阅读理解。
Jean-Francois Millet (October 4,1814-January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founder of the Barbizon School in rural France. Born of a peasant family, Millet was encouraged by his father to
study art in Cherbourg, France. He can be categorized as part of the movement called "naturalism"(自然主义). His understanding of the peasant' hard life was perfectly expressed in his choice of subject and
natural preference for powerful but simple drawing and coloring.
One of the most well-known of Millet's paintings, The Gleaners(《拾穗者》),first came in a vertical
composition (垂直式构图) painted in 1854,and then there came the horizontal version in 1856, which is
now preserved in the Musee d'Orsay. It depicts women bending over in the fields to collect the leftover's
from the harvest, and it is a monumental composition devoted to the working class.
Previously, servants were depicted in paintings as obedient to a noble or a king, and picking up what
was left of the harvest was regarded as one of the lowest jobs in Millet;s times. However, Millet offered
these women as the heroic focus of the picture. Besides, in the painting, light lights up the women's
shoulders as they carry out their work. Behind them, the field that stretches into the distance is bathed in
golden light, under a wide , magnificent sky. The forms of the three figures, standing against the lighter field, show balance and harmony.
1. According to the passage , we can know that Millet ______.
A. was born in rural France
B. belongs to neither naturalism nor realism
C. became famous for his love of the countryside
D. received his high school education in Barbizon
2. As for the painting The Gleaners, ________.
A. it is originally a horizontal composition
B. it is based on the effort of Musee d'Orsay
C. it presents women in the field as the chief focus
D. it shows how women are stopped from working in the field
3. In the painting, the viewer can appreciate Millet's_______.
A. crazy interest in blue color
B. strong focus on the city life
C. absolute respect for the king
D. particular choice of main characters
4. In which of the following books can we probably find this passage?
A. Kings and Nobles in France
B. A Guide to French Painting
C. French Agricultural History
D. The Founder of Musee d'Orsay
