【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 and drawing tables on which the artist could trace the image. For the artist, this technique allows forms and linear perspective to be drawn precisely as they would be seen from a single viewpoint. Mirrors were also used to reverse the projected images to their original positions.Did some of the great masters of painting, then, trace their images using a camera obscura? Some ait historians are now looking for clues of artists39。 use of such devices. One of the artists whose paintings are being analyzed from this point of view is the great Dutch master, Jan Vermeer, who lived from 1632 to 1675 during the flowering of art and science in the Netherlands, including the science of optics. Vermeer produced only about 30 known paintings, including his famous The Art of Painting. The room shown in it closely resembles the room in other Vermeer paintings, with lighting ing from a window on the left, the same roof beams, and similar floor tiles, suggesting that the room was fitted with a camera obscura on the side in the foreground. The map hung on the opposite wall was a real map in Vermeers possession, reproduced in such faithful detail that some kind of tracery is suspected. When one of Vermeer’s paintings was Xrayed, it did not have any preliminary sketches on the canvas beneath the paint, but rather the plete image drawn in black and white without any trial sketches. Vermeer did not have any students, did not keep any records, and did not encourage anyone to visit his studio, facts that can be interpreted as protecting his secret use of a camera obscura.In recent times the British artist David Hockney has published his investigations into the secret use of the camera obscura, claiming that for up to 400 years, many of Western art’s great masters probably used the device to produce almost photographically realistic details in their paintings. He includes in this group Caravaggio, Hans Holbein, Leonardo da Vinci, Diego Velazquez,JeanAugusteDominique Ingres, Agnolo Bronzino, and Jan van Eyck. From an artist’s point of view, Hockney observed that a camera obscura presses the plicated forms of a threedimensional scene into twodimensional shapes that can easily be traced and also increases the contrast between light and dark, leading to the chiaroscuro effect seen in many of these paintings. In Jan van Eyck’s The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami, the plicated foreshortening in the chandelier and the intricate detail in the bride’s garments are among the clues that Hockney thinks point to the use of the camera obscura.So what are we to conclude? If these artists did use a camera obscura, does that diminish their stature? Hockney argues that the camera obscura does not replace artistic skill in drawing and painting. In experimenting with it, he found that it is actually quite difficult to use for drawing, and he speculates that the artists probably bined their observations from life with tracing of shapes.1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about Giovanni Battista Della Porta39。s contribution to the camera obscura?A. He translated a Chinese description of the use of the camera obscura and made the technique available to artists.B. His convex lens made the projected image easier to trace.C. His version of the camera obscura allowed for the later addition of a mirror.D. His improvements relied heavily on design changes proposed earlier by Leonardo da Vinci.2. The word “portable” in the passage is closest in meaning toA. valuableB. practicalC. moveableD. popular3. The word projected in the passage is closest in meaning toA. wholeB. correctedC. enlargedD. shown4. Paragraph 2 answers which of the following questions about paintings by Vermeer?A. What characteristics of Vermeer’s paintings suggest that he may have used a camera obscura?B. Why did Vermeer produce only about 30 paintings?C. Do Vermeer39。s paintings in general suggest that he was unable to paint accurately without using a camera obscura?D. Why did Vermeer need to draw an image on the canvas of the painting that was Xrayed if he was using a camera obscura?5. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave outessential information.A. One artist with a particularly interesting point of view about the use of the camera obscura in painting was Jan Vermeer, who lived in the Netherlands from 1632 to 1675.B. Historical analyses suggest that Dutch masters were interested in the science of optics, so they may have used the camera obscura to trace images.C. The use of the camera obscura is being analyzed in the paintings of Jan Vermeer, who lived in the Netherlands when art and science were flourishing there.D. One view held by historians is that most Dutch masters were as interested in art as they were in science, and that provides clues about the techniques used in their paintings.6. What does paragraph 2 indicate about Vermeer’s The Art of Painting ?A. It is the first in a series of about 30 paintings that he created.B. It may have been painted by one of his students.C. it was in his possession until his death in 1675.D. It has the same setting as several other works of his.7. The word faithful in the passage is closest in meaning toA. unusualB. extensiveC. exactD. historical8. Why does the author provide the information that 39。When one of Vermeer39。s paintings was Xrayed, it did not have any preliminary sketches on the canvas beneath the paint, but rather the plete image drawn in black and white without any trial sketches?A. To provide an example of a way to learn about the practices of artists who did not keep good recordsB. To emphasize Vermeer’s confidence and skill as an artistC. To provide evidence that Vermeer may have traced the image using a camera obscuraD. To argue that Vermeer did his prelim