TEXT 3 Belarusian Fine Arts
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Belarusian artists have made an enormous contribution to the development of Slav culture. In the 12th-18th centuries the most popular genres of fine arts in Belarus were frescos, icon and portrait painting. The Belarusian fresco painting of that period has a number of peculiar features. The traditions of the Byzantic, old Russian and West-European art as well as the presence of local art school can be traced in the fresco details of the Church of the Saviour-Evfrosinia and Monastery in Polotsk (12th century).
The Belarusian icon-painting has a number of striking features peculiar only to this particular school which enables us to single it out as an independent school. There is an obvious relationship between iconography and secular portrait painting. The introduction of secular symbolic details into iconography is strikingly illustrated in the 16th and 17th century icons which are exhibited in the Minsk Museum of Arts. St. Paraskevct (1575) and The Virgin and Child of the Unfading Flower (1649), where the crowns and flower-sprinkled robes of the Madonna symbolize a mystic union between the material and spiritual world. This is particularly true of The Nativity of the Virgin icon (early 17lh century) painted by Peter Yevseyevich from Golynets, in which the holy woman is vested in folk-embroidery.
The 16th century portraits created in Belarus were influenced by the Italian and German Renaissance. Secular painting in Belarus took the form mainly of portraiture, much of which was anonymous before the 18th century. Ivan Chrutsky (1810-1885) is considered to be the greatest figure in Belarusian art of the 19th century. His sentimental portraits and luminous still-life paintings had been assiduously collected by Russian and Polish art-galleries.
An important role in the formation of young artists in Belarus was played by the opening of art schools in Vitebsk (1898) and Minsk (1906).
Among the various genres of Belarusian fine arts water-colour painting is of undoubted importance and interest. Unfortunately, a lot of water-colours were lost during the war. In war-time the topics of the day were the focus of all art. The water-colours of those days are permeated with excitement and people's unbending spirit and readiness to fight against the invaders. V. Volkov, E. Krasovski, V. Kudrevich, L. Leitman, S. Romanov and other Belarusian painters worked then in various genres. In post-war years new peculiarities appeared in Belarusian water-colour painting. The artists tried to come in closer contact with their heroes, to mingle with their subjects and contemporary life.
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Water-colour landscapes are a particular phenomenon in Belarusian art. Here we should mention V. Tsvirko, one of the leading Belarusian artists. His water-colours Willows Have Burst into Blossom, The Melted Snow and April are superb. The artist has managed to obtain fresh and rich colour effects. His pictures are true to life.
Still-life paintings in water-colours are also noteworthy. V. Posledovich (Still-Life with Iris, Red Still-Life), E. Krasovski (The Fruit of the Crimea) and other artists work in this genre.
The most famous Belarusian artists who paint in oils are M. Savitski, E. Zaitsev and I. Akhremchik. The war theme predominates in their pictures, though, of course, they also painted landscapes and portraits. M. Savitski has worked out his major theme, that is of partisan movement, which is so dear to every Belarusian. The series Figures on the Heart by M. Savitski has become a specific phenomenon in Belarusian art. These thematic pictures are based on real events and reflect the brutal methods of extermination practised by fascists in concentration camps. Savitski's pictures expose the sinister nature of fascism, and, at the same time, glorify the courage and strength of people fighting against it.
Belarusian graphic art has rich and interesting traditions. Its history is closely connected with the history of the written language. The art of printing in Belarus began in the first half of the 16th century. And the first illustrated books in the Slavonic countries were printed by Francisk Scoryna. The graphic artist has to represent all the beauty of the surrounding world, all the nuances of colour with the help of two colours only: black and white, paper being the white background. In contemporary Belarusian graphic art painters belong to different generations and work in various styles.
At the beginning of the 20lh century a new trend of abstract painting developed in Vitebsk. Among the artists who belonged to that trend were the world famous M. Chagall, K. Malevich, I. Pen and others. Some of them had to leave Belarus and live abroad. Nowadays these artists are our sorrow and our pride.
