According to the text, what two scientific or perceptual ideas influenced Impressionist technique?
2. Explain what “optical mixing” means and why it was different from traditional painting methods.
3. Why was organizing their own exhibitions a politically significant act for the Impressionists?

F. Watch the video in the link and summarize what you learned about impressionism.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ld4y1t7MA/

G. Read the article Twenty-five Most Famous Impressionist Paintings (25 Most Famous Impressionist Paintings | The Artist), choose one painting that you like and make a presentation about this painting. Your presentation should include the following questions:

Who painted this masterpiece?

When was it painted?

Were there any interesting stories behind this painting?

Where is the painting now？

How much is it worth?

Why do you like it?

Unit 2 Impressionism in Russia

A. Match the Russian Impressionism-related term on the left with its correct definition on the right.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

melancholy   avant-garde   plein air   earthy   national identity

-       Russian Impressionists often painted __________ scenes of the countryside and rural life.

-       Like the French, Russian artists also practiced __________ painting, working directly in nature.

-       The work of Konstantin Korovin helped bridge traditional Russian art and the __________ movement.

-       Many Russian Impressionist paintings have a __________ mood, reflecting a sense of longing or sadness.

-       Isaac Levitan’s landscapes are celebrated for expressing the Russian __________ through nature.

C. Complete the paragraph by putting the verbs in brackets into the correct tense (Past Simple or Past Continuous).

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Russian painters ____________ (look) for a new artistic voice. While European artists ____________ (experiment) with Impressionism in Paris, a group of Russian painters ____________ (begin) to adopt similar techniques at home. Konstantin Korovin ____________ (travel) to France, where he ____________ (encounter) the work of the French Impressionists. While he ____________ (study) their methods, he ____________ (realize) that he could apply them to Russian landscapes and everyday scenes. Back in Russia, Valentin Serov ____________ (paint) a portrait of a young girl surrounded by natural light—a work that would become one of the most celebrated paintings in Russian art history.

D. Advanced Reading Comprehension – Russian Impressionism & the National Soul

Light, Land, and the Russian Soul: Impressionism Beyond Paris

When Impressionism arrived in Russia at the close of the nineteenth century, it did not simply transplant itself. Instead, it underwent a profound transformation, shaped by the vast landscapes, turbulent history, and deep emotional currents of Russian culture. The result was a body of work that shared Impressionism’s fascination with light and atmosphere, yet carried a distinctly Slavic character—one marked by introspection, national pride, and a melancholy beauty that French painters rarely sought.

Konstantin Korovin (1861–1939) is widely regarded as the first true Russian Impressionist. Having studied in Paris and absorbed the lessons of Monet and Pissarro, Korovin returned home determined to capture the fleeting quality of Russian light. His paintings of the Crimean coast and Moscow streets are saturated with loose brushwork and vibrant color, yet they retain a warmth and sensuality uniquely his own. Unlike the French, who were largely drawn to the social spectacle of modernity, Korovin remained rooted in the pleasures of the natural world and intimate human spaces.

Valentin Serov (1865–1911) took a different path. Celebrated above all for portraiture, Serov deployed Impressionist light not to dissolve his subjects but to illuminate their inner lives. His most famous work, Girl with Peaches (1887), depicts his patron’s daughter bathed in the soft summer light flooding through a dining-room window. The painting radiates quiet contentment, yet its apparently simple surface conceals sophisticated observations about the way light and shadow construct a sense of place and mood.

Isaac Levitan (1860–1900) brought yet another dimension to Russian Impressionism: the landscape as emotional autobiography. Levitan’s paintings of rivers, forests, and the endless Russian steppe are suffused with a lyrical sadness that his contemporaries called “the Russian mood.” Where Monet celebrated the shimmering surface of things, Levitan used similar techniques to express something deeper—the ache of belonging to a land both beautiful and severe. His work proved enormously influential, inspiring generations of painters to view nature as a mirror of the soul.

Today, major collections of Russian Impressionist work can be found at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Together, these institutions hold thousands of canvases that document a remarkable creative moment: when a foreign artistic language was adopted, adapted, and ultimately made to speak in an unmistakably Russian voice.

Read each statement. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) based only on the text.

-  Korovin studied in France before developing his Impressionist style. ___________

-  The French Impressionists were more interested in nature than in modern city life. ___________

-  Girl with Peaches was painted in a studio with artificial lighting. ___________

-   Levitan’s landscapes were influenced by his personal experiences of loss. ___________

-  The Tretyakov Gallery holds the largest collection of Impressionist work in the world. ___________

-   Russian Impressionism had a significant impact on later generations of Russian painters. ___________

Read the article and answer the following questions.

-   According to the text, in what two ways did Russian Impressionism differ from French Impressionism?

