1. 9. A london pantomime

Read the text and find out what the main characters of a pantomime are.

A pantomime is a tradi­tional English entertainment. It is meant for children, but adults enjoy it just as much. It is a very old form of en­tertainment, and can be traced back to 16th-century Italian comedies. Harlequin is a character from these old comedies.

There have been a lot of changes over the years. Singing and dancing and all kinds of jokes have been added; but the stories which are told are still fairy tales, with a hero, a heroine, and a villain. Because they were fairy tales we do not have to ask who will win in the end. The hero always wins the beautiful princess, the fairy queen is triumphant and the demon king is de­feated.

The nursery rhymes were used to make the story for a pantomime.

In every pantomime, there are always three main characters. These are the "principal boy", the "prin­cipal girl", and the "dame", The principal boy is the hero and he is always played by а girl. The prin­cipal girl is the heroine, who always marries the principal boy in the end. The dame is a comic figure, usually the mother of the principal boy or girl, and is always played by a man.

Pantomimes are changing all the time, every year someone has a new idea to make them more exciting or up-to-date. There are pantomimes on ice, with all the actors skating, pan­tomimes with a well-known pop singer as the principal boy or girl; or pantomimes with a famous comedian from the English theatre as the dame. But the old stones remain, side by side with the new ideas.

Exercise

Complete the sentences (look back at the text):

1. A pantomime is meant for children, but …… ….. …

2. The hero always …. ….. …

3. In every pantomime, ….. …… ……

4. The dame is a comic figure, …. …. …

5. Every year someone has ... ... ....

1. 10. Abstract art

Read the text about the history of abstract art and find different types of such art.

Have you ever seen a painting that puzzled you? Perhaps you could not see anything "real" or "natural" in it. Perhaps it seemed a jumble of lines and colours.You were probably looking at an example of abstract art.

Before the 20th century, most artists showed things more or less as they might look to an observer. Their scenes were recognisable. Even when they painted imaginary scenes, the elements of the picture could usually be identified.

Of course, artists have always put their own personalities into their paintings. A painting by Van Gogh, for example, can easily be recognised — it has his personal stamp. It shows the way Van Gogh looked at real things. Because of his particular style, his paintings look strange to many people. But in his art, people are still recognisable as people. No tree ever looked quite like a Van Gogh tree (he painted trees as great swirling figures), but his trees are still clearly trees.

Individual painters have always experimented with unusual ways of showing real objects. But in the 21st century artists in large numbers began to break away from realistic ways of painting. Many artists seemed to be saying, "If you want an accurate picture of a scene, buy a photograph or a picture postcard." They began to paint life in different ways. They concentrated on form, colour and shape, and avoided any attempt to tell a story or show a scene naturally.

The kind of art just described is often called abstract art. Once upon a time it was a revolutionary movement. Now it has won acceptance. Most museums have examples of abstract art. Some modern museums contain only abstract art.

Great numbers of people still prefer a more realistic art. But even the tastes of these people have been shaped, in part, by the abstract artists. Modern design has been influenced by abstract art. Even the floor covering in your kitchen may have been copied from the design of an abstract artist.

Exercise

Correct the wrong statements:

1. Before the 19th century, most artists showed things more or less as they might look to an observer

2. Artists have never put their own personalities into their paintings.

3. A painting by Van Gogh can’t be recognised.

4. In the 19th century artists in large numbers began to break away from realistic ways of painting.

5. No museums have examples of abstract art.

6. Modern design hasn’t been influenced by abstract art.