Name Date English 12 Vocabulary Lesson 5 CONTEXT Literary Figures The Pre-Raphaelites: Painters and Poets In the mid-1800s, a small group of artists who called themselves Pre-Raphaelites formed in England. Since pre- means "before" and the artist Raphael lived from 1483-1520, the term doesn't make much sense until you learn that the group's aim was to return to an artistic style that predated Raphael. One of the group's artists, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), was also a poet, and before long he formed a group of Pre-Raphaelite poets. What was it that these artists admired in the art styles that were popular three hundred years before they were born? In the following exercises, you will have the opportunity to expand your vocabulary by reading about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of painters and poets. Below are ten vocabulary words that will be used in these exercises. amorphous facile proffer sanguine ascetic doggerel guile protégé seraphic decorum Part l Directions: Look up each word in the dictionary. Use the meaning to find content clues in the sentence. Highlight those clues. Then, go to the next section and fill in the words and related forms. 1. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), and John Everett Millais (1829-1896) were artists who detested the amorphous style of art of their time. They thought that art should conform to a definite type and should depict the true form of nature. 2. Dante Rossetti's sister, Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), was an ascetic who lived a life of simplicity and seclusion. She denied herself marriage for religious reasons. Her poetry is more devotional than that of the other Pre- Raphaelites. 3. Her good manners and behavior made Christina Rossetti an ideal model for her brother's paintings. Hw wanted someone with decorum to pose for his painting of the Virgin Mary. 4. Christina Rossetti's poetry is simple but intense, and it is concerned with the relationship between worldly and spiritual matters. Because it is very well written, it could never be regarded as doggerel. 5. Dante Rossetti was a facile artist and poet who moved easily and skillfully from one art form to another. He is highly respected in both fields. 6. The Pre-Raphaelites wanted their works to be honest, totally lacking guile. They disliked the drab colors of the old masters' paintings and used bright, natural pigments and the simplicity of early Italian paintings in their works. 7. When the Pre-Raphaelifes first proffered their works to the public in 1850, they were rejected. Two years later, when the artists offered their paintings to the Royal Academy, the public and critics alike praised their works.
8. The influential artist Holman Hunt, whose works had been exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, helped and encouraged Dante Rossetti while Rossetti painted The Girlhood of Mary Virgin. Rossetti, who was at this time Hunt's protégé, was painstakingly faithful to the style of the Pre- Raphaelites. 9. Pre-Raphaelite paintings are filled with color and natural simplicity, and they often include robust people who seem happy. These sanguine subjects were a change from the dark, somber figures in other art of the day. 10. Christ in the House of His Parents. by Millais, shows Jesus as a healthy, normal boy, not as a seraphic figure in the clouds with other angelic creatures. Part 2--Directions: Write the word which fits each meaning. In the space below the definition. write related forms of the word, along with the part of speech. 1. n. craftiness; deceit; cunning 2. v. to offer; n. an offer 3. adj. angelic; of the highest order of angels 4. adj. shapeless; of no particular form or type; not organized 5. n. proper action, speech, and dress; good manners and behavior; polite behavior 6. n. someone whose welfare or career is promoted by an influential person
7. adj. naturally cheerful and hopeful; confident; having a ruddy complexion; optimistic; hopeful 8. n. badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm 9. n. a person who practices unusual self-denial or discipline, often for religious reasons; adj. self-denying 10. adj. easily done; performing or working with ease; adroit; not sincere or profound~ superficial Part 3--Fill in with the correct list word (or form of the word). 1. Eventually, the openness and the lack of of Pre-Raphaelite art attracted more people to the movement. 2. But other schools of art, such as Impressionism, were also attracting followers, so the Pre- Raphaelites had few. Young artists did not seek out their influence. 3. Many Pre-Raphaelites were criticized for their sensual subject matter. The public expected them to be as artists and felt that neither their art nor their lives reflected an attitude of discipline and self-denial. 4. The painters were condemned for their informal lifestyles and what the public considered a lack of in their actions, speech, and dress. 5. They were certainly not, but they did not deserve to have their works condemned because of their personal lives. 6. Because the Pre-Raphaelites believed strongly in portraying realistic detail, their works were never. 7. After their works were criticized by the public, the Pre-Raphaelites were not very about their art. Fortunately, they never lost hope or confidence. 8. The accomplished poets of the group included the Rossettis, George Meredith (1828-1909),
William Morris (1834-1896), and Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909). These writers may have addressed unconventional subjects, but their works were intelligent and well-crafted, far from. 9. Their works were to the public in various volumes. Pre-Raphaelite poets, except for Christina Rossetti, offered overtly romantic verse. 10. George Meredith was a, adroit writer who wrote novels as well as refreshing poetry. Exercise 4--Directions: Choose the word or words which complete the sentence. Highlight the correct response. 1. Many people enjoy reading because it takes little thought to read light, singsong verse. (A) decorum (B) guile (C) doggerel (D) ascetic (E) seraphs 2. people probably avoid sad, mournful poetry and prefer poetry about hopeful, cheerful characters and events. (A)Seraphic (B)Ascetic (C)Facile (D)Sanguine (E)Amorphous 3. Styles in art are constantly changing. Some modem art has moved so far from realism that it is without definite shape or form. (A) decorous (B) facile (C) sanguine (D) seraphic (E) amorphous 4. Different. people appreciate different kinds of art. Some prefer earthy, natural paintings, others like rather frilly scenes of floating cherubs, while still others enjoy modem abstract works. (A) sanguine (B) seraphic (C) ascetic (D) preferred (E) amorphous 5. People with know how to behave in art galleries. They speak quietly and don't touch any of the art works. (A) guile (D) ascetics (B) decorum (C) protégés (E) doggerel
6. It is a mark of to know what kind of poetry a friend might enjoy. it would be impolite to an unsuitable kind of poety. (A) decorum... proffer (B) doggerel blazon (C) guile... admonish (D) amorphousness... proffer (E) protégé lampoon 7. Writers can lose faith in their work and believe it is, not profound. Eventually, however, most determined writers regain their confidence and feel again. (A) guileful...seraphic (B) ascetic...amorphous (C) sanguine... guileful (D) facile... sanguine (E) amorphous... ascetic 8. Because many artists and poets are poor, they live lives. The lack of clutter and distractions enables them to be more workers, able to exercise their talents easily.. (A) sanguine... amorphous (B) ascetic... facile (C) facile...seraphic (D) seraphic... ascetic (E) amorphous... guileful 9. Writers and poets are often of influential people who help and support them until their works are accepted. (A) ascetics...sanguine (B) seraphs... ascetic (C) protégés... proffered (D) protégés...guileful (E) doggerel...seraphic 10. Although the Pre-Raphaelite movement lasted only a few years, its open, natural style--its lack of and its optimistic, outlook strikes a happy note in the history of art. (A) decorum...guileful (B) doggerel... amorphous (C) guile... sanguine (D) ascetics... seraphic (E) protégés... guileful Exercise 5. Create ten sentences, each sentence containing a vocabulary word. Each sentence is worth three points: one for spelling, one for the appropriate part of speech, and one for sufficient context clues. Be careful not to create run-on sentences!