-    How does the text describe Levitan’s approach to landscape painting? Use your own words.

-  Why does the author suggest that the arrival of Impressionism in Russia was a ‘transformation’ rather than a simple adoption?

E. Compare French and Russian Impressionism. Complete the table using what you have learned.

F. Virtual Gallery: Comparing Paintings

Look at the two paintings below and answer the questions.

Painting 1: Konstantin Korovin, Gurzuf (1914)  |  Painting 2: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Skiff (1875)

-  How does the use of color differ between the two paintings?

- What mood or emotion does each painting convey? Use comparative structures: e.g., “Korovin’s painting is more... than Renoir’s” or “Similar to Renoir, Korovin...”

-   Which painting do you find more atmospheric? Why?

Language Focus: Comparative Structures

Use the following structures when comparing the two paintings or artistic traditions:

•   more than, e.g., “Korovin’s palette is more muted than Renoir’s.”

•   similar to,  e.g., “Similar to French Impressionism, Russian artists used loose brushstrokes.”

•  in contrast to, e.g., “In contrast to Monet, Levitan focused on emotional atmosphere.”

•  while / whereas, e.g., “While French painters captured modern city life, Russian painters preferred rural landscapes.”

G. Watch the video and summarize what you learned about Russian Impressionism.

Impressionism in Russia: Dawn of the Avant-Garde – Expert talks

Questions for general listening comprehension

1. Why was traveling to Paris considered essential for Russian artists in the 19th century?
2. How did Russian artists initially react to French painting, and why?
3. What three key qualities did Kramskoy say Russian art needed to move toward?
4. What role did Pavel Polenov play in bringing new ideas to Russian art?
5. How did the third generation of Russian avant-garde artists differ in their interests from earlier generations?
6. Who was the woman artist mentioned in the talk, and what did she predict about the future of art?
7. What is surprising about Malevich's relationship with Impressionism in the late 1920s?

H. Read the article about Russian Impressionism and choose one painting that you like. Make a short presentation.

Your presentation should address the following questions:

•       Who painted this work?

•       When and where was it painted?

•       What Impressionist techniques can you identify (e.g., brushwork, color, light)?

•       How does the painting reflect the Russian cultural context?

•       Where is the painting now, and how much is it estimated to be worth?

•       Why did you choose this painting?

A link to the article: https://www.rbth.com/arts/328438-russian-avant-garde-artists-impressionism

Unit 3. Museum Visit or Virtual Tour

A. Match the vocabulary term on the left with its correct definition on the right.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

foreground   composition   prepositions   focal point   diagonal

-    The tree in the __________ of the painting immediately draws your eye.

-   The artist used a __________ line from the bottom-left to the top-right to create a sense of movement.

-  We use __________ of place such as “in the foreground” or “on the left” to describe where things are in a painting.

-    The woman’s face is the __________ of the portrait — everything else leads the viewer’s gaze towards it.

-  The overall __________ of the painting feels balanced because the artist placed equal visual weight on both sides.

C. Question formation practice. Rewrite each statement as a question, using the question word given.

Example:  The main subject is in the foreground.  →  Where is the main subject?  (Where)

1.  Something is happening in the lower left of the painting.  (What)

→  _____________________________________________________________

2.  The artist used loose brushstrokes.  (Why / you think)

→  _____________________________________________________________

3.  The painting shows a river at sunset.  (What time)

→  _____________________________________________________________

4.  The colours in the background are cooler than those in the foreground.  (How)

→  _____________________________________________________________

5.  The painting is making the viewer feel a sense of calm.  (How)

→  _____________________________________________________________

D. Advanced Reading Comprehension – The Russian Museum: A Window into Russian Art

The Palace of Light: Visiting the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Founded in 1895 by Tsar Nicholas II, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg is the largest repository of Russian art in the world. Housed in the magnificent Mikhailovsky Palace — a neoclassical masterpiece designed by Carlo Rossi — the museum holds over 400,000 works spanning ten centuries of Russian artistic achievement. For students of Impressionism, its collection of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century paintings is particularly rewarding.

Walking through the museum’s galleries, a visitor immediately notices the interplay of light and colour that defines Russian Impressionism. Unlike the bright Mediterranean palette of many French Impressionists, the works here are often imbued with a cooler luminosity — silvers, steel blues, and the pale gold of northern sunlight. Konstantin Korovin’s canvases vibrate with loose, confident brushwork; in the foreground of his Gurzuf series, sunlit terraces dissolve into reflections on water, while in the background, hazy hills fade into a shimmering sky. The viewer’s eye is drawn first to the brightest patch of colour and then gently guided across the composition.