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No less significant are the achievements in sculpture. Leaving aside the older masters - A. Bembel (one of the creators of The Brest Memorial Complex) and Z. Azgur (his monument to Ya.Kolas has been erected in Minsk), the younger ones are also doing their bit. They are S. Vakar (his expressive and very poetic monument to M. Bogdanovich stands in front of the Opera and Ballet Theatre), I. Misko (his monument to I. Buinitsky is located in Prozoroky), A. Anikeichik (his artistic monument to Yanka Kupala is admired by all the guests of Minsk).
S. Selikhanov (Zaslonov's monument in Orsha) together with such architects as Y. Gradov, V Zhankovich and L. Levin took part in the construction of the 
majestic Khatyn Memorial. Khatyn is known to the world as a symbol of nazi barbarity. 149 people, including 76 children were burned down alive in that village by fascists during one of their punitive expeditions! Such fearful destiny befell 627 villages in Belarus. 186 of these villages have not come back to life. One of the stones of the Khatyn Memorial bears this inscription: "We have burnt alive in flames. We appeal to all of you: May pain and sorrow turn into courage and strength, so that peace and quiet on Earth may come for ever. May life never again be extinguished anywhere in a holocoust of fires."
PART VI
DIRECTIONS:
Fill in the table with the masterpieces of the famous people:
| Peter Yevseyevich | |
| V Tsvirko | |
| V Posledovich | |
| E. Krasovski | |
| М. Savitski | |
| A. Bembel | |
| Z. Azgur | |
| S.Vakar | |
| A. Anikeichik | |
| I. Misko | |
| S. Selikhanov |
PART VII
DIRECTIONS:
Choose the best alternative according to the text:
I. In the 12'h-18th centuries the most popular of the fine arts in Belarus were
a) frescos, icon and portrait painting;
b) portrait and icon painting;
frescos and icon painting.
2. Thefresco painting in Belarus of that period
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a)was not highly developed;
b)was permeated with folk tales;
c)had a number of peculiar features.
3. Some elements of secular painting in icons
a)represent an enigmatic union between the material and spiritual world;
b)symbolize the beginning of the disestablishing the church;
c)symbolize an obvious union between the material and spiritual world.
4. Belarusian portraitists of the 18th century were
a)under the influence of the Byzantic and old-Russian art;
b)under the influence of the Italian and French Renaissance;
c)under the influence of the Italian and German Renaissance.
5. Ivan Chrutsky is considered to be -
a) the greatest figure in Belarusian art of the 19th century;
b) the greatest sculptor in Belarus in the 20th century;
c) the greatest icon painter in Belarusian art of the 19th century.
6. At the end of the I9'h century and at the beginning of the 20th, new art schools
a)were opened by Ivan Chrutsky in Belarus;
b)were opened in Vitebsk and Minsk;
c)played an important role in the formation of the-new art genres in Belarus.
7. Among the various genres of Belarusian fine arts
a)water-colour painting is of undoubted importance and interest;
b)the leading role was played by portraiture;
c)icon-painting is the most interesting and important.
8. Up to the 18th century the majority of the portraits were painted
a)by impressionists;
b)by famous artists;
c)by unknown artists.
9. During World War II a lot of water-colours
a)were bought from private collections;
b)were lost;
c)were sold abroad.
10. V. Tsvirko has managed to obtain fresh and rich colour effects and
he was awarded by the Order of Lenin by Belarasian government;
his pictures are true to life;
many of his pictures were sold to private collections.
11. M. Savitski is famous for his
a)still-life painting The Fruit of the Crimea;
b)series of pictures Figures on the Heart;
c)icon The Virgin and Child of the Unfading Flower.
12. Savitski's pictures
a)glorify the working people of Belarus;
b)disclose the real nature of fascism;
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c)are based on imaginary events.
d)13. The history of graphic art is
a)interwoven with the history of the written language;
b)of no importance to the history of the fine arts;
c)of great importance-to those who study law.
14. Graphic artists
a)cannot reflect the beauty of the surrounding world;
b)have only two colours at their disposal;
c)have a wide choice of colours at their disposal.
15. Belarusian graphic art painters
a)are well known all over the world;
b)are unknown in our country;
c)belong to different generations and work in various styles.
