BEAUTY AND PERCEPTION 3
THINK AND DISCUSS
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. For me, it’s about the feeling I get when I look at something. Something that I think is beautiful gives me a positive feeling.
2. There’s a building downtown that is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. It’s an old brick building that’s actually quite simple but still beautiful.
EXPLORE THE THEME
A 1. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of beauty.
2. The factors that affect aesthetic principles include proportion, symmetry, and order.
3. Answers will vary. Possible answers:
I think it’s beautiful. The lighting in the picture makes the girl glow. You feel drawn to her eyes as you look at her portrait. Maybe I am also being
affected by the geometric proportions as the passage says!
B principles, proportion, geometric
Reading
PREPARING TO READ
A 1. pursue
2. expose to
3. crucial
4. context
5. insight
6. violate
7. notion
8. composition
B 1. Depression
2. Ethics
3. balance
4. imperfect
C Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Being talented is the most crucial skill. You also need drive and determination.
2. I think it’s hard to make a career out of making art. But I do think that there are many career choices connected to art, such as working at a gallery or being an agent for artists. So maybe it’s worth
pursuing a career in art if you can stay open minded about the type of job or role you’ll have.
D Answers will vary. Possible answers:
I think my pen is beautiful. It has a really cool, colorful design.
E Answers will vary. Actual answers:
light, composition, the moment (when the shutter is pressed), palette (colors), time, wonder
UNDERSTANDING THE READING
A 1. light, composition, the moment
2. palette, time, wonder
3. Paragraph G
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. It has expanded our notion of beauty by honoring things formerly regarded as trivial and revealing them as beautiful. (Paragraph A)
2. Light refers to the quality of light and reflections in a photograph. (Paragraph C) Composition refers to how the shapes and lines of the scene are placed within the frame of a photograph. (Paragraph D)
Moment refers to pressing the shutter at exactly the right time. (Paragraph E)
3. Griffiths explains that colors set the mood of a photograph, and the mood affects the emotional reaction of viewers. (Paragraph G)
4. The element of time helps us see moments in a way we usually can’t with our own eyes. (Paragraph H)
5. Wonder refers to the sense of awe we feel when we see an image and our excitement about it. (Paragraph I)
6. Photography has given us a new way of seeing, which in turn has affected other art forms by broadening our notion of beauty. (Paragraph K)
C 1. Paragraph J; Answers will vary. Possible answer:
The painting The Birth of Venus by Botticelli is an example of a painting made to be aesthetically pleasing instead of capturing reality.
2. Paragraph J: Answers will vary. Possible answer:
The photo on page 59 of the gauchos going through the water on their horses shows the water splashing up and the sun glaring behind them. It’s a messy yet beautiful scene.
D 1. ordinary; Items formerly considered trivial, and not worth an artist’s paint, have been revealed and honored by photographs: things as pedestrian as a fence post, a chair, a vegetable. (Paragraph A)
2. work well together; When the three—light, composition, and moment—are in concert, there is visual magic. (Paragraph B)
3. essential; Ironically, the definition of what makes a picture aesthetically pleasing often comes down to mathematics: the geometric proportions of objects and their placement with in the frame.
(Paragraph D)
4. quickly; Light is usually best when it is fleeting or dappled, razor sharp or threatening, or atmospheric. (Paragraph C) Capturing that perfect moment may be a photographer’s biggest challenge, because most important moments are fleeting. (Paragraph E)
5. both the positive and negative; Photographers became interested in the real world, warts and all, and it was the accidental detail that was celebrated.(Paragraph J)
6. brought it into being; It is to photography’s credit that it has found beauty in the most humble places, and that it has ushered in a new democracy of vision.(Paragraph K)
7. different; People from all walks of life are able to feast their eyes on subjects remote and grand.(Paragraph K)
E Answers will vary. Possible answers:
The light in this picture is quite striking with the bright sun coming up behind the gauchos. Captured at sunrise just as they are crossing a
river, the moment is special. And we see time moving forward, since it’s a motion shot. I feel a sense of awe and wonder as I look at this picture.
I want to be in the scene.
DEVELOPING READING SKILLS
A Answers will vary. Possible answers:
composition: structural choices in frame; geometric proportions make it pleasing; balance of mathematical proportions is key;
Stanfield photo: child looks small next to striking architecture of building
moment: when the shutter is pressed; storytelling; gives meaning to the image; may be photographer’s biggest challenge
wonder: human response to something fresh, new; insight and curiosity; childlike sense
time: freezing or blurring; we can see a choreography of movement even though it’s a still frame; gift to both art and science
palette: selection of colors; sets mood for image; Kerr’s image has a soothing palette
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Middle circle of concept map: The Anthropocene
Is the term relevant?: new epoch related to human impact on world; term coined by Paul Crutzen in 2002; geologists take closer look to see
whether term is valid and decide that it isCities: man-made materials; land erodes over time; not going to make a big geological impact
Farming: 38% of land on planet used for agriculture; only subtle traces will be left on land; pollen record will show effects
Deforestation: massive soil erosion increasing sedimentation in some areas; dams holding back sedimentation in other areas; higher rates of
extinction of plant and animal life
Atmosphere: composition is changing; carbon dioxide is causing global warming; species shifting toward Poles will affect fossil record
Video
BEFORE VIEWING
A Answers will vary. Possible answers:
The light and composition in this photo are quite striking. I also like the subdued color palette. It’s an everyday moment but makes us stop in
wonder. I think it’s a great photograph.