Valentin Serov’s Girl with Peaches occupies a room of its own, and rightly so. The painting’s focal point — the girl’s quietly attentive face — is placed slightly left of centre, a deliberate compositional choice that creates a sense of unposed naturalness. On the right, a window floods the room with diffused afternoon light. In the foreground, peaches and a white tablecloth anchor the scene in everyday domesticity. The result is a painting that feels simultaneously intimate and monumental.

Isaac Levitan’s landscapes occupy another wing entirely, and their emotional register is quite different. Above the Eternal Peace (1894) is one of the most ambitious paintings in the collection: a vast sky dominates the upper three-quarters of the canvas, reducing a small church and burial ground to a thin strip along the bottom. The diagonal of the shoreline leads the eye from the lower left to the upper right, creating a vertiginous sense of scale. Standing before it, many visitors report feeling not merely moved but physically small.

A virtual tour of the Russian Museum is available online, offering high-resolution images and room-by-room navigation. Whether experienced in person or on screen, the collection rewards close looking — especially when you know how to use the language of visual description to articulate what you see.

Read each statement. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) based only on the text.

- The Russian Museum was founded in the eighteenth century. ___________

-  The French Impressionists preferred cooler, northern tones in their colour palette. ___________

-   In Girl with Peaches, the girl’s face is placed exactly in the centre of the canvas. ___________

-  Levitan’s Above the Eternal Peace features a large, dramatic sky. ___________

-     The Russian Museum charges a higher entry fee for foreign visitors. ___________

- A virtual tour of the Russian Museum is accessible online. ___________

Read the article and answer the following questions.

-       How does the text describe the typical colour palette of Russian Impressionism? In what way does it differ from French Impressionism?

-       Using evidence from the text, explain how Serov created a sense of ‘unposed naturalness’ in Girl with Peaches.

-       What compositional device does Levitan use in Above the Eternal Peace, and what effect does it produce?

E. Gallery Walk – Collaborative Observation

Move between the painting stations (or virtual gallery images) with your partner. At each station, spend 3–5 minutes completing the row in the table below.

Speaking prompts to use at each station:

•       What is your first impression of this painting?

•       Which colours do you notice first? How do they make you feel?

•  What do you see in this artwork that makes you think it is Impressionist?

•      Where is the main subject? Use: in the foreground / on the left / in the background / at the centre.

•       What details help you guess what time of day or season it might be?

Language Focus: Prepositions of Place for Art Description

Use these expressions when describing where things appear in a painting:

•       in the foreground  —  the nearest part of the scene

•       in the background  —  the most distant part of the scene

•       in the middle ground  —  between foreground and background

•       on the left / right  —  the left or right side of the canvas

•       at the centre / top / bottom  —  the central or edge areas

•       along the horizon  —  the line where sky meets land or water

•       behind / in front of  —  relative position between objects

F. Comparing Art Movements

Choose one painting from the gallery. Compare it with a Realist or Surrealist work of your choice. Complete the table below and then write 3–4 sentences summarising your comparison.

Write your summary here (3–4 sentences):

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

G. Watch the video and summarise what you learned about Russian Impressionism.

Watch the documentary clip and answer the questions below.

-   What was the most surprising thing you learned from the video?

-   Which painting or room in the museum would you most like to visit in person? Why?

-  Did the video change how you feel about Russian Impressionism? Explain your answer.

What Russian Painters Discovered About Light (That France Didn’t)

H. Choose one painting from the Russian Museum’s collection and prepare a short presentation for your class. (The students choose paintings themselves, voice and choice strategy)

Your presentation should address the following questions:

•  Who is the artist, and when was the painting created?

•  Where exactly is the main subject in the composition? Use prepositions of place.

•   What Impressionist techniques can you identify?

•  What mood or emotion does the painting convey, and how does the artist achieve this?

•    Where is the painting held, and what is its estimated value?

•   Why did you choose this painting? What is your personal response to it?

Unit 4 Art Analysis and Description

A. Match the art analysis term on the left with its correct definition on the right.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

tranquil   layered   evokes   spontaneous   dominant

-       The deep green of the water lily pond __________ a feeling of stillness and calm.

-       Monet’s brushwork appears __________ and free, as though he painted very quickly to catch the light.

-       The blue tones are __________ in the composition, drawing the eye across the whole canvas.

-       Korovin’s forest interiors have a __________ quality, with light filtering through many levels of leaves and branches.

-       The overall atmosphere of the painting is __________ — peaceful, unhurried, and gently melancholic.

C. Opinion and sequencing language. Rewrite each sentence using the language prompt given.

Example:  The colours are very warm.  →  In my view, the colours are particularly warm, suggesting a late afternoon light.  (In my view...)

