Сборник текстов и упражнений по внеаудиторному чтению для студентов факультета культуры и искусств, изучающих английский язык. Полторак Д.Л. - 13 стр.

       When the art student came the following week, he saw a drawing               "We've got to stop him. It's our duty," said Koppel. He insisted
on the table. It was a vase. But something was definitely wrong with it.    that they should do something about it. "No," said the doctor. "We can't
       "Well, what do you think of it?" asked the old man stepping aside.   interfere with his plans now and spoil all the good work we've done.
       "I don't mean to hurt you, sir, but, there is one thing I want to    Besides I can't order that he should take the picture back.
draw your attention to... ," began Swain. «If you want to draw you will             To the astonishment of all of the people in the house Trees
have to look at what you are drawing, sir.»                                 Dressed in White was accepted for the Show.
       "I see," the old man interrupted, "the halves don't match. I can't           Young Swain went to the exhibition one afternoon and blushed
say I am good at drawing." He added a few lines with a shaky hand and       when he saw Trees Dressed in White hanging on the wall. As two visi-
painted the vase blue like a child playing with a picture book. Then he     tors stopped in front of the strange picture, Swain rushed out. He was
looked towards the door.                                                    ashamed that a picture like that had been accepted for the show. He did
       "Listen, young man," he whispered. "I want to ask you some-          not want to hear what they might say.
thing before Old Juice comes again. I don't want to speak in his pres-              However Swain did not give up teaching the old man. Every
ence."                                                                      time Koppel entered the room he found the old man painting some-
       "Yes, sir," said Swain with respect.                                 thing. Koppel even thought of hiding the brush from him. The old man
       "I've been thinking ... Could you come twice a week or perhaps       seldom mentioned his picture and was unusually cheerful.
three times?"                                                                       Two days before the close of the exhibition Ellsworth received a
        "Sure, Mr. Ellsworth," the student said respectfully. "When         letter. Koppel brought it when Swain and the doctor were in the room.
shall I come?"                                                              "Read it to me," asked the old man putting aside the brush he was hold-
       They arranged to meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.               ing in his hand. "My eyes are tired from painting."
       As the weeks went by, Swain's visits grew more frequent. He                  The letter said: "It gives the Lathrop Gallery pleasure to an-
brought the old man a box of water colors and some tubes if oils.The        nounce that Collis P. Ellsworth has been awarded the First Landscape
old man drank his juice obediently. Doctor Caswell hoped that business      Prize of ten thousand dollars for his painting Trees Dressed in White.
had been forgotten forever. The doctor thought it safe to allow Ells-               Swain became dumb with astonishment. Koppel dropped the
worth to visit the Metropolitan, the Museum of Modern Art and other         glass with juice he was about to give Ellsworth and did not bend to
exhibitions with Swain. A new world opened up its charming myster-          pick up the fragments. Doctor Caswell managed to keep calm. "Con-
ies. The old man was interested about the galleries and the painters        gratulations, Mr. Ellsworth," said the doctor. "Fine, fine ... Frankly, I
who exhibited in them. How were the galleries run? Who selected the         didn’t expect that your picture would win the prize…Well…. Anyway
canvases for the exhibitions? An idea was forming in his brain.             I’ve proved to you that art is more satisfying that business».
       When spring came, Ellsworth painted a picture which he called                “Art is nothing. I bought the Lathrop Gallery last month,» said
Trees Dressed in White. The picture was awful. The trees in the picture     the old man.
looked like salad thrown up against the wall. Then he announced that
he was going to display it at the Summer Show at the Lathrop Gallery.                                     Exercises
Doctor Caswell and Swain didn't believe it. They thought the old man
was joking.                                                                       1. Answer the questions:
       The summer show at the Lathrop Gallery was the biggest exhibi-             1. Why didn’t Koppel like the behaviour of his patient?
tion of the year. All outstanding artists in the United States dreamt of          2. Why wasn't Ellsworth an ordinary case?
winning a Lathrop prize.                                                          3. Who was Frank Swain?

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