📘 Part 3: Art

This episode's vocabulary

Utensil (noun) - a tool with a particular use, especially in a kitchen or house.

Compound (adj.) - used to refer to a system of paying interest in which interest is paid both on the original amount of money invested (= given to companies hoping to get more back) or borrowed and on the interest that has collected over a period of time.

Monetary (adj.) - relating to money or in the form of money.

Sentimental (adj.) - giving too much importance to emotions, especially love or sadness.

Provenance (noun) - the place of origin of something.

To fetch (verb) - to be sold for a particular amount of money.

Auction (noun) - a usually public sale of goods or property, where people make higher and higher bids (= offers of money) for each thing, until the thing is sold to the person who will pay the most.

Scenery (noun) - the general appearance of the natural environment, especially when it is beautiful.

Landscape (noun) - a view or picture of the countryside, or the art of making such pictures.

Cityscape (noun) - a view or image of a city.

Blue-chip (adj.) - of top quality.

On the face of it (idiom) - used when you are describing how a situation seems on the surface.

Profound (adj.) - felt or experienced very strongly or in an extreme way.

Aesthetically (adj.) - in a way that relates to the enjoyment or study of beauty.

To dictate (verb) - to give orders, or tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority.

Enclosed (adj.) - surrounded by walls, objects, or structures.

Questions and Answers

M: What are the differences between painting and drawing?

R: Well, good question. I think it's down to... Oh, what do you call them? Ah, yes, the materials that you use to do the different actions. Drawing involves utensils like pencils, or similar objects with like, solid mark-making material and painting uses, well, paints and more liquid ones. Actually, from the perspective of some languages, they're actually the same thing.

M: Why do some people keep a painting for a long time?

R: Well, I mean, the longer you have something, like the higher the... Oh, what is it called again? Oh, it's the... At least I think it's the compound value. So that's the value that increases over time. It's not always about monetary value, though, there's the sentimental value to consider as well. And those are reasons why people might keep it.

M: Why do some paintings have more value than others?

R: Well, I think it's all to do with the provenance. So, if it's had a long, interesting history, then the demand will be greater. Another thing could be the demand, actually, I mean, the demand for a Picasso is definitely higher than the demand for my doodles. So the former will fetch more at auction.

M: What kinds of art do people like in your country?

R: That's a good question as well. I haven't seen any information on it. But at a guess, based on my own home, people really seem to love... The word escapes me right now. But it's like the scenery outdoors. Oh, landscapes, yes. So lots of pictures of landscapes and cityscapes are in our home. And I've seen them in others, too.

M: What kind of art is the most valuable in terms of money?

R: Oh, I know this. Can't think of the exact term right now. But it's got a very special name that means it's of a high value. Blue-chip. Yes, that's it. It's art made by famous painters. And so it usually commands a high price. So works like Van Gogh would be a good example of this.

M: Why might art be important?

R: You know, I'm not really sure why on the face of it. I mean, after all, it just seems like pictures, but it does have, oh, I'm not sure what the precise term is. But it has a cultural value that helps us relate to the world and other people in it. Even if they are different. It can really bring people together, which is crucial if you want to have a functioning society. Though I'll admit, it's not the only thing you need.

M: Let's talk about buildings and architecture now. How does building style affect people's lives?

R: Ah, it can have a pretty profound impact. We talked about this one aspect of the university, it's sort of about how the building looks. If it's aesthetically pleasing, then it can improve people's mood and the atmosphere of the area. By contrast, if it's an ugly building, there will be more chaos and discomfort experienced by people, even if it's just a psychological level.

M: Does the design of a building influence people's mood?

R: Like I said, it's kind of like the aesthetics of the building can dictate how people feel. And that makes sense. If you are trapped in an enclosed space. Would you feel particularly free and happy? Probably not.

Discussion

M: So, yeah, here the questions could be about art and design also. That's why we have questions about the design of buildings, for example.

R: Randomly cropping up.

M: Yeah. Speaking part three, dear listener. Are you surprised? Well, I'm not surprised.

