Краткие рекомендации по обучению английской письменной научной речи

А. П. Миньяр-Белоручева 
Е. В. Мягкова 

Краткие рекомендации 
по обучению английской 
письменной научной речи 

Учебное пособие 

для студентов, обучающихся 
по направлению подготовки 

«История искусств» 

Издание второе, дополненное 

Москва 
Берлин 
2020 

УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1-6я73 
М62 

Рецензенты: 
Гуревич Л. С. — доктор филологических наук, профессор; 
Зененко Н. В. — доктор филологических наук, профессор; 
Шапошников В. Н. — доктор филологических наук, профессор 

Миньяр-Белоручева, А. П., Мягкова, Е. В. 
М62  
Краткие рекомендации по обучению английской 
письменной 
научной 
речи 
: 
учебное 
пособие / 
А. П. Миньяр-Белоручева, Е. В. Мягкова. — Изд. 2-е, 
доп. — Москва ; Берлин : Директ-Медиа, 2020. — 173 с. 

ISBN 978-5-4499-1596-2 

Цель предлагаемого учебного пособия заключается в обучении 
студентов, обучающихся по направлению подготовки «История ис-
кусств», основам письменной научной речи. В настоящее время пред-
ставляется необходимым научить будущих искусствоведов излагать 
искусствоведческий материал письменно. Для этого необходимо изу-
чить существующие тексты по истории искусства и, взяв их за обра-
зец, проводить поэтапное обучение письменной научной речи. 

УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1-6я73 

ISBN 978-5-4499-1596-2
© Миньяр-Белоручева А. П., Мягкова Е. В., текст, 2020
© Издательство «Директ-Медиа», макет, оформление,

2020

Content 

Введение ................................................................................................................................... 5 

Part I. Preliminary steps for essay writing .................................................................. 6 

Unit 1. Writing about art ................................................................................................. 8 

Unit 2. Critical writing.................................................................................................... 12 

Unit 3. Art Criticism ........................................................................................................ 16 

Unit 4. Analytic writing ................................................................................................. 23 

Unit 5. Interpretation in art ......................................................................................... 29 

Unit 6. Visual narration ................................................................................................. 36 

Unit 7. Comparison in art ............................................................................................. 48 

Unit 8. Portrait painting ................................................................................................ 59 

Unit 9. Self-portrait ......................................................................................................... 69 

Unit 10. Landscape painting ........................................................................................ 75 

Unit 11. Still life................................................................................................................. 85 

Unit 12. Genre painting ................................................................................................. 90 

Unit 13. Organization of the essay ............................................................................ 96 

Unit 14. Writing an essay ............................................................................................. 99 

Part II....................................................................................................................................... 100 

Unit 1. Writing an essay ............................................................................................. 100 

Unit 2. Practice with titles ......................................................................................... 103 

Unit 3. Practice with key sentences ...................................................................... 106 

Unit 4. Practice with a supporting idea ............................................................... 114 

Unit 5. Practice for details ......................................................................................... 118 

Unit 6. Practice with organizing and writing paragraphs ........................... 124 

Unit 7. Writing essays ................................................................................................. 127 

Unit 8. Practice with introduction ......................................................................... 129 

Unit 9. Practice with development paragraphs. .............................................. 131 

Unit 10. Practice with conclusions ........................................................................ 133 

Unit 11. Practice with essay analyses .................................................................. 135 

Unit 12. Compiling an abstract ................................................................................ 137 

Unit 13. Writing a review of an exhibition ......................................................... 140 

Appendix I ............................................................................................................................. 149 

Appendix II ........................................................................................................................... 159 

Literature............................................................................................................................... 170 

Введение 

Овладение культурой письменной научной речи предполагает 
знание правил и законов, по которым она строится. Отбор 
языковых единиц и их функционирование в научной речи 
обусловлены способом изложения материала. Научный искусствоведческий 
дискурс направлен на анализ и описание произведения 
искусства. Научный искусствоведческий дискурс 
строится по закону убедительности рассуждения, когда одно 
утверждение вытекает из другого и готовит к восприятию последующего. 

Стилистическая специфика научной речи обусловлена 
неоднородностью материала. В реальной речевой действительности 
искусствоведческий дискурс представлен множеством 
форм, из которых выделяются более дробные виды и 
подвиды. Поскольку дробление на формы виды и подвиды 
происходит в пределах одного искусствоведческого дискурса, 
то, прежде всего, следует обратить внимание на структурно-
композиционное оформление научного произведения, целостность 
построения которого определяется логикой научного 
мышления. Раскрытие темы имеет первостепенное значение 
для успеха научного произведения. 
В данной работе наряду с теоретическим изложением 
материала предлагаются упражнения, выполнение которых 
является ключом к успеху написания реального научного искусствоведческого 
эссе, рецензии и обзора работ художников, 
представленных на выставках. 