1.  The painting feels calm and quiet.  (From my perspective...)

→ _____________________________________________________________

2.  First I see the water. Then I notice the reflection of the sky.  (Initially I notice... Subsequently, I can see...)

→ _____________________________________________________________

3.  The brushwork looks fast and energetic.  (What strikes me most is...)

→ _____________________________________________________________

4.  The colours in the background are cooler than those in the foreground.  (It is worth noting that...)

→ _____________________________________________________________

5.  The painting makes me think of a hot summer afternoon.  (This painting gives me the impression of...)

→ _____________________________________________________________

D. Advanced Reading Comprehension – Art Analysis and the Language of Seeing

Learning to See: How to Analyse an Impressionist Painting

Analysing a painting is not a matter of knowing the ‘right answer’. It is a process of careful observation, guided by knowledge, and expressed through precise language. When you stand in front of an Impressionist canvas, you are engaging with a work that was designed to be experienced, not simply understood intellectually. The techniques, colours, and compositions are all tools the artist used to shape how you feel as much as what you see.

The most effective way to begin an analysis is to describe what is immediately visible. Where is the focal point? What occupies the foreground, middle ground, and background? What colours dominate the palette, and are they warm, cool, muted, or vibrant? These initial observations form the foundation of your analysis and prevent you from jumping to conclusions about meaning before you have looked carefully.

Once you have described the surface, you can begin to interpret the technique. Impressionist paintings are distinguished by their visible, often rapid brushwork. In Monet’s Water Lilies series, the strokes are broad and curving, blending greens, blues, and purples in a way that seems to dissolve the boundary between water and reflected sky. The absence of a clear horizon line means the viewer loses a conventional sense of depth, floating instead in a world of pure colour and sensation. This is a deliberate compositional strategy, not an accident.

Interpreting mood requires both sensitivity and evidence. To say that a painting ‘feels peaceful’ is a beginning, but not an analysis. You must identify what, specifically, creates that feeling. In Korovin’s In the Forest, the muted palette of greens and greys, the softly diffused light, and the absence of human figures all contribute to a sense of solitude and quiet. The technique reinforces the mood: the loose, sketchy brushwork suggests that the scene was captured quickly, almost furtively, as though the artist were afraid that the light would change before he could record it.

Finally, effective art analysis requires an opinion, clearly stated and supported. Phrases such as ‘In my view’, ‘From my perspective’, and ‘What strikes me most is’ signal to the reader that what follows is an interpretation, not a factual claim. This honesty is a strength, not a weakness. Art is not a puzzle with a single solution. It is an invitation to see, think, and feel — and to put that experience into words.

Read each statement. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) based only on the text.

-  The text says analysing art means finding the correct, objective meaning. ___________

-   The author recommends starting an analysis by describing what you can immediately see. ___________

-   Monet’s Water Lilies series was painted over a period of twenty years. ___________

-   The absence of a clear horizon line in Water Lilies is described as a deliberate technique. ___________

-  Korovin’s In the Forest contains several human figures in the background. ___________

-   According to the text, expressing a personal opinion weakens an art analysis. ___________

Read the article and answer the following questions.

-   What does the author say should come before interpreting the meaning of a painting?

-   According to the text, why is it not sufficient to say a painting ‘feels peaceful’?

-  How does the author suggest a student should signal that they are offering an interpretation rather than a fact?

E. Painting Analysis Framework

Choose one of the paintings below. Use the table to structure your analysis.

•    Option 1: Claude Monet, Water Lilies (1906), Art Institute of Chicago

•   Option 2: Ivan Sishkin, The Path in the Forest (1880s), the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

•  Option 3: Valentin Serov, Girl Illuminated by the Sun (1888), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

I am analysing: _____________________________________________

F. Language Focus: Adjectives for Mood and Atmosphere

Use these adjective banks when writing or speaking about paintings.

Mood / Atmosphere:

tranquil • melancholic • serene • nostalgic • tense • joyful • sombre • dreamlike • contemplative • vibrant

Light and Colour:

luminous • muted • saturated • dappled • shimmering • diffused • hazy • radiant • cool • warm

Brushwork / Texture:

loose • fluid • bold • delicate • energetic • sketchy • layered • rough • soft • precise

Sentence Starters for Opinion and Analysis:

•       In my view, this painting conveys...

•       From my perspective, the most striking element is...

•       Initially I notice..., and subsequently I can see...

•       What strikes me most is the way the artist...

•       It is worth noting that the palette...

•       This painting gives me the impression of...

•       The use of [technique] creates a sense of...

•       I am particularly drawn to... because...

G. Pair / Group Activity – Oral or Written Description

Work with a partner or in a small group. Each person chooses a different painting from the options in Section E. Follow the steps below.

•       Step 1  Use your Section E analysis table to prepare 4–6 sentences describing your painting.

•       Step 2  Include at least TWO opinion phrases and TWO sequencing phrases from Section F.

