Presentation On Restoring And Reproduction Of Paintings - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Trainer 2 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–25 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Presentation on restoring and reproduction of paintings
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C
Questions 26–30 Matching
What challenge did the Factum Arte team face with reproducing the following paintings?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to
A. they only had a photo of a badly restored version of the painting
B. they needed to see under the damaged surface of the painting
C. they had to get permission to analyze a very similar painting
D. they had to rely on similar drawings of the same subject
E. they had to negotiate with relations of the original artist
F. they were unable to view other examples of the artist’s work
G. they had only limited time to reproduce the painting
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | A | Oliver: Is that necessary? Let's start in a visual way. Show some paintings that have been restored, and talk about why it was necessary. So, for instance a painting that was damaged by water, and another