1 . Many visual artists have a signature style, as unique and identifiable as a fingerprint. For Amoako Boafo, who often paints with his fingers, this seems doubly true. His distinctive paint strokes (笔画) combine the complex skin tones of his chosen subjects, many of whom are, like himself, Africans with global life experiences.
Boafo, whose first solo museum exhibition runs at the Seattle Art Museum, was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, and moved to Vienna, Austria, in 2014, where he ran into difficulties, with gallerists unwilling to show his works due to his focus on Black figures. He continued making an effort to create self-portraits (自画像) and people he knew or admired-African people and Black people who have African ancestry, painting a community of sorts during a time of hardship. He also developed his standout approach to figurative painting, which combines areas of bright and noticeable color with his soft and deep fingerpainting.
He began posting his art online and caught the attention of artists like Kehinde Wiley, the celebrated American artist. The word started to spread.
Boafo is now a global art star, with numerous shows at galleries and art fairs, working with fashion house Dior, and several paintings selling for over a million dollars. In 2021, with three of his paintings being launched into space by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ Kent-based spaceflight company, you might even say Boafo has rocketed to success.
And yet a recent phone conversation with the artist from his studio in Accra, which is once again his home base, revealed a well-mannered person who appreciated his success while pointing out all of the luck and preparation that led to it. Seeing so many of his paintings -created from 2016 to 2022-gathered together in an exhibition has helped him remember that “I did not ‘just happen. ‘I did not expect this success but I was hopeful and ready for it.”
1. What makes Boafo’s paintings different from other artists’ works?| A．His finger strokes. | B．His home country. ss-ess |
| C．His life experiences. | D．His traditional style. |
| A．By turning to celebrated artists for help. | B．By developing a unique painting style. |
| C．By running his art exhibition at home. | D．By working with local art galleries. |
| A．To indicate the price of space travel. | B．To show the value of Boafo’s works. |
| C．To introduce an international brand. | D．To tell us the advances in technology. |
| A．He is talkative. | B．He is patient. | C．He is determined. | D．He is humorous. |
2 . Painting Master Class examines 100 of the most fascinating paintings by the world’s greatest artists, exploring the way they were made, and how and what we can learn from them with detailed analyses. Below are the four masterpieces students prefer.
The Empire of Light is a series of paintings by Belgian artist René Magritte. Between 1953 and 1954, he painted the same scene 27 times. It shows a beautiful house lit by lights from inside, surrounded by the darkness of night. What is strange is that above the house and the tree, we see a daytime sky full of brightness and soft white clouds.
Racing Horse is a painting by Xu Beihong. In 1941 he painted a racing horse running at a high speed like a missile across the sky. The horse in the masterpiece is painted with a typical Western perspective but very traditional Chinese ink brushwork. Xu cleverly drew in black ink to show the moving hair on the horse’s mane and tail.
The Starry Night was painted in June 1889 when Vincent van Gogh was staying at a home for the mental illness. Van Gogh painted what he saw from his window — the night sky with clouds, stars and a moon. Influenced by Impressionism, he also painted the massive circles of white and yellow racing across the sky. Beneath this amazing sky, we see a sleeping village and a dark, lonely tree. His unusual use of colour has led experts to think that Van Gogh’s mental illness may have affected his sense of sight.
The Scream was painted by Edvard Munch in 1893. What makes it striking is that it shows a thin figure with an expression of fear — the figure’s mouth is wide open and letting out a powerful scream. This figure is set on a bridge above a dark, stormy sea, and against an orange-red sky. Many experts say that The Scream is connected to Munch’s mental health problems, which caused him a lot of pain.
1. Which of the following was painted latest?| A．The Scream. | B．The Starry Night. | C．Racing Horse. | D．The Empire of Light. |
| A．Edvard Munch’s. | B．Vincent van Gogh’s. | C．Xu Beihong’s. | D．René Magritte’s. |
| A．An ink painting of stars. | B．A series of paintings about the night sky. |
| C．A painting inspired by Impressionism. | D．A figure painting of Vincent van Gogh. |
3 . Throughout history, there have been sculptors who are prized for their willingness to push boundaries. Without their contributions, it would be difficult to imagine visual art as we now know it. Here are some of the pioneers.
Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598~1680)
As a master of materials, Italian artist Gianlorenzo Bernini is known for his astonishing ability to create movement and bring forth emotion with his work. In his masterpiece, Pluto and Perse, the rough and cold stone has been turned into flesh that looks so real and soft that you just want to reach out and touch it.
Alberto Giacometti (1901~1966)
Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti is perhaps most recognized for his slim and small sculptures, like Seated Man, with each piece measuring no more than 2.75 inches in height. Many scholars have suggested that his slim figures relate to a lack of meaning in 20th-century life.
Henry Moore (1898 ~ 1986)
Known for his abstract public sculpture, British artist Henry More's works most often focus on the theme of mother and child, who usually sit or lie in a relaxed way, with their bodies leaning backwards Moore's figures are often composed of multiple pieces, yet his clean lines allow viewers to effectively see the figures within the abstract form. Such features are very obvious in his master piece Mother and Child.
Louise Bourgeois (1911 ~ 2010)
Most well-known for her public art, French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois rose to international lame in 1982 after the Museum of Modern Art held her first exhibit. By this time, she was already in her 70s. Drawing from her own life experience, her sculptures often explore themes of family and death. In her representative work, Maman, Bourgeois has used a spider to stand for her mother, who died when she was a child, to show her strength and protection over her family.
1. When did Alberto Giacometti pass away?| A．In 1689. | B．In 1966. | C．In 1986. | D．In 2010. |
| A．Maman. | B．Mother and Child. | C．Seated Man. | D．Pluto and Persephone. |
| A．They became famous in their 70s. | B．They are known for their public sculptures. |
| C．They are from the same country. | D．They explored the themes of family and death. |
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Today I will introduce three famous musician in the world. Known as “ the father of the symphony”, Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer. It was him that changed the symphony into a long piece for a large orchestra. Hayden used to working at the court of a prince in eastern Austria, there he became a director of music. Having worked there for 30 years, he moved to London and became very successfully there. Mozart was another well-known Austrian composer, possibly the greater musical genius of all time. He passed away at an early age and composed no more than 600 pieces of music. Haydn met Mozart in 1781 and was very impressive with him. The third famous musician I will introduce is Beethoven, who was born in Bonn, Germany. He moved to Vienna and stayed there for rest of his life. As he grew older, he began to go deaf. Even when he was complete deaf, he continued composing.