•       Step 3  Include at least ONE adjective from each bank (mood, light/colour, brushwork).

•       Step 4  Present your description to your partner without showing which painting you chose — can they guess it?

•       Step 5  Complete the peer feedback table in Section H together.

Write your description here:

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

H. Peer Feedback

After your partner has read or delivered their description, complete this feedback table together.

I. Extended Task – Choose an Impressionist painting you admire and write a full art analysis (150–200 words).

Your analysis should include:

•       A brief introduction: name of the painting, artist, date, and location.

•       A description of what you see: subject matter, composition, colours, and light.

•       An analysis of technique: how the artist used brushwork and colour to create effects.

•       An interpretation of mood: what atmosphere the painting creates and why.

•       A personal response: your opinion, supported by specific details from the painting.

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________

Unit 5 Museum Project and Presentation

A. Match the term on the left with its correct definition on the right.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

noteworthy   conveys   permanent   deserves   observe

-      One can __________ that the artist has used a very limited colour palette to intensify the emotional effect.

-       This work __________ attention due to its remarkable treatment of natural light and its influence on later Russian painters.

-       The composition __________ a sense of stillness that is characteristic of the Russian Impressionist tradition.

-       This aspect is particularly __________ because it shows how Korovin adapted French technique to a distinctly northern landscape.

-       The Hermitage houses a __________ collection of French Impressionist works alongside its celebrated Russian holdings.

C. Presentation language practice. Rewrite each sentence using the phrase given.

Example:  The painting shows the river at sunset.  →  One can observe that the painting depicts the river at sunset, with the fading light reflected across the water.  (One can observe that...)

1.  The artist wanted to capture a fleeting moment of light.  (The artist appears to convey...)

→  ___________________________________________________________________________

2.  This painting is important because it influenced later artists.  (This work deserves attention due to...)

→  ___________________________________________________________________________

3.  The brushwork is loose and energetic.  (It is particularly noteworthy that...)

→  ___________________________________________________________________________

4.  The colours in this work are different from those in Monet.  (In contrast to..., this painting...)

→  ___________________________________________________________________________

5.  We chose this painting because it represents Russian identity.  (This aspect is particularly noteworthy because...)

→  ___________________________________________________________________________

D. Advanced Reading Comprehension – Curating an Exhibition: The Art of Persuasion

Choosing and Presenting Art: What Makes a Great Exhibition?

An exhibition is never simply a collection of artworks hanging on a wall. It is an argument. The curator — the professional responsible for selecting and organising the works — makes choices at every stage: which paintings to include, in what order to show them, how to group them thematically, and what to say about them on the wall labels and in the catalogue. Every decision shapes how the visitor experiences the art, and ultimately, what they think and feel when they leave.

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg holds one of the world’s finest collections of French Impressionist paintings. Works by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Degas were collected by two remarkable Russian merchant-patrons — Ivan Morozov and Sergei Shchukin — in the early twentieth century, long before these paintings were widely appreciated in France. When the Bolsheviks nationalised the collections in 1918, these canvases entered the public domain and eventually found their home in the Hermitage’s magnificent galleries. Today, standing in front of Monet’s Corner of the Garden at Montgeron or Matisse’s The Dance, a visitor is participating in a story that spans continents and revolutions.

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow offers a complementary perspective. Its collection of French Impressionism is equally distinguished, and its curatorial approach has tended to situate these works within a broader European context, encouraging visitors to trace the connections between Impressionism and the academic tradition from which it broke. The museum’s permanent collection is supplemented by ambitious temporary exhibitions, several of which have brought previously unseen works from Russian regional collections to international attention.

Designing your own mini-exhibition requires the same fundamental skills as professional curating. You must first identify a theme or argument: not merely ‘paintings we like’, but a coherent idea that the works share or illuminate together. You must then select works that support that argument and arrange them in a sequence that builds understanding. Finally, you must present your choices persuasively, using precise language to describe what you see and compelling reasons to justify why each work merits inclusion.

Effective presentation language is therefore not just an academic exercise: it is the means by which you share your intellectual and emotional engagement with art. Phrases such as ‘One can observe that’, ‘The artist appears to convey’, and ‘This work deserves attention due to’ are not empty formulae. They are tools for making a case — for saying, in essence: I have looked carefully at this, and here is what I found.

Read each statement. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) based only on the text.

-       According to the text, an exhibition is primarily about displaying artworks attractively. ___________

-       Morozov and Shchukin collected Impressionist works before they were widely valued in France. ___________

-       The Hermitage’s French Impressionist collection was donated by the artists themselves. ___________

-       The Pushkin Museum places French Impressionism within a wider European artistic context. ___________

-       The text says students should choose paintings based on personal preference alone. ___________

-       According to the author, presentation phrases help a speaker make a persuasive argument. ___________

Read the article and answer the following questions.