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. The story I see is one of people in an enclosed space very close to each other physically, yet all in their own worlds in some way. I see couples
chatting, people reading on their smartphones, people staring off into space—there’s one big story and then many individual stories as well.
2. He says it’s like an archaeological dig, where you never know what you’ll find. I think with photography, sometimes you don’t know what
you’ve captured until after the picture is taken. Among the many pictures, you find one gem.
C 1. surreal
2. chaotic
3. foreground
4. tone
WHILE VIEWING
A b, c, d, f, g
B 1. c
2. a
3. b
4. d
5. e
AFTER VIEWING
A Answers will vary. Possible answer:
For me, a “gut reaction” refers to that immediate feeling you get when you first see something. It’s your instinct.
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
In my opinion, the wildebeest photo was the best. It was taken at just the right moment, and the composition was unforgettable for me. It left
me with a sense of awe and wonder.
Writing
EXPLORING WRITTEN ENGLISH
A 1. atmospheric
2. aesthetically pleasing
3. within the frame
4. illuminate
5. gradation
6. Pastels
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. to give more information about a noun
2. who, that, which, whose (relative pronouns)
3. a, c, d; These sentences still make sense because the clauses were just providing extra, nonessential information.
LANGUAGE FOR WRITING
C Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Vivian Maier was a photographer whose work was only discovered after her death.
2. Ansel Adams, who is an American photographer, was most known for his images of the California wilderness.
3. Aesthetics were important to the ancient Greeks, who believed beautiful objects were intrinsically beautiful.
4. Vincent van Gogh, who made a copy of Hiroshige’s print Sudden Storm Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge, was influenced by Japanese art.
D Answers will vary. Possible answers:
It’s the subtleness of the light on the train that makes the scene feel otherworldly.The gauchos, who are riding horses, seem to be a
natural addition to the morning sunrise.The blurred line, which the cowboy’s horse walks next to, is actually the cars going by.
WRITING SKILL
E Fallingwater, the western Pennsylvania house designed by Wright, is a perfect example of the organic approach to architecture due to its
surroundings and its materials.
1. two
2. surroundings, materials
F Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence: The way Fallingwater is assimilated into its natural environment is an example of organic architecture.
Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence: The organic approach is also shown in the natural materials Wright used to build Fallingwater.
G a. 1
b. 1
c. 2
d. 2
e. 1
f. 1
WRITING TASK
A Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Type of art: photograph
Criteria: light, moment, wonder
Name of piece of art: A Node in the Dark
Description: A packed train at a theme park. People are close to each other, but most are actually in their own worlds, talking to friends,
reading on their phones, or lost in thought.Evaluation
1. The subtle light in the photo makes it feel otherworldly.
2. The moment is a snapshot of an everyday experience, yet it seems unreal.
3. We’re left to wonder about each of the people and their thoughts.
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Notes for introduction:
Thesis Statement: Brian Yen’s photograph makes an everyday scene seem surreal because of the lighting, the moment he captured, and the
sense of wonder the scene inspires.
Body Paragraph 1
Topic Sentence: The subtle lighting makes it feel like this train ride is happening in another world.
Details: soft blue light; strange glow; real scene but feels unreal
Body Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence: The picture was taken at just the right moment, making the everyday seem unreal.
Details: at a theme park; taken in a tunnel?; everyone is caught up in their own world
Body Paragraph 3
Topic Sentence: The photograph leaves its viewers with a sense of wonder.
Details: You find yourself wondering about each person; photo tells a story about each; gives us a sense of wonder about people, life, proximity, etc.
Notes for conclusion: Even a real scene that we experience every day can feel unusual when captured with the skill of a good photographer
and leave us with a sense of awe about life.
REVISING PRACTICE
1. c, a, b
2. a. The Rostonville Library, which is built entirely of granite—a hard and very tough stone—is an example of durability.
b. Growth from the rooftop garden, which cascades down the sides of the building, adds to the aesthetics of the building.
c. The library was built on the edge of the city park, which was designed using only native plants.
EDITING PRACTICE
1. This image is an excellent example of composition,which is the way objects are arranged in a photograph.
2. That photograph, that which I like best of all, is Berenice Abbott’s Pennsylvania Station.
3. Another important element is light, that which illuminates the objects in a photograph.
4. Moment, which captures time in a photograph,helps to tell the image’s story.
UNIT REVIEW
1. Answers will vary. Possible answers:
light, composition, moment, palette, timing, wonder
2. Answers will vary. Possible answer:
I think light is the most important element because it sets the atmosphere and mood of a scene.
3. A nonrestrictive clause offers nonessential information about the noun in a sentence.
4. Answers will vary.