16. In Belarus abstract painting started to develop
a)at the end of the 20th century;
b)at the beginning of the 20th century;
c)in the middle of the 20th century.
17. The main representatives of the abstract painting were
a)P. Yevseyevich, V. Volkov, E. Krasovski;
b)M. Chagall, I. Pen, K. Malevich;
c)I. Chrutsky, V. Tsvirko, V. Kudrevich.
18. The expressive and very poetic monument to M. Bogdanovich by S. Vakar
a)was considered the best in our sculpture;
b)stands in front of the Opera and Ballet Theatre;
c)was returned to its Motherland in the 20th century.
A. Anikeichik created his artistic monument to Yanka Kupala which is
a)admired by foreigners who visit our country;
b)admired by all the guests of Minsk;
c)very beautiful and unforgetable.
20. The Khatyn Memorial was designed by
a)S. Selikhanov, Yu. Gradov, V. Zhankovich and L. Levin;
b)A. Bembel, Z. Azgur, A. Anikeichik and I. Misko;
c)S. Selikhanov, S. Vakar, V. Zhankovich and L. Levin.
ACTIVITY H
SUPPLEMENTARY READING:
DIRECTIONS:
Read the text and translate it with the help of a dictionary.
TEXT 4 Ritual Belarusian National food
A great many customs and rites of the Belarusian people, particularly in pre-revolutionary time, involved the making of special ritual foods, dishes and drinks. Of many national Belarusian ceremonies family rituals alone have survived in a number of places. Those connected with wedding and birth stand out. They were accompanied by a rich spread. It was by no means easy for a single family to prepare a festive dinner table for the guests. Therefore the relatives as well as the guests, according to an age-old custom, took along with them bread wrapped in a beautiful towel embroidered with national designs and also appetizers and various dishes of meat and fish. Such traditional foods as golden-surfaced khalatukha, scrambled eggs, nalistniki (stuffed thin butter pancakes), klinkovy cottage cheese, fruit or berry kvass, cold appetizers and many other dishes and drinks figured prominently on the table.
Weddings were always regarded as notable festive occasions. Therefore the wedding table was .the most abundant. As a rule, the wedding ceremony would be timed for autumn when the bulk of agricultural work was finished. It was made a rule that a round loaf of bread should figure among the viands. It was generally served at the end of the feast. This loaf was supposed to betoken progeny and prosperity for the young couple. Those invited would also prepare for the festive occasion and strive to show how expert they were in cooking.
The parents and closest relatives would make peachiest — boiled, stewed or roast sucking pigs, fowl or large chunks of pork or beef. There was a dish called bahina kasha(old woman's porridge) which was . conventional at a Belarusian birthday party. Cooked in an earthenware pot, it was made from wheaten or, less frequently, buckwheat cereal with eggs, butter and sugar added. The kasha was decorated with flowers and colored caramel. There was a noisy and gay sham bargaining about the right to possess the kasha. This was one of the exciting points of the festive ritual. According to accepted custom, the pot was handed over to the guest who gave the richest gift. The person who gained the pot, broke it and treated all the other guests to the kasha. The breaking of the vessel was a symbol of happiness and material well-being.
Such popular dishes as talakno (oatmeal), zhur (oatmeal kissel), krupnik (thick millet soup), pyachona (millet kasha seasoned with fat and baked in the oven), polivka (thick soup) had survived till the twenties and thirties of the XXth century. Crushed flax or hemp seeds as well as cucumber and cabbage pickle-juice were often served with rye and potato pancakes.
Today this ancient ritual dish has changed both its form and content. The pot may be filled with candies or biscuits and the kasha cooked in a saucepan. In the cities or townships the kasha is substituted for a cake or a pie made to order.
UNIT 7
TOPIC “ GREAT BRITAIN : NATIONAL TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS ”
TOPICAL VOCABULARY
| behaviour | поведение |
| queue [ kju :] | очередь |
| orderly | организованный, дисциплинированный |
| to get annoyed | раздражаться |
| to jump the queue | пройти без очереди |
| traffic jam | «пробка», затор |
| to bypass | идти обходными путями |
| reserved | сдержанный |
| employee | служащий |
| requirement | требование, необходимое условие |
| stalls | партер |
| circle | бельэтаж |
| box | ложа |
| to peer | вглядываться, всматриваться |
| to tend | быть склонным |
| bad publicity | зд. общественное осуждение |
| to ban | запрещать |
| tip | чаевые |
| to have a snack | перекусить ( на ходу ) |
GETTING STARTED
1. Every country has its customs. There are many national traditional holidays in different countries. What British holidays do you know?