R: Embrace the chaos.

M: The differences between paintings and drawings. Whoa, and here Rory is absolutely correct. So it's down to materials.

R: Was I right?

M: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

R: Oh my god, that's amazing. I totally guessed that.

M: You are an educated native speaker.

R: Yeah, even by accident.

M: By accident. So, it's down to the materials. It's because of the materials. Okay? And drawing involves utensils. So tools, like pencils or similar objects with solid mark-making materials. So something solid. Like a pencil. When you draw something using a pencil, it's a kind of solid thing. It's the... The colour is solid. Whereas, in paintings, we use paints, so we use more liquid materials. All right? But from the perspective of languages, of some languages, they are quite the same. So painting, drawing. Well, but actually it's, well, different.

R: They are. Although I think in Russian the word for painting and drawing, they're the same. And I think also in Turkish, maybe. I definitely know in Russian it's the same word.

M: No. Well, yeah, in certain contexts, it could be the same word.

R: Yes.

M: So drawing. Do we do drawing? Or what's the verb?

R: You do drawing.

M: Do a drawing. Yeah.

R: Well, you... Do drawing. It's really weird, though, to say it. I think you just say you draw a drawing.

M: Okay. Yeah, you draw with pencils or chalk. Okay? Usually, on a paper surface, but you paint with paints, dear listener, okay? Or like oil paints, on canvas. On a canvas, wood, or some other service. So drawings, paper pencils, paintings, oil paints, or on a canvas. Canvas is a special thing. The Mona Lisa is an oil painting on canvas. Okay, dear listener? Some special material. Canvas. Ooh, if you have zero knowledge about paintings and art in terms of paintings and drawings, could you please read some articles on paintings? All right? To help you describe your favourite painting. And also for speaking part three. Some people might keep a painting at home. So like a proper oil painting? Why? And some people keep it for a long time.

R: Yeah, they do.

M: Usually, they have it on their walls. Right?

R: Do you have a painting that you've kept for a long time?

M: Yes. My own painting.

R: Really? Well, yes. But that's only two years old. Right?

M: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I, kind of painted a picture. I have my own painting. I think I showed you in one of our speaking Part 1 episodes about paintings. I showed you my own painting. So this one I have. And I don't have any other paintings. Just my own painting. I just keep my own paintings, okay?

R: They are the only things there with value. That's fine.

M: Yeah.

R: And you said that I think it's the compound value. What did you mean by the compound value?

M: The compound value is just a value that increases over time. So what other things have compound value? Classic cars. Oh, God, land also has compound value. It's just value that builds up over time.

M: It's not always about monetary value. So how much does a painting cost? Right? So a painting has its monetary value. So like money, there is also sentimental value to a painting. So I've just, I've created this painting myself. It has a sentimental value. So we use an article, right? So it has a sentimental value? A?

R: Yes, or it just has sentimental value. I don't think we need to worry about the article here.

M: Some paintings have more value than others. And here again, we can talk about monetary value, how much money it costs, or sentimental value.

R: I should say. The reason why we don't need to worry about the article is because we could be talking about sentimental value in general, or we could be talking about... I mean, there are lots of reasons why something has sentimental value. So we could just say it has a sentimental value, one kind of many, it could be because it was painted by someone you love, or it's got a history behind it. So there are lots of reasons why it could have this kind of value.

M: So some paintings have a history behind them. Right? And the thing which is like the history, and you said like the provenance. What did you mean by provenance?

R: Well, that's the thing. The provenance is the history behind the painting. So if it's like the Mona Lisa, it's changed hands, and been stolen and crossed borders multiple times. There's a history there.

M: So we could say like paintings of certain provenance, so the origin of this painting.

R: The origin, who it belongs to, like a piece of art that belongs to Robert Downey Jr. will be more expensive than a piece of art that belongs to me. Much as I would like to believe the opposite is true.

M: So you can say like, it's about the provenance of the painting.

R: Yeah.

