Idioms & Expressions:
art is long and life is short (phrase discussing the longevity of artwork and expression)
beauty is in the eye of the beholder (this expression means that an object’s beauty is decided by the person looking at it)
highbrow (adjective describing snobby or arrogant pursuits)
My parents hang out with a highbrow crowd.
blank canvas (something able to be completely molded or shaped)
The writers started with a blank canvas when developing the story for the movie.
state of the art (adjective meaning the “latest” or “most modern”)
The hospital’s facilities are state-of-the-art.
a work of art (noun, refers to something that was very well done – usually does not refer to an actual artwork)
His essay was a work of art!
down to a fine art (when someone has perfected something)
He has his three-point shot down to a fine art.
eye-catching/eye-grabbing (adjectives that means something is attractive to the eye)
It’s an eye-catching painting, isn’t it?
finishing touches (the last few adjustments on a piece of work before it’s ready)
I’m about to put the finishing touches on my painting.
to each his own (phrase that means everyone is entitled to their own opinion)
I don’t agree with you, but to each his own.
stands the test of time (to still be considered “good,” even many years later)
Beethoven’s symphonies stand the test of time. They’re still good today.
Part 1: Group Discussion
- Do you like art?
In the traditional sense, not really. I can recognize and appreciate a well-drawn picture, beautiful photo, or a sculpture but I don’t really go out of my way to visit museums or art galleries. Maybe when I get older, I will be more interested in the fine arts.
- Do you think art is an important part of life?
I think expression is a very important part of life, and so by extension art is an important part of life as well. Everyone has at least one way to express themselves. For example, I can’t draw or paint, but I think I’m a decent writer. If you classify writing as art, then I think art is therefore an important part of my life.
- What experience of art did you have when you were younger?
I couldn’t draw, but my mom was an art teacher at my school. I remember her forcing me to try to draw better pictures. My grandparents are a little “highbrow,” so they would always take me to art museums in Boston, which I thought was a boring experience!
- Do people in Vietnam like visiting museums and art galleries?
I am not Vietnamese and I haven’t been here for very long, so this isn’t a question for me to answer! I know there are a few art galleries in Hanoi, but I haven’t been to them yet. In America, the upper-class people with disposable income tend to spend a lot of time in museums and art galleries. Among a certain moneyed crowd, art-collecting is a very popular pastime.
- Do you think going to museums and art galleries is beneficial for children?
Not necessarily, I think most kids get bored when they have to look at paintings and sculptures. But for those children who are interested in art, a trip to a museum or gallery will of course be beneficial for them. They may look at the works on the walls and find themselves getting inspired.
- Do schools in Vietnam have field trips to museums?
Again, this is a question for the Vietnamese students – I can’t really answer this! In America, we took a lot of trips to science and art museums as students, though.
Part II: Group Discussion (Cont’d)
- What are the most popular types of art in your country?
In America, there are so many people and so many art scenes that there is a home and a venue for almost any type of art. But photo exhibitions are probably the most popular. People like to view photos because they are easy to “understand,” and galleries like to host photo exhibitions because it is very easy to hang pictures on a wall.
- Do young people and order people have the same tastes in art?
I don’t think so. Because technology has advanced so much in the past few decades, there is now a huge chasm between young and old people. The generational differences are very distinct, and therefore older people are generally into very different art and forms of expression. Not to say that there aren’t commonalities, but for the most part, older and younger people can’t help but be into different things.
- What can art do to society?
Art can communicate, influence, send a message, inspire, or be used as propaganda. Art can definitely be used to create symbols that are used by a movement, and art can be subversive as well. That’s why, if you look at repressive regimes throughout the world, they ban the use of certain symbols or drawings. This really is an endless topic to delve into! Art is expression, and expression is something that many governments want to censor.
- Do young people go to art exhibitions?
I think they do, but not as often as older people do. I think younger people go to art exhibitions for classes, or maybe because they’re on a date. But out of the people I know, very few of them go to art exhibitions.
- Do you think it’s possible for everyone to become an artist?
I don’t think that everyone has an artistic eye, but everyone can learn to express themselves. It just takes time and patience. For example, I can’t really draw or paint but I could probably, with a little training, take some decent photos. I think it just comes to learning technique and then spending hours practicing.
- What are the differences between modern art in Vietnam and traditional Vietnamese art?
This is a question I can’t answer – but I hope the class can. What do you think, students?!
Part III: Individual Presentations
Describe a sculpture or another work of art that you have seen. You should say:
- When you saw this work of art
About a month ago. I saw a photo exhibit online. A photographer had taken pictures of the city of Shanghai, China but had edited them to look like the city of Gotham (the city of Batman, the comic book superhero.)
- Where you saw it
I was reading the news on CNN.com, and found the link to the exhibit. Normally I don’t see things on a news website that surprise me, so it was a welcome surprise.
- What it looked like
The pictures were really spooky. They were mostly in black and white, and seemed kind of ghostly. The super-tall skyscrapers looked even more impressive than they normally do. And there were almost no people in the photos, which blew me away. Shanghai is one of the largest and most heavily-populated cities in the world, and somehow the photographer staged the photos so the city looked deserted.
- And explain your impression of it
I remember being truly impressed by the artistry involved in making these photos. They perfectly conveyed an eerie, post-apocalyptic mood, and I felt a little inspired to try to look at things in a different way. I don’t have an artistic eye, but as a writer, it was a very nice influence for me to experience. In any situation, there is more than meets the eye.
