Hornbill- Chapter 4: Landscape of the Soul

English

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Chapter 4: Landscape of the Soul

Class: XI

Exercise 1

Question 1

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
i) anecdote
ii) illusionistic likeness
iii) delicate realism
iv) conceptual space
v) figurative painting

Answer 1

1. i) anecdote: From the text, the meaning of anecdote can be inferred as a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or exciting nature.
   ii) illusionistic likeness: It refers to an adjective of the technique of using pictorial methods in order to deceive the eye. The reference is to an illusion created by the semblance of something.
   iii) delicate realism: It refers to the alluring quality of the art which makes it seem real. It is an interest in or concern for the actual or real as opposed to abstract.
   iv) conceptual space: It refers to relation with the abstract than the factual representation. This is the incalculable dimension of the understanding of concepts.
   v) figurative painting: A figurative painting refers to the metaphoric representation of a piece of art, through the eyes of the creator’s imagination.

Exercise 2

Question 1

(i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui.

Answer 1

(i) The Chinese paintings are based on imaginative, inner or spritiual approach whereas the european paintings reproduce an actual view, of an external or real object. The painintgs of Wu daozi and mater painters of Europe illustarte the difference.
(ii) Shanshui, meaning "mountain-water", refers to a style of Chinese painting that involves natural landscapes, the landscape which is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space. It represents the two complementary poles (`yin’ and `young’) reflecting the Daoist view of the universe.

Question 2

(i)What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’?
(ii) Who was the "untutored genius who created a paradise" and what is the nature of his contribution to art?

Answer 2

‘Outsiders art’ refers to those art who have no right to be artists as they have recieved no formal training yet show talent and artistic insight. ‘Art brut’ or ‘raw art’ are the works of art in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.
(ii) The "untutored genius" who created "paradise" was Nek Chand, an 80- year old creator-director who made the world famous rock garden at Chandigarh. His was an ‘outsider art’ in which he sculpted with stone and recycled materials. He used anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car to form an artistic piece. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.

Exercise 3

Question 1

"The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within."

Answer 1

This sentence explains the fact that even though an Emperor might rule an entire kingdom and have power over his conquered territory, only an artist would be able to go beyond any material appearance. He knows both the path and the method of the mysterious work of the universe. True meaning of his work can be seen only by means known to him, irrespective of how powerful an emperor is.

Question 2

"The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space."

Answer 2

This phrase explains The Chinese art from where a Chinese painter wants you to enter his mind rather than borrow his eyes. This is a physical as well as a mental participation. It is a landscape created by the artist to travel up and down, and back again, through the viewer’s eyes. The landscape is not `real’ and can be reached from any point.

Exercise 4

Question 1

Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures.

Answer 1

The Indian culture lays stress on Nature and God. Nature is the ‘yen’ or female part whereas God the creator, is the male part. This concept also known as ‘Maya’ or Brahma’ The combination of two creates the whole world, all it objects and also inhabitants.

Question 2

What is the language spoken in Flanders?

Answer 2

French ‘language spoken in Flanders which is a region in Belgium.

Exercise 5

Question I

The following common words are used in more than one sense.
panel, studio, brush, essence, material
Examine the following sets of sentences to find out what the words, ‘panel’ and ‘essence’ mean in different contexts.
1. (i) The masks from Bawa village in Mali look like long panels of decorated wood.
(ii) Judge H. Hobart Grooms told the jury panel he had heard the reports.
(iii) The panel is laying the groundwork for an international treaty.
(iv) The glass panels of the window were broken.
(v) Through the many round tables, workshops and panel discussions, a consensus was reached.
(vi) The sink in the hinged panel above the bunk drains into the head.

Answer 1

1. Panel
   (i) boards of decorated wood
   (ii) group of men selected to give unanimous verdict on a legal case.
   (iii) group of experts.
   (iv) window panes.
   (v) group discussions.
   (vi) a flat board fixed with a hinge.

Question 2

(i)Their repetitive structure must have taught the people around the great composer the essence of music.
(ii) Part of the answer is in the proposition; but the essence is in the meaning.
(iii) The implications of these schools of thought are of practical essence for the teacher.
(iv) They had added vanilla essence to the pudding.

Answer 2

(i) the most important quality of something that makes it what it is.
(ii) the main part.
(iii) practical importance.
(iv) liquid taken from vanilla that contains its smell and taste in very strong form.