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Art Galleries

Learn English with this art galleries English Lesson

Date: Dec 06 2017

Themes: Hobbies, Romance

Grammar: Simple Future Tense

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Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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It’s hard to find a cheap date! Dinner costs money. Drinks cost money. Movies cost money.

If you’re short on cash but want to have a fun night out, there is another option for you. Visit a local art gallery. On opening night, artists usually provide free wine to people who stop by to see their exhibit. Sip your drink and discover what inspired the artists to paint such beautiful portraits or landscapes.

You shouldn’t feel pressured to buy anything. Mostly, the artists hope you’ll tell your friends about their work. Positive word of mouth will help improve their reputation.

Find out what Mason and Amanda think about art galleries in this English lesson.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Amanda

Mason: Hey, Amanda, there’s a really cool gallery opening tonight. Do you want to go check it out with me?

Amanda: So you’re asking me if I want to go in a building and look at some framed pieces on a wall?

Mason: Yeah. The artist is going to be there. And you can talk to him about what he was inspired by. They’re really great landscapes!

Amanda: I guess what I don’t understand is they have such a good, positive reputation, but when I get there I find myself really bored.

Mason: You get bored by art galleries?

Amanda: I don’t know what you’re supposed to do once you get there.

Mason: Mostly, you get to drink some free wine and you walk around and appreciate it. I’m no expert, but you look at something and if it strikes you, then you’re like, “Wow! That’s nice. I like that.”

Amanda: Are there any portraits there? Is it photography? Is it watercolor? Is it oil?

Mason: This guy does landscapes, and I think he uses a bunch of different media. I’m not a big fan of portraits usually myself. Not everybody likes everything.

Amanda: Will I feel pressured to buy something? Or is it more of an exhibition?

Mason: I don’t feel pressured to buy anything.

Amanda: What if word of mouth gets out that we went there, were a bunch of cheapskates, and didn’t buy anything?

Mason: Maybe people will stop bugging me to buy their art. Win-win.

Amanda: Why not? Let’s go.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Mason asks Amanda to visit an art gallery opening with him. He’s clearly excited about the beautiful landscapes hanging on the wall, not to mention the free wine.

Amanda, on the other hand, thinks art galleries are boring. She’s not inspired by looking at pictures. She’s also afraid she’ll feel pressured by the artists, and she doesn’t want to get a reputation for being cheap since she’s not going to buy a painting.

Have you ever attended an art gallery opening? What kind of pictures were there? Do you appreciate art?

Comments

ml2000

Canada

Art is a very subjective thing. Different people fond of different kind of imageies and everyone has their own specific taste when it comes to art—Some might like abstract and some might like it more realistic that at least something s/he can see and relates to some objects. A piece of artwork can be someone’s treasure or a piece of garbage if it is not liked. It is a very complicated business. As far as famousness is concerned, it is, to a great extents, controlled by the word of mouth from the curators whom you may not agree with.

fcesur93

Turkey

Good lesson,

Artists can exhibite their pictures in art gallery. And they can drink free wine. But they shouldn’t drink out and distribute other people. Everyone is free drink or not drink. But no body can distribute another body. ;)

julito

Argentina

Welcome back Kotlesya !!

julito

Argentina

I have very gifted friends ,their paintings have received great accolades during its exhibition in art galleries .On the other hand, I must confess that I lack the capacity to fully enjoy these works of art. I know that this is a shortcoming from my part .It must be that i wasn`t born with this refined quality of the mind.

SÉRGIO

Brazil

I haven’t, but i appreciate this kind of art! but i don’t think it’s a good place for a date tonight. But anyway, who knows i might try this tip next time! just to look at, i’m a cheapskate lol

maoukil

Germany

Really I was never in an art gallery…might be one time, but I am not sure. I do not like art. I find it really very boring to look at picture they was made from human being. I like landscape but not the painted landscape. That’s my owne opinion :-)

jef_maiko

Brazil

No, I’ve never attended an art gallery opening. But I would like to go one day.

Of course. I’ve already gone to a museum to visit and appreciate….

kotlesya

Belarus

Seiyf_khawas I usually don’t leave my public comments here. But the theme of this lesson was so attractive to me that I could not help but to express myself by telling how much I like surreal and art in general!!! :)))

G+ is already tired of my numerous posts with surrealistic pictures. It is turn to eBaby ( joking) :DDDD

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

a nice and funny anecdot about art gallery ,

A couple goes to an art gallery.They find a picture of a naked women with only her privates covered with leaves. The wife doesn’t like it and moves on but the huband keeps looking.

The wife asks, “What are you waiting for?”

The husband replies, “Autumn.”

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

TOday ,Each computer is an Art Gallery :)))

we can reach to see all paintings with ONE button ..

is it miracle? yesss absolutely :)

but real miracle is ART..all artists express their feelings,emotions,thoughts,hopes,dreams with different colors,with brush shapes,with shadows,with symbols..

sometimes we can think they are unbelievable puzzles..sometimes we admire wonderful similarity in a landscape painting ..

unfortunately ,there are no art galleries everywhere,only in the big cities..and alot of people dont interested in art works :(

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

dear Lesya,

first of all ı want to say ,WELCOME to ebaby ,

ı missed your wonderful comments .Now this ebaby is more colorful and surrealistic :)

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

dear Olya,

your comment is very realistic and very nice..thanks :)

you bring different and beautiful color to Ebaby gallery :))

Odyssee

China

i remember that i just attended an Calligraphy exhibition . i like it very much .

but i have never attended an art gallery opening .

kotlesya

Belarus

All kinds of contemporary art are waiting to be appreciated by the viewers or they have already got the title “the true art” being in famous galleries, private collections.

I do appreciate almost all kinds of work of artists or photo artists except of impressionism and abstract art.

My special love to the surrealism have been started on the day when I was a child and saw the pictures of Salvador Dali in one magazine about art. I was astonished by his pictures. I still carry my love to surrealism in all kinds of its demonstration.

Surreal pictures make me ponder about the hidden sense within each picture.

Surreal pictures are puzzles with symbols that can be guessed according to the fantasy of viewer.

Shortly, I’m a huge fan of surreal style in the art.

The list of my favourite artists of surrealistic pictrues is endless: Thor Lindeneg, Patrice Murciano, Igor Zenin, Romualdas Petrauskas, Bryan Allen, Liza Ray, Iva Morris, Enzo Barrena, Joel Robison, Ceslovas Cesnakevicius, Max Sauco…. you name them…

Bryan Allen “Lightning in a jar” 5245079_Lightning_in_a_jar (550x454, 118Kb)

ola33

Japan

Art Galleries. The Art should talk to you. I see a picture and if it tells you something – you feel warm and nice as though someone shared with you something precious. Some pictures makes you smile, some puts you into deep thinking, some gives you a fabulous idea and many more generating creative thoughts. When I feel like that, inspired, happy, energized, elevated, I’d go to the exibition.

Juneshang

China

I like gallery.It is a kind of relax time wandering there.Appreciating them make me feel free and happy.

And when have the same feeling in the painter and others is a exciting thing.The people with same taste can become bosom friends.

I also paint,it is a good hobby.If one want a free and leisurely sparetime,appreciating art is a good method.

Grammarist

United Arab Emirates

some people, visting an arty gallary, feel excited and happy, especially when they come upon an outstanding piece. that is, they think it is out of this world and not hestinat to
buy it regardless of the price offered for this masterpiece. however, you might come across a work, while seems interesting and attractive to others, but you do not pay attension to it.

you should not feel pressured to buy or do what others want you to do as long as you are doing the right thing.