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Listen & Learn: Leonardo da Vinci

29th May 2024 by Jaksyn Peacock
The Mona Lisa painting
Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Image by Eric Terrade (Unsplash)

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • engineer: someone who designs or builds machines
  • iconic: very famous and recognizable, especially as a symbol of an era or culture
  • talent: something that a person is very good at
  • polymath: a person who has a lot of knowledge about many different subjects
  • century: 100 years
  • fascinate: to capture someone’s interest

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and engineer. He was born in Anchiano, Tuscany in 1452. Da Vinci is one of the most famous figures from the Renaissance period. He is especially well known for his , including the iconic Mona Lisa. However, da Vinci was also an accomplished inventor. He even designed a machine, called an ornithopter, hundreds of years before the Wright brothers flew the first . Because of his many talents, da Vinci is often called a polymath. For many years, most people only knew about his paintings. His were discovered more than a century after his death. They contained a complicated mix of , theories, and calculations. Although da Vinci died more than 500 years ago, his genius still fascinates artists and scientists today.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. Da Vinci was born in
    a. Florence
    b. Venice
    c. Anchiano
  2. One of da Vinci’s famous inventions was
    a. a communication device
    b. a flying machine
    c. a printing press
  3. More than a century after his death, da Vinci’s __________ were discovered.
    a. talents
    b. sketches
    c. notebooks

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Da Vinci’s notebooks are famously difficult to read. He did not organize them by subject, and he often wrote backwards. Some people say that disorganization is connected to creativity. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

Transcript

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and engineer. He was born in Anchiano, Tuscany in 1452. Da Vinci is one of the most famous figures from the Renaissance period. He is especially well known for his paintings, including the iconic Mona Lisa. However, da Vinci was also an accomplished inventor. He even designed a flying machine, called an ornithopter, hundreds of years before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane. Because of his many talents, da Vinci is often called a polymath. For many years, most people only knew about his paintings. His notebooks were discovered more than a century after his death. They contained a complicated mix of designs, theories, and calculations. Although da Vinci died more than 500 years ago, his genius still fascinates artists and scientists today.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2b 3c

Listen&Learn: Michelangelo

10th January 2024 by Jaksyn Peacock
Michelangelo’s David

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • Renaissance: a period of artistic and scientific discovery in Europe
  • apprentice: someone who learns a skill from a professional
  • muralist: someone who makes large paintings on walls
  • sculpture: a three-dimensional art piece
  • commission: to pay an artist to create something specific
  • physical: relating to the body

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist. He is known for some of the most famous artworks of all time. Michelangelo was born in Florence in 1475. When he was 13, he trained as an apprentice under the muralist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Although Michelangelo was very in drawing and painting, he became more in sculpture, and he left his apprenticeship two years early. In 1504, Michelangelo completed his most famous statue, the 17-foot tall David. He was commissioned by the Pope to paint the of the Sistine Chapel in 1508. Michelangelo found the Chapel frustrating. He was more familiar with stone than paint, and the job was very physically demanding. He even wrote a about his dislike for the . However, the Chapel ceiling is still one of Michelangelo’s most recognizable pieces. Michelangelo lived a long life, and continued to create art as he got older. He died in 1564, at age 88.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. Michelangelo became an apprentice when he was
    a. 13 years old
    b. 14 years old
    c. 17 years old
  2. Of all the art forms, Michelangelo was most interested in
    a. mural painting
    b. portraits
    c. sculptures
  3. Michelangelo found the experience of painting the Sistine Chapel
    a. easy
    b. enjoyable
    c. frustrating

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Michelangelo’s depictions of human bodies are celebrated now. However, the nudity in his paintings and sculptures was controversial in his time. Some people thought it was disrespectful to paint nude figures in religious buildings. Why do you think it often takes time for people to appreciate art? Which types of art are controversial today?

Transcript

Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist. He is known for some of the most famous artworks of all time. Michelangelo was born in Florence in 1475. When he was 13, he trained as an apprentice under the muralist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Although Michelangelo was very skilled in drawing and painting, he became more interested in sculpture, and he left his apprenticeship two years early. In 1504, Michelangelo completed his most famous statue, the 17-foot tall David. He was commissioned by the Pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508. Michelangelo found the Chapel frustrating. He was more familiar with stone than paint, and the job was very physically demanding. He even wrote a poem about his dislike for the project. However, the Chapel ceiling is still one of Michelangelo’s most recognizable pieces. Michelangelo lived a long life, and continued to create art as he got older. He died in 1564, at age 88.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2c 3c