2. What do you know about the British character?
3. Have you ever tried any meals of the British cuisine?
ACTIVITY A
SCAN THE TEXT 1
WHEN IN BRITAIN
DIRECTIONS:
You are going to read the text about British customes and rules of behaviour. Before you read, look at the sentences below and decide if you think they are true or false.
1. British people are very open and sociable.
2. Most people in Britain do not wear very formal clothes.
3. British people are very polite and say “thank you” all the time.
4. In England it is considered bad manners to eat in the street.
5. Nowadays women are not allowed to walk in pubs.
ACTIVITY B
READING
DIRECTIONS:
Now read. When in Britain
Visitors to Britain are often surprised by the strange behaviour of its inhabitants. The British like forming queues. They queue up when waiting for a bus, theatre tickets, in shops... A well-known writer George Mikes, a Hungarian by birth, joked: 'An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one'.
So one of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your turn. The British are very sensitive to such behaviour and they may get really annoyed with queue-jumpers - people who don't wait their turn in the queue.
Drivers in cars can become quite aggressive if they think you are jumping the queue in a traffic jam. Newspapers often publish angry articles about people who pay money to bypass a hospital waiting list in order to get an operation more quickly.
The British, especially the English, are more reserved than the people of many other countries. They don't like to show their emotions. They usually don't easily get into conversation with strangers. They don't like personal questions (for example, how much money they earn or about their family life). They take more time to make friends. They would like to know you better before they ask you home. So don't be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!
If you are invited to a party, it is considered polite to call and say if you can or cannot come. Most parties are informal these days, so you don't have to worry about what to wear — anything from jeans to suits will do.
If you are told to 'help yourself to something, it doesn't mean that your host is rude — he or she is showing that you are completely accepted and just like 'one of the family'.
It is considered rude — or bad manners— to smoke in someone's house without asking 'Do you mind if I smoke?'
If you enjoyed the evening, call your hostess the next day, or write her a short 'thank you' letter. Perhaps it seems funny to you, but British people say 'thank you, thank you, thank you' all the time! They say 'thank you' even when they give money to a shop assistant.
These days most people in Britain do not wear very formal clothes. Of course, when they are 'on duty' they have to obey certain rules. You cannot imagine a bank employee without a suit or a tie. But when he is no longer 'at work', he can put on an old sweater and jeans, sometimes with holes in them.
If you go out to enjoy yourself, you can wear almost anything. It is no longer a requirement of theatres that the audience should wear evening dress. So what you wear depends, perhaps, on how much you paid for your ticket. At the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, for example, spectators in the stalls, the circle and the boxes are usually dressed formally, whilst those peering down from the amphitheatre may well be in jeans. People do, however, tend to dress more formally for ballet and opera than for the theatre and concerts.
In recent years smoking has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer people now smoke. There is no more smoking on the London Underground, in cinemas and theatres and most buses. Many companies have banned smoking from their offices and canteens. And non-smokers can be rude to smokers who break the rule and smoke in public places. There are, however, special smokers' carriages on trains and special cinemas for those who haven't given up smoking yet.
Pubs are an important part of British life. People, especially men, go to the pub to relax, meet friends, and sometimes to do business.
At one time, it was unusual for women to go to pubs. These days, however, there are only a few pubs where it is surprising for a woman to walk in.
Children under the age of 14 are still not allowed into some pubs.
Pub food is cheaper than most restaurant food, and you don't have to leave a tip. But you do have to go to the bar to get your food and drink. There are no waiters in pubs.
