Cross-curricular extension unit 9

Visual arts: Artists of the 20th century

1 Match the art movements 16 with the descriptions af.
Then match the art movements with the pieces of art gl.
description art
1 abstract expressionism
2 dada
3 folk art g Fountain by Marcel Duchamp
4 surrealism
5 pop art
6 renaissance

a In this style celebrities and everyday objects are used to

represent normal life.
b This style is art for the mind, not the eye, and uses everyday
objects as pieces of art.
h Venus by i Marilyn Monroe
c This style depicts emotions, not objects. Large brushes are
Sandro Botticelli by Andy Warhol
used and paint is thrown on the canvas.
d This style depicts the traditions and beliefs of a community.
e This style is realistic and shows the beauty of nature.
f In this style images and events appear together in an
impossible way, like a dream.

2 Complete the text about Vincent Van Gogh with the words
in the box.

develop fame influences j The Search by Jackson Pollock

self-portraits suffering

The greatest artists (1) _____________ their ideas more quickly

than the rest of the world, and for this reason the public doesnt
always like their work. But years after their death, their art
becomes famous and it (2) _____________ the work of future
artists. A good example of this is Vincent Van Gogh. In his life
he painted a lot of pictures, but he couldnt sell his work. Many
of his most famous paintings are (3) _____________ that show us
k Beach Scene with Telephone by
his face and personality. You can also see signs of his
Salvador Dal
(4) _____________ while he was ill in the last years of his life. But
Van Gogh wasnt trying to show himself to the world. It was
because he often didnt have enough money to pay for a model!
Today, over a hundred years after his death, Van Gogh has
found (5) _____________ and his paintings sell for millions of
pounds.

l Mexican Rodeo by unknown

 PHOTOCOPIABLE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 1

3 Read the text. Then tick the correct boxes in the table.
Frida Kahlo Andy Warhol
(1) came from a working-class family.
(2) started to create art while ill in bed.
(3) was injured.
(4) was shot.

Two important artists of the 20th century

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 in Mexico to parents of Mexican and European
backgrounds. She grew up in a middle-class family and enjoyed a good
education. But her life changed in 1925 when she suffered terrible injuries Self Portrait with Monkey
in a road accident. The injuries affected her health for the rest of her life. by Frida Kahlo
However, they also pushed her to start painting while she was recovering.
Many of Kahlos paintings are self-portraits and show her feelings about her parents backgrounds, her
physical suffering and her difficult marriage to the artist, Diego Rivera. She often appears with animals or
symbols around her and she sometimes appears twice in the same painting features of surrealism.
However, there is evidence of other styles in her work. The Renaissance period influenced her early paintings,
while later Mexican folk art and religious imagery became important aspects.
Andy Warhol was born in the USA in 1928 and grew up in a working-class family. His parents were
immigrants from former Czechoslovakia. As a child he became ill and spent a lot of time in bed. There
he developed his talent for drawing.
After art college, Warhol first found success as an illustrator. His career in fine art began when he started
using famous celebrities and brand names in his art, a theme of the pop art style. His most famous pictures
show the face of Marilyn Monroe and Campbells soup cans. He also made sculptures, made films and
worked with musicians.
During the 1960s his studio, the Factory, became famous as a meeting place for artists, musicians, writers
and celebrities. One of these, Valerie Solanas, shot him in 1968. He was seriously injured in the attack. In the
1970s and 1980s, Warhol achieved international recognition as an artist and his work was exhibited around
the world.

4 Read the text again and write True or False for
sentences 16. Correct the false sentences.
1 Frida Kahlo didnt study when she was a child.
__________________________________________
2 Frida was happily married.
__________________________________________
3 Frida was influenced by several art movements.
__________________________________________
4 Andy Warhols parents came from the USA.
__________________________________________
5 His art shows unusual faces and objects.
6 Andy Warhol isnt only famous for his pictures.
__________________________________________
5 Look at the self portrait by Frida Kahlo above
and Andy Warhols Marilyn Monroe on page 92.
Which of the two pictures do you prefer? Give
reasons why.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
6 Write a short biography of an important cultural
person in your country. He / She doesnt have to
be an artist. Write about 100 words. Think about
the following things:
y where born
y details of childhood
y what influenced him / her
y what he / she achieved
y how he / she became famous

 PHOTOCOPIABLE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 2