PART I 
PRELIMINARY STEPS FOR ESSAY WRITING 

Academic writing is an essential segment of English for Aca-
demic Purposes (EAP) in general and English for art history stu-
dents in particular. However, it is not a simple matter. In their essay, 
art history students should be able to describe, interpret, explain 
and evaluate any artwork. The description should not be boring that 
is why art history students should not limit themselves with the 
enumerations of the objects they see in the painting. Art history 
students should be able to call attention of their readers to what is 
not evident, uphold their viewpoint, compare and contrast the sub-
ject matter, put forward arguments, make their statements convinc-
ing. Art history students should be taught to write essays as 
appropriately as only possible because essay writing is recognized as 
one of the key processes in acquiring English for art history students. 
Writing essays is not an easy task: any worthwhile piece of work de-
mands time and thought. The job is twofold — seeing and writing — 
because these two activities are inseparable. If art history students 
don't see clearly, they will not be able to write anything interesting 
and definite in their essays about any artwork. Art history students 
should learn to write clearly, otherwise it will be difficult to under-
stand their ideas. Writing about art should be informative and per-
suasive. Art history students should introduce artworks in their 
essays and persuade how valuable they are. Most academic writings 
about art are analytic. To write an academic essay there are certain 
rules to be followed. Essays on art should be properly organized and 
presented. Art History students can save a lot of time and effort by 
having a system of writing an essay. It is important to remember that 
talking or writing about art is one of the ways of its studying. 
To get ideas for the essays it is necessary to answer the ques-
tions such as: 
What is the title of the artwork? Does it help to illuminate the 
artwork? 
When, where, and why was the artwork made? 
By whom and for whom was the artwork made? 
Where was the artwork produced? What is the artworks’ size? 
A larger-than-life image will have an impact different from a miniature. 

What material was used to produce the artwork? Was it 
transparent watercolor vs. opaque oil paint, or oil paint thinly ap-
plied vs. oil paint so thickly applied that it gives the canvas a rough 
texture? 
What is the subject matter of the artwork? Where is it derived 
from? 
Who or what can be identified in the artwork? 
Was the color of the artwork realistic or symbolic? 
Is the composition of the artwork balanced or asymmetrical? 
What (if anything) is happening in the artwork? 
What did the artwork originally look like? Paper and silk tend 
to darken, paintings crack and become dark, sculptures — even of 
marble or bronze — change color over the centuries, buildings de-
cay and are renovated. 
What was the cultural / political context of the artwork? 
What was the original function of the artwork? 
Was the purpose of the artwork to stimulate religious devo-
tion? / to impress the viewer with the owner's power? / to enhance 
family pride? / to teach?/ to delight? / to express the artist's feelings? 
Does the artwork present a likeness, or express a feeling, or il-
lustrate a mystery? 
Who could have seen the artwork and when? 
What did the artwork mean to the original beholders? 
What does the artwork mean to the contemporary viewers? 
Where was the artwork originally seen: in a church or a pal-
ace, or a bourgeois house? 
Where is the artwork located today: in a museum or a picture 
gallery, in a private house? 
How were the observers supposed to behave in front of such 
artworks and how did they actually behave? 
If the artwork is now part of an exhibition in a museum, how 
does the museum's presentation of the artwork affect the observers? 

Other basic questions concern the impressions: 
What is your first response to the artwork? Amusement? 
Awe? Annoyance? Shock? Boredom? 
What could have been the first response of the beholders to 
the artwork? 

One of the most important question is: 
Why do you have this response? 