-       According to the text, what are the three key stages of designing an effective mini-exhibition?

-       How does the text describe the difference in curatorial approach between the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum?

-       Why does the author argue that presentation language is ‘not just an academic exercise’? Use evidence from the final paragraph.

E. Group Project: Mini-Exhibition Planning

Work in groups of 3–4. Design a mini-exhibition about Impressionism in a Russian museum. Use the planning table below to organise your ideas before you begin your presentation.

Checklist for effective presenting:

•       ☐  We have a clear theme or argument, not just a list of paintings.

•       ☐  Each group member has a speaking role.

•       ☐  We introduce each painting with its name, artist, date, and location.

•       ☐  We use at least THREE presentation phrases (One can observe… / The artist appears to convey… / This work deserves attention due to…).

•       ☐  We use at least TWO persuasive phrases (This aspect is particularly noteworthy because… / This work deserves…).

•       ☐  We describe colours, light, brushwork, and mood for at least one painting.

•       ☐  We compare at least one Russian and one French Impressionist work.

•       ☐  Our slides / poster / notes are clear, well-organised, and visually appropriate.

F. Language Focus: Presentation and Persuasion Phrases

Use these phrases when presenting your mini-exhibition to the class.

Presenting information:

•       One can observe that...

•       The artist appears to convey...

•       What is immediately striking is...

•       A closer look reveals...

•       It is worth drawing attention to...

•       In terms of composition, one can see that...

Persuasive language:

•       This work deserves attention due to...

•       This aspect is particularly noteworthy because...

•       Few paintings capture... as effectively as...

•       What makes this work especially significant is...

•       This painting is an outstanding example of... because...

•       One cannot overlook the importance of... in this context.

Sequencing a presentation:

•       We would like to begin by introducing...

•       Moving on to our second painting...

•       To conclude our exhibition, we have chosen...

•       In summary, our three works demonstrate...

G. Peer Assessment Form

While listening to another group’s presentation, complete this form. Be specific in your comments.

Group being assessed:  _______________________________________

One thing this group did particularly well:

_____________________________________________________________________________

One suggestion for improvement:

_____________________________________________________________________________

H. Self-Assessment and Course Reflection

Rate yourself honestly on each statement below (★ = not yet confident, ★★★★★ = very confident). Add a brief example or note.

Answer these reflection questions in 2–3 sentences each.

1.  What is the most interesting thing you learned about Impressionism during this course?

_____________________________________________________________________________

2.  Which painting or artist from this course made the strongest impression on you? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3.  How has your ability to describe and analyse artworks in English changed since Unit 1?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4.  If you were curating your own real exhibition about Russian Impressionism, which THREE paintings would you include and why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Teachers’ Notes

Unit 1

Checklist for unit 1

You will have the following materials for unit 1

1. ppt

2. authentic material attached below

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TeaoFVsGwyUBiytETgcttchMNjrIVK5y/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=113431348278403568640&rtpof=true&sd=true

3. worksheet

4. the teacher’s notes

Analytical rubrics

You can use the worksheet as homework or choose some exercises/activities for students to finish in class. If you plan to give students assessment according to the worksheet, here are the scoring rubrics.

Total: 100 points

A. 5*2=10 points

B. 5*2=10 points

C. 8*2=16 points

D. 9*2=18 points

E. 10 points

F. 16 points

G. 20 points

Answer keys to the worksheet of unit 1

A. 1-B, 2-E, 3-A, 4-D, 5-C

B. 1. fleeting, 2. en plein air, 3. movement, 4. vivid, 5. palette

C. began, were working, painted / were painting, created, saw, mocked, was writing, gave

D. Part 1

1. NG (attendance is not mentioned)
2. T (they worked in studios; Impressionists left studios)
3. F (they used unblended color and optical mixing)
4. T (serial studies of Rouen Cathedral)
5. F (institutional barriers; they were rejected from Salon)
6. NG (the text says Impressionism paved the way, but not that brushwork directly inspired it)

Part 2

1. New research into optics and color theory influenced them. They learned that shadows contain colors like blue and purple, and that light changes constantly.
2. Optical mixing means placing small dabs of pure color side by side so the viewer’s eye blends them (e.g., red + yellow strokes appear orange). Traditional painters mixed pigments physically on a palette before applying them.
3. It challenged the Académie des Beaux-Arts’ control over artistic success. By creating their own exhibition space, they broke the Salon’s monopoly and redefined artistic authority.

E. Open-ended questions.

Example:

I see soft, blurred patches of pink and green. The water shimmers under a hazy sky, and the lily pads seem to float in a dreamy, peaceful rhythm. I feel calm, as if time has slowed down. The brushstrokes are short and quick, like tiny, dancing flames of color.