M: So the painting's origin, the history behind it. So if a painting has a long and interesting history, then the demand will be greater, right? So the demand for this painting. So the price of this painting. For example, the demand for a Picasso. And here, a Picasso doesn't mean a person, but it means a painting by Picasso. Picasso created many masterpieces. So I would like to buy a Picasso. So a painting by Picasso. Okay? So the demand for a Picasso, painting by Picasso, is definitely higher than the demand for Rory's doodles. Doodles? Just pictures that Rory draws when he talks on the phone, or when he does something, he just like he's doodling. Yeah, with his pen or pencil. And paintings with a long history will fetch more at auction. So at auction, at this place where they show a painting by Banksy. Banksy, you know, this interesting artist, and then they offer different sums of money. Oh, I'll get it for this price, I'll get it for this price at auction. And a painting could fetch more, so could kind of get more money at auction.

R: Yeah, you fetch money at auction. Fetch more at auction is the phrase that's used to describe this. But if you want to be really boring, you would say to get money at auction, people would pay more for this at auction.

M: Can I say it about people, I will fetch more for this painting at auction.

R: No, this painting will fetch more at auction, like it will fetch more money.

M: There are different kinds of art, dear listener. You might want to listen to our speaking part one episode where we discuss modern art, art, what kinds of art and paintings. So please listen, speaking part one episodes about art, about paintings. Okay? To learn vocabulary about art. And Rory starts off with, oh, that's a good question. Because it is a good question. Like what art people like?

R: Well, how would I know?

M: Yeah, how would, how would I know? I have no idea. And it's absolutely okay for you to say this. But then like, at a guess... Like, I would guess that. Well, I don't know. But I would just take a wild guess. So at a guess, based on my own home, so just, I base my idea on my own home, so on my family, people seem to like landscapes, right? Or seascapes or portraits.

R: They do. I don't know why. Like I don't know if that's true or not. Maybe it is. Who knows?

M: Well, I think landscapes are the most popular.

R: I mean, probably. Your guess is as good as mine, Maria. I honestly... This subject is not my area of expertise, which is why I could not remember any of the words.

M: Yeah, so you can say like people prefer landscapes, people prefer paintings, or cityscapes where other people draw cities for some reason. But you know, the questions about kinds of art, and here we can talk about sculpture, paintings, theatre, literature, okay? Cause literature is a kind of art, visual arts, architecture is art. Like digital art. Okay? So as graphic design, animation, video games, and technology. This is like digital art. So you may not limit yourself only to paintings. Okay, dear listener? Because Rory has little knowledge about art.

R: Because I'm stupid.

M: Yeah, so stick to, you know, paintings. In paintings landscapes are popular. Pop art is popular. Contemporary art, theatre, architecture and digital art. There we go. Digital art. Arts created by all this, you know, artificial technology is super popular. And then what kind of art is the most valuable in terms of money? So people pay more for what kind of art? And here Rory says, oh, I know this because he's an educated native speaker. So he didn't give us a good answer to the previous question. But for this one, yeah. What did you say, Rory?

R: What did I say? Oh, yes, a valuable art is called blue-chip art. That just means it's made by famous painters. And so it gets a high price. That's just a technical term for it. Yeah. It's advertised a lot by some of the people I follow on YouTube. That's the only reason I know what this is. But it took me a little while to remember it.

M: Wow, and how do you use it in a sentence? This blue-chip.

R: Blue-chip art is extremely valuable. There you go. It's the only time when knowing this information outside of going to an auction would be useful.

M: You can also say that unique art is super expensive. One-of-a-kind art is more profitable than mass-produced. Mass, mass, mass-produced art. So we have ads for everybody. And we have this one-of-a-kind art.

R: You're like a one-of-a-kind art. I like that. Not a thank you. But yes, I am.

M: If you say blue-chip, you can say like, it's art made by famous painters. Okay? So if you say something specific, you can just explain what it is. Maybe the examiner doesn't know what blue-chip art means. And then Rory gave us an example. So works by Van Gogh would be a good example of blue-chip art. Beautiful.

R: Yes.