UNIT 1. WRITING ABOUT ART 

1.1. What is art? 
Philosophers have argued about art for centuries. The ques-
tions: What is art? How important is art? Is art as important as life 
or love? Why is art so great? — were answered differently in every 
epoch of history. In ancient times and during the Middle Ages all 
kinds of trades and professions were known as arts. The liberal arts 
of the medieval curriculum included music but neither painting, 
sculpture, nor architecture, which were numbered among the me-
chanical arts, since they involved making objects by hand. 
Some scholars think art should be beautiful or lifelike; others 
think it is more important to capture a mood or feeling. One painting 
looks almost photographic. The other is much sketchier and painted 
with only a few colours, but very atmospheric. Some surprising things 
have found their way into galleries. Some people believe art should be 
about ideas. Others prefer to enjoy art for its own sake. The Impres-
sionists had some heated debates over this very question. Some of 
them felt it was important to paint scenes of modern life; others were 
more interested in exploring the effect of light on things. 
In the early twentieth-century, it was agreed that all of human 
experience, beautiful and ugly, pleasurable and painful, even hu-
morous and absurd, can be crystallized in a work of art, and pre-
served to be experienced by the viewers as long as that work lasts. 
It is the artist’s ability to embrace human experience of all sorts and 
transmit it to the beholders. At present the word 'art' can be used to 
describe anything from prehistoric cave paintings to a heap of junk 
in the corner of a gallery. It can even be used to refer to music and 
literature, but most often, it means visual art, or things, which are 
made to be looked at — especially paintings. 
Exercise 1.1 
Artists and experts often have different ideas concerning art that 
lead to some heated debates. There are lots of controversial opinions on 
the essence of art, but so far, no right or wrong answers have been given. 
Everyone has different tastes and opinions, so it is up to you to decide 
what art is. Put down your ideas to answer the question “What is art?” 

Exercise 1.1.1 
Remember that every essay should have a thesis, the argument, 
supported with persuasive details, a clear organization, and the ideas 

should be set forth effectively and the assignment is fulfilled. For de-
tails turn to Part II. 

1.2. What is art worth? 
Philosophers, artists, scholars and art critics often disagreed 
about the value of art. Before the 15th century, artworks were eval-
uated according to the cost of the materials used for their produc-
tion. Thus, the sheets of gold leaf were utilized for the gilding and 
the precious ultramarine blue made from crushed lapis lazuli im-
ported from the Middle East was used for the robes of individual 
figures. However, in time, the desire of patrons to see figures and 
setting more naturalistic caused the painters to substitute the gold-
en background by the heavenly blue color that continued behind all 
the scenes. The abilities of the artists needed to paint figures and 
backgrounds in a convincingly naturalistic way. With the growing 
interest in stylistic and compositional innovations, artistic skills and 
ingenuity began to be increasingly valued. 
However, artistic originality is not easily accepted. Vincent 
van Gogh died in poverty, because no one wanted to buy his paint-
ings — even his friends said they looked like the work of a lunatic. 
Now, they are among the most valuable artworks in the world. The 
French painter Manet disagreed with a critic so strongly, that he 
challenged him to a duel. 
Critic John Ruskin ended up in court in a dispute over James 
Whistler’s Nocturne in Black and Gold — the Falling Rocket, of 1875. 
This painting caused an uproar. Ruskin wrote, “It is so blurry; it is hard 
to see what is going on. In fact, it shows a firework display.” At that time, 
people were used to glossy, highly finished pictures, so this one seemed 
very sketchy by comparison. Ruskin thought Whistler's painting was far 
too slapdash. He could not believe the artist wanted 200 guineas for 
“flinging a pot of paint in the public's face”. Whistler responded that the 
painting's value did not depend on how long it took him to paint, but on 
his genius and years of study. He sued Ruskin for libel and won — alt-
hough he was awarded only a farthing (a quarter of a penny) in damag-
es. Therefore, it seems the judge really agreed with Ruskin. 
Today artists are free to paint everything they want and ex-
press their feelings by any means they like. This was not always so. 
Throughout most of history artists worked usually on commission. 
No matter how much they enjoyed their work, and how much of 
themselves they poured into it, they never thought of undertaking 

a major work without the support of a patron and the security of 
a contract. In most periods of history artists in any field had a clear 
and definable place in society — sometimes modest, sometimes 
very important — and their creations thus tended to reflect the de-
sires of their patrons and the forces in their human environment. 

Exercise 1.2 
Set forth your ideas concerning the subject of a painting or, 
sculpture. Are artists free to create anything they want or should 
there be certain restrictions dictating artists what and how to paint 
or what to exhibit? 

1.3. Response to artworks 
There are many works of prehistoric art — like the animals 
on cave walls and ceilings — that cannot be interpreted accurately 
in the complete absence of reliable knowledge, but to our eyes, they 
remain beautiful and convincing. This may be because we can easily 
relate them to our own experience of animals. And there are others, 
such as the palace on the island of Crete or the colossal Easter Island 
sculptures, that are impressive to us even if foreign to every kind of 
experience we can possibly know. Simply find interesting forms, 
masses and lines. Yet how much more articulate and intelligent our 
response to works of art can be if we know their purpose in the in-
dividual or corporate experience of their makers. We can take a part 
of a building that strikes us as beautiful, study how it was originally 
devised to fit a specific practical use, and then watch it develop un-
der changing pressures, sometimes to the point of total transfor-
mation. On the other hand, we can watch a type of religious image 
arise, change, become transfigured, or disappear, according to de-
mands wholly outside the artist's control. Such knowledge can gen-
erate in us a deeper understanding and eventually an enriched 
appreciation of the works of art we study. If we learn to share the 
artist's experience, insofar as the historical records and the works of 
art make it accessible to us, then our own life experience can expand 
and grow. We may end up appreciating the beauty and meaning of a 
work of art we did not even like at first. 

