Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit Three Chapter 3.2 Reading Works of Art PDF Download

Reading Works Of Art

Warming Up!

1. Complete the following idioms using the appropriate colour term. (blue, black, green, red)

give someone a ________ look (a look of anger, dislike, etc.)

the ________ sheep (of the family) a person who brings disgrace (to the family)

a ________ list (a list of defaulters)

a ________ belt (area of fields, woods, etc. around a city)

to have ________ fingers (be good at gardening)

be ________ with envy (feel very jealous)

give someone/get the ________ signal (give/get permission to do something)

a bolt from the ________ (a sudden shock, surprise)

out of the ________ (suddenly, unexpectedly)

once in a ________ moon (very rarely)

vanish into the ________ (leave without any trace)

________ blood (royal blood, aristocratic origin)

________ eyed boy (favourite person)

catch someone ________ handed (catch someone in the act of doing something wrong)

roll out the ________ carpet (give a special welcome)

a ________ herring (something that diverts attention from the main issue)

see ________ (become angry)

2. What are you reminded of when you think of the following colours.

purple, orange, yellow, pink, white

Teacher's Note

Colours have special meanings in our daily life. For example, in India we see red and yellow colours in temples and festivals.

Exam Trick

Remember idioms by thinking of real stories. For example, "black sheep" - like one child in a family who does bad things.

Points to Remember

Idioms are special phrases with hidden meanings.
Colours have different meanings in different cultures.
Learning idioms helps you speak better English.
You should practice using idioms in sentences.

Sayed Haider Raza

Sayed Haider Raza, popularly known as Raza, was a renowned Indian artist. Simple geometric shapes, striking colour combinations, captivating compositions - these are some of the characteristic features of his paintings, and so are the colours blue and orange. You will find them in almost all his paintings. None of his paintings depict lifelike human figures or copies of scenes from his environment. His paintings belong to the abstract style of paintings. Such paintings are not inspired by any external factor. They originate when the artist tries to peep into his own inner mind. They are made by arranging circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, lines, dots in different compositions using effective techniques of applying paint, attractive colour combinations, achieving balance in some places and creating imbalance in other places.

Raza found his paintings through his study of Indian art and its heritage, cultural context and philosophy. His pictures seem to radiate peace and life at the same time. We realise that the painting is a visible form of very deep thought. Very few abstract paintings communicate with the viewers as much as Raza's do.

Teacher's Note

Raza was a great Indian artist who used only shapes and colours, not real pictures. His paintings are like the traditional rangoli we see in Indian homes.

Exam Trick

Remember: Abstract art = not real pictures. Think of it like looking at clouds - you see shapes, not actual things.

Points to Remember

Raza was a famous Indian painter.
His paintings used simple shapes like circles and triangles.
He always used blue and orange colours in his paintings.
His art came from his own thoughts and feelings, not from the real world.

Raza was born in a small village in Madhya Pradesh. He began to paint from the age of twelve. He studied art at the 'Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya' at Nagpur and then at the J. J. School of Art in Mumbai. Later, he went to France to study Art. After a few years, he decided to settle in France. His wife was French. He won many national and international awards. He was honoured with all the three Padma awards - Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. With all the awards and honours, his paintings were exploring a spiritual, metaphysical path. Gradually, the 'bindu' or point came to be the core of his paintings. He described his work in these words - 'My work is my own inner experience and involvement with the mysteries of nature and form which is expressed in colour, line, space and light'.

Sometimes, an artist's thoughts appear to be too complex or even complicated when they are expressed through words. For him, the effective medium of communication is his work - his paintings. Raza had great creativity. His paintings are very expressive. This great artist passed away on 23 July 2016 at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy of sensitive paintings (achieved through extra-ordinary compositions of lines and colours) that depict extra-ordinary compositions.

Teacher's Note

Raza got three Padma awards which are the highest honours in India. It is like getting the best prize in your school year after year.

Exam Trick

Remember: Bindu = point or dot. This was the most important thing in Raza's later paintings. Think "bindu" = "small dot at the centre".

Points to Remember

Raza was born in Madhya Pradesh and started painting at age twelve.
He studied art in India and also went to France.
He won three Padma awards which are very important in India.
His paintings always had a deep spiritual meaning.

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