M: And then IELTS traditional question, why is art important? Is art important? And then like on the face of it. On the face of it it is.

R: Yes, when I first think about it, I don't know.

M: Like, I'm not sure what the precise term is this. Oh, well, okay, you can talk about it later.

R: If you think about what it might be.

M: Art can bring people together. And this is crucial, this is important if you want to have a functioning society. So a society which functions, which works well.

R: It brings people together and being brought together is something that helps society.

M: And then, dear listener, we have two strange questions about buildings, about the design of buildings, and how they affect people's lives or moods. So it's possible that they can ask questions about buildings, and maybe the design of a city. So the style of buildings does affect people's lives. And Rory told us, it has a pretty profound impact. Impact? Influence. Profound? Like big, massive. So it's about how the building looks. So it's design. And if it's pleasing to the eyes. What word did you use?

R: Aesthetically pleasing. That just means it's nice to look at. But of course, if you say it's nice to look at, as opposed to aesthetically pleasing, then you'll get a lower score for vocabulary.

M: So aesthetically pleasing, like in a way that relates to the enjoyment of beauty. Right? So like, this painting is aesthetically... Oh, Gosh.

R: Why is this so difficult to pronounce? Aesthetically.

M: Say it again.

R: Aesthetically.

M: Aesthetically pleasing, dear listener. Yep. It can improve people's mood, it can boost the atmosphere of the area. Kind of improves the atmosphere in the area. And if it's an ugly building. Yeah, the design is ugly, then...

R: Then it's not aesthetically pleasing.

M: It's not aesthetically pleasing. It's ugly, and people might experience discomfort. Okay? So, yeah. And the design of a building can influence people's mood. It's about the aesthetics of the building. Aesthetics? Kind of the beauty of a building. So you can use an adjective. Aesthetically. And you can use a noun, aesthetics. Aesthetics is the formal study of art and beauty. And the aesthetics of a building can dictate how people feel.

R: Yes. But that just means it tells you how to feel. If something is dictated, then you're told or it's like an instruction on how to feel.

M: And then the second conditional, imagine if you were trapped in an ugly building. So if you were stuck in an ugly building, you would be depressed. So if you were, you would be. The second conditional, yeah? Or if you were trapped in an enclosed space. Enclosed? Do you mean a small place?

R: Yeah, it's difficult to escape from.

M: Like if you were surrounded by walls. Right? So usually, it's like a negative, enclosed space. You wouldn't feel free or happy. And by contrast, if you were in a spacious area, you would feel more free. You would feel happier there. Rory used a very interesting strategy here, dear listener. Which will help you get a higher score. If you don't know a word, if you forget a word in the exam, Rory, what did you do?

R: Well, I use a strategy called circumlocution, but I don't want to talk about it in too much detail now. What I am going to do instead is ask people to focus on the times when I couldn't remember what a word was, and the phrases I use to describe that. And if you can, notice what these phrases are, and these are the phrases that you use, when you're not sure what a word is, or when you're struggling to remember. Why am I asking you to do that, instead of telling you what those phrases are? The reason is, that I'm hoping it will engage you cognitively in the process. So rather than explaining, you will be looking for things actively, and that means that you'll be able to recall the things with greater ease, because if you're thinking about something, then you can use it more effectively, or you'll be able to remember it more effectively. And if you're really, really, really stuck, and don't know what to do, message me on Instagram, and I have a document that I will send you that has all of these phrases in it from the episode.

M: Yes. Can you please send me the document? That would be lovely.

R: Do you want this for your classes too?

M: Yes, yes, I do want it for my classes. I'll write to you on your Instagram. Okay?

R: Okay.

M: Yes, dear listener, if in the test you forget a word. It's kind of like you are speaking and then you... Oh, I forgot a word. There are some strategies you can use. All right? So this is like super useful, a super useful technique. So listen, read the script and circle these sentences where Rory does this. Okay?

R: This is it. Cognitive engagement. Instead of explaining, we are doing and helping.

M: Thank you very much for listening! We'll get back to you in our next super episodes! Bye!

R: Bye!

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