In some countries it is considered bad manners to eat in the street. In Britain it is quite common to see people having a snack while walking down the road, especially at lunchtime. On the other hand, the British may be surprised to see young children in restaurants in the evening because children are not usually taken out to restaurants late at night and, if they make a noise in public or in a restaurant, it is considered very rude. In Victorian times it used to be said that 'Children should be seen and not heard', since children did not participate at all in public life. In recent years children are playing a more active role and they are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.
Good and bad manners make up the social rules of a country and are not always easy to learn because they are often not written down in books! The British have an expression for following these "unwritten rules": "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
ACTIVITY C
VOCABULARY STUDY
PART 1
DIRECTIONS:
Match the English words and their Russian equivalents:
| inhabitant | чувствительный |
| requirement | партер |
| sensitive | вглядываться |
| stalls | принимать |
| to allow | житель |
| to peer | запрещать |
| to ban | невоспитанный |
| rude | сдержанный |
| to accept | разрешать |
| reserved | требование |
PART II
DIRECTIONS:
Read these expressions and find their English equivalents in the text:
следовать определенным правилам, общественное осуждение, задавать личный вопрос, перекусить на ходу, проезжать без очереди в пробке, лондонское метро, нарушить правило, оставлять чаевые, участвовать в общественной жизни, написать благодарственное письмо, зрители в партере, курить в общественных местах
ACTIVITY D
READING COMPREHENSION
PART I
DIRECTIONS:
Answer the questions:
1. What is the main quality of the British character?
2. Why does the behaviour of British people seem strange to foreigners?
3. What rules should you observe if you are invited to a British party?
4. How do British people dress these days?
5. What is the attitude of British people to smoking?
6. What kind of place is a pub? Why do the English like to go to pubs?
7. What is the English people’s attitude to children?
PART II
DIRECTIONS:
Complete the sentences:
1. Visitors to Britain are often surprised by …
2. Drivers in cars can become quite aggressive if …
3. If you are invited to a party, it is considered …
4. It is no longer a requirement of theatres that …
5. Many companies have banned …
6. People, especially men, go to the pub to …
7. The British have an expression for following the "unwritten rules": …
ACTIVITY E
ORGANIZING YOUR THOUGHTS
PART I
DIRECTIONS:
Working in groups discuss possible answers:
1. English people as a nation have been for centuries reserved and modest. They are also known as snobbish and unsociable. Does this characteristic refer to all of them? What do you think about English vanity and arrogance? Can you give any examples borrowed from books and films characterizing the British people?
2. British people don’t like to dress up. Is there any difference in the attitude of British and Belarusian people to their clothes? What clothes do your friends prefer?
3. Recently smoking has received a lot of bad publicity in Great Britain, and fewer people now smoke. What can you say about the attitude of Belarusian people to this bad habit? Can we state that the number of smoking people reduces in our country?
ACTIVITY F
WRITE AND SPEAK
PART I
DIRECTIONS:
Give a summary of the text.
PART II
DIRECTIONS:
Express your opinion:
· The main differences in the habits of British and Belarusian people.
· Pubs are an important part of British life.
· Children should be seen and not heard.
· When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
PART II
DIRECTIONS:
Express your opinion and complete the following table:
What are the positive and negative qualities of the two nationalities?
| Positive qualities: | Negative qualities: | |
| The British | reserved … | |
| The Belarusians | open and friendly … |
ACTIVITY G
SELF-WORK:
PART I
DIRECTIONS:
Study the topical vocabulary:
| bonfire | праздничный костер |
| to staff | набивать |
| straw | солома |
| villainous | злодейский |
| dummy | кукла, чучело |
| to march | зд . водить по улице |
| sparkler | бенгальский огонь |
| and the like | и тому подобное |
| to set off | пускать (фейерверк) |
| to chant | скандировать, говорить нараспев |
| treason | измена |
| plot | заговор |
| toffee | ириска |
| to blow up | взрывать |
| to worship | проводить богослужение, молиться |
| barrel | бочка |
| innocent | невинный, невиновный |
| to have second thoughts | задумываться, сомневаться |
| wrist | запястье |
| manacles | кандалы |
| rack | дыба |
| to draw | тащить, волочить |
| cart | телега |
| to chop into “quarters” | четвертовать |
| to hunt down | выследить |
PART II
DIRECTIONS: Now read.
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