A
If you are crazy about paintings, you shouldn’t miss the following four famous masterpieces which have stood the test of time.
The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document on fifteenth-century society, through van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.
The Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night
oil on canvas(帆布), a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village, during his 12-month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy -de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of van Gogh’s most famous works.
The Harvesters
The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicts the harvest time which most commonly occurred within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.
Guernica
Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofaí in Madrid.
1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?
A. The Arnolfini Portrait B. The Starry Night.
C. The Harvesters. D. Guernica.
2. What do we know about the painting The Starry Night?
A. It was painted on wood in oil.
B. It wasn’t widely recognized before 1941.
C. It described the painter’s life in hospital.
D. It was given away to the museum by a collector.
3. Who created the painting describing the tragedy of war?
A. Pieter Bruegel the Elder. B. Vincent van Gogh.
C. Jan van Eyck. D. Pablo Picasso.
【答案】1. A 2. B 3. D
【解析】
【分析】
这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了四幅名画——从扬·凡·艾克的肖像画到巴勃罗·毕加索的杰作。它们都经受住了时间的考验。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段The Amolfini Portrait中的Jan van Eyck’s Amolfini Portrait, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434.第三段The Starry Night中的during his 12-month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890.第四段The Harvesters中的The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565.和第五段Guernica中的Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937.可知，The Amolfini Portrait是最早创作的画。故选A。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据The Starry Night中的When the Museum of Modem Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of van Gogh's most famous works.(1941年，当纽约现代艺术博物馆从一位私人收藏家手中买下这幅画时，它并不为人所知，但后来却成了梵高最著名的作品之一。)可知，The Starry Night在1941年之前没有被广泛认可。故选B。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。根据Guernica的Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937.(格尔尼卡是一幅黑白相间的大型油画，由古巴画家巴勃罗·毕加索于1937年创作。)和The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war.(这幅画描绘了战争的恐怖，因此成为反战的象征，并提醒人们战争的悲剧。) 可推断，巴勃罗·毕加索创造的油画描述了战争的悲剧。故选D。
【点睛】细节理解题是阅读理解中常见的题型。考生在做这类题时一定要仔细审题，弄懂题干，题干当中往往有重要信息，然后回文定位，找到依据。比如此题第2题，根据题干定位The Starry Night部分中的When the Museum of Modem Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of van Gogh's most famous works.(1941年，当纽约现代艺术博物馆从一位私人收藏家手中买下这幅画时，它并不为人所知，但后来却成了梵高最著名的作品之一。)可知，The Starry Night在1941年之前没有被广泛认可。故选B。