F. Open-ended questions.

G. Presentation

Unit 2

Materials checklist:

1. PPT
2. Worksheet
3. Teacher's notes

Analytical rubrics (Total: 100 points)

A. 5×2 = 10 points B. 5×2 = 10 points C. 8×2 = 16 points D. Part 1: 6×2 = 12 points / Part 2: 3×4 = 12 points E. 10 points F. 10 points G–H. Open-ended / presentation tasks — assessed separately

Answer keys

A. 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B, 5-E

B. earthy / plein air / avant-garde / melancholy / national identity

C. were looking / were experimenting / began / travelled / encountered / was studying / realized / was painting

Teacher's note: "Began" is Past Simple (bounded, completed event); "were experimenting" is Past Continuous (ongoing background). Students often want to make "realized" continuous — clarify that verbs of sudden mental change are typically Simple.

D. Part 1

1. T
2. F (the text says French painters were drawn to the social spectacle of modernity, not nature)
3. F (natural light floods through a dining-room window — not artificial, not a studio)
4. NG (the text describes emotional depth in the paintings but does not mention Levitan's personal biography)
5. NG (the text mentions the Tretyakov holds major collections, not that it is the largest in the world)
6. T

Teacher's note: Items 4 and 5 are the most challenging. Students with background knowledge of Levitan often answer T for #4 — remind them to stay within the text only.

D. Part 2

1. Two differences: Russian Impressionism was marked by introspection, national pride, and melancholy beauty that French painters rarely sought; and Russian painters focused on the natural world and intimate spaces rather than the social spectacle of modern city life.
2. Levitan used Impressionist techniques — loose brushwork, attention to light — not to celebrate surface appearances but to express deep emotional states, particularly a lyrical sadness connected to the Russian landscape and its sense of belonging to a beautiful but harsh land.
3. Because Impressionism did not arrive unchanged — it was reshaped by Russian landscapes, history, and emotional culture, producing work that shared Impressionism's visual language but used it to express something distinctly Slavic.

E. Comparison table — model answers

F. Open-ended comparison task — no fixed answer key. Assess for accurate use of comparative structures and reference to specific visual details in both paintings.

G–H. Open-ended / presentation tasks — assessed separately.

Unit 3

Materials checklist:

1. PPT
2. Worksheet
3. Teacher's notes
4. Virtual gallery images / museum links (if used in class)

Analytical rubrics (Total: 100 points)

A. 5×2 = 10 points B. 5×2 = 10 points C. 5×2 = 10 points D. Part 1: 6×2 = 12 points / Part 2: 3×4 = 12 points E–F. 16 points (collaborative/open-ended — assessed by observation or written output) G–H. Presentation — assessed separately

Answer keys

A. 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A, 5-E

B. foreground / diagonal / prepositions / focal point / composition

C.

1. What is happening in the lower left of the painting?
2. Why do you think the artist used loose brushstrokes?
3. What time of day does the painting show? / At what time is the scene set?
4. How do the colours in the background differ from those in the foreground?
5. How does the painting create / make the viewer feel a sense of calm?

Teacher's note: Mark for question structure accuracy, not content. Common errors: missing auxiliary ("Why artist used..."), wrong inversion ("How the painting makes..."). Question 2 is the trickiest because it requires modal phrasing ("do you think").

D. Part 1

1. F (founded in 1895 — nineteenth century, not eighteenth)
2. F (the text says Russian Impressionism has cooler tones; it implies French Impressionists used brighter Mediterranean palettes)
3. F (placed slightly left of centre, not exactly in the centre)
4. T
5. NG (entry fees not mentioned)
6. T

D. Part 2

1. Russian Impressionism features cooler luminosity — silvers, steel blues, and pale northern gold — in contrast to the bright Mediterranean palette of many French Impressionists.
2. Serov placed the girl's face slightly left of centre rather than centrally, allowed natural light to enter through a window on the right, and anchored the scene with everyday objects (peaches, tablecloth) in the foreground — all choices that suggest an unposed, naturally occurring moment.
3. The diagonal of the shoreline runs from lower left to upper right, leading the eye across the canvas. Combined with the vast sky occupying three-quarters of the picture, this creates a vertiginous sense of scale that makes viewers feel physically small.

E–F. Open-ended collaborative tasks — no fixed answer key. Use speaking prompts in the worksheet to scaffold observation. In F, assess the written summary for accurate use of comparative structures and at least two features from the table.

G–H. Open-ended / presentation — assessed separately.