Exercise 1.3 
Can viewers evaluate the artworks of the artists of the previous 
epochs without knowing anything of their purpose, standing at a dif-
ferent moment in history? Expand your ideas in your essay. 

1.4. What is Pop Art? 
The consecration of Pop art occurred on 13 December 1962 
when a symposium was organized at the Museum of Modern Art. 
From then on, nothing whether architecture, fashion, or home crafts 
was to escape the tidal wave. The following years every museum at-
tempted to put on its own show of Pop art. Today, there is a bigger 
emphasis than ever on making art new and original. Artists are con-
stantly pushing the boundaries of what we think of as 'art'. Therefore, 
there is more and more controversy about it, and about the high pric-
es, collectors sometimes pay for it. To prove Marcel Duchamp’s point: 
everything can be art, artists started to exhibit different things that 
previously had been utilized in everyday life, artists started to exhibit 
different ordinary things, including a bicycle wheel on a stool, a pile of 
bricks, a plain white canvas, a pile of rubbish from a party (later 
thrown away by mistake), an unmade bed and even a painting of a 
pipe labelled This is not a pipe. You might not expect to find them in a 
gallery at all. And as some of the “artworks” were not even made by 
the artist — but just “readymade” objects an artist had found, the 
concept became of primary importance. In 1964 Duchamp stated, 
“Pop Art is a return to “conceptual” painting, virtually abandoned, 
except by the Surrealists, since Courbet, in favor of retinal painting... 
If you take a Campbell soup can and repeat it 50 times, you are not 
interested in the retinal image. What interests you is the concept that 
wants to put 50 Campbell soup cans on a canvas.” Moreover, “The 
creative act”, according to Duchamp, “is not performed by the artist 
alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external 
world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and 
thus adds his contribution to the creative act.” Pop Art can provoke 
strong reactions and make you viewers see things in a new way — 
which traditional paintings often do, too. 

Exercise 1.4 
Can you agree with Marcel Duchamp’s point that everything 
can be art artists started to exhibit? Does seeing things utilized in eve-
ryday life in an art gallery make them art? Put down your ideas in 
your essay. Describe your experience of visiting a modern art museum. 

Exercise 1.5 
Answer in your essay: What does it mean to be an artist? How 
do you know what makes art good? 

UNIT 2. CRITICAL WRITING 

2.1. Why do people write about art? 

When art historians or art critics write about art they try to 
clarify their ideas of the artworks that interest, excite or frustrate 
them. The works of art embody complex and often contradictory 
thoughts and feelings. As Arthur C. Dano put it, “Until one tries to 
write about it, the work of art remains a sort of aesthetic blur… After 
seeing the work, write about it. You cannot be satisfied for long in 
simply putting down what you felt. You have to go further”. When 
people write about art, they teach themselves and others. By writing 
about art, people try to understand their likes, dislikes and uncertain-
ties. People express what they like, or do not like, they judge, de-
scribe, analyze, and interpret. Scholars want to interest their readers 
by communicating their response to material that is worth talking 
about, to deepen their understanding of art. To write about art schol-
ars should know their target audience, as it helps them to decide how 
much background they need to give, what terms they need to define, 
what kinds of evidence is needed to persuade the reader, what degree 
of detail they need to go into. When writing about an artwork an art 
history student needs to answer the following questions: What stands 
out the most when you first see the work of art? What tells you about 
the style used by this artist? What seems to be hiding in the composi-
tion? What feelings and meanings does this artwork represent? To 
tell the readers what they need to know it is necessary to write in 
language they will understand. It is not recommended to use unfamil-
iar words in order to sound impressive. 

Exercise 2.1 
Substantiate in your essay what makes you write the artwork. 

Exercise 2.2 
Read the passage devoted to Turner’s “Rain, Steam, and 
Speed — The Great Western Railway”; be sure that you understand 
every sentence in it. Write your own essay to compare with that given 
in Fraser's Magazine for June 1844. What style should be chosen for a 
magazine article at present? 
 
A more easily verifiable experience for most visitors to the 
Academy was that of travelling in a railway train, and Turner paint-