Unit 4

Materials checklist:

1. PPT
2. Worksheet
3. Teacher's notes
4. Painting images for Section E (Monet, Shishkin, Serov)

Analytical rubrics (Total: 100 points)

A. 5×2 = 10 points B. 5×2 = 10 points C. 5×2 = 10 points D. Part 1: 6×2 = 12 points / Part 2: 3×4 = 12 points E. Analysis table: 6 points (1 per row, assessed holistically per element) I. Extended analysis: 20 points (see holistic rubric below) G–H. Oral/peer tasks — assessed separately

Answer keys

A. 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D, 5-E

B. evokes / spontaneous / dominant / layered / tranquil

C. Model answers (accept variation; mark for correct phrase integration + expanded content):

1. From my perspective, the painting conveys a deep sense of calm and quiet, as though the scene exists outside ordinary time.
2. Initially I notice the broad expanse of water filling the canvas; subsequently I can see the reflection of the sky shimmering across its surface.
3. What strikes me most is the energetic quality of the brushwork — each stroke appears to have been applied rapidly, as if the artist were racing against the changing light.
4. It is worth noting that the colours in the background are considerably cooler and more muted than those in the foreground, creating a sense of atmospheric recession.
5. This painting gives me the impression of a still, heat-heavy summer afternoon where everything has slowed to near silence.

Teacher's note: The most common weakness is using the prompt phrase without expanding — e.g., "From my perspective, the painting feels calm." This only restates the original. Students should add why or what specific detail produces that effect.

D. Part 1

1. F (the text says the opposite — analysis is not about finding the right answer)
2. T
3. NG (the Water Lilies series is mentioned but no dates or timeframe are given)
4. T
5. F (the text says there is an absence of human figures in Korovin's In the Forest)
6. F (the text explicitly says expressing a personal opinion is a strength, not a weakness)

D. Part 2

1. Careful description of what is immediately visible should come first — focal point, what occupies each spatial zone, what colours dominate and their qualities.
2. Because it is a beginning but not an analysis — you must identify what specific visual elements (palette, light, composition) create that feeling, not just name the feeling itself.
3. By using phrases such as "In my view," "From my perspective," and "What strikes me most is" — these signal that what follows is an interpretation rather than a factual claim.

E. Analysis table — open-ended. No single correct answer. Assess for: specificity of observation, accuracy of vocabulary, and whether the "effect on viewer" column goes beyond naming toward explaining.

I. Extended analysis — holistic rubric

Unit 5

Materials checklist:

1. PPT
2. Worksheet
3. Teacher's notes
4. Peer assessment forms (Section G)

Analytical rubrics (Total: 100 points)

A. 5×2 = 10 points B. 5×2 = 10 points C. 5×2 = 10 points D. Part 1: 6×2 = 12 points / Part 2: 3×4 = 12 points E. Group project: 36 points (see analytical rubric below) G–H. Peer and self-assessment — ungraded or graded separately

Answer keys

A. 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C, 5-E

B. observe / deserves / conveys / noteworthy / permanent

C. Model answers:

1. The artist appears to convey a desire to arrest a transient moment of light — something that would vanish in an instant.
2. This work deserves attention due to its lasting influence on subsequent generations of painters and its innovative approach to natural light.
3. It is particularly noteworthy that the brushwork is loose and energetic, suggesting spontaneity and immediacy rather than academic precision.
4. In contrast to Monet's warm Mediterranean palette, this painting employs cooler, more restrained tones characteristic of northern light.
5. This aspect is particularly noteworthy because it illustrates how Russian Impressionists embedded national feeling within the visual language of European modernism.

Teacher's note: Phrases should launch an argument, not just introduce a description. Push students to always follow with because or suggesting — especially at C1 level.

D. Part 1

1. F (the text says an exhibition is an argument, not primarily about attractive display)
2. T
3. F (the collections were assembled by Morozov and Shchukin, then nationalised by the Bolsheviks — not donated by artists)
4. T
5. F (the text specifies a coherent theme or argument, not personal preference)
6. T

D. Part 2

1. Identify a theme or argument → select works that support it → present choices persuasively using precise language and compelling justification.
2. The Hermitage presents French Impressionism through a dramatic historical narrative (patronage, revolution, public ownership). The Pushkin situates the same works within a broader European art-historical context, tracing connections between Impressionism and the academic tradition.
3. Because these phrases are tools for making a case — they are the means by which intellectual and emotional engagement with art is communicated. The author argues they are not empty formulae but instruments of argument: "I have looked carefully at this, and here is what I found."

E. Group project — analytical rubric (36 points total, 6 criteria × 6 points each)

Teacher's note: The weakest criterion in student group projects is almost always theme/argument. Groups tend to select paintings they find appealing and describe them individually. It is worth spending time before the project distinguishing a topic ("three paintings about nature") from an argument ("three paintings that show how Russian artists transformed Impressionist technique to express national identity"). The checklist in Section E is designed to guide groups toward the latter — walk through it explicitly before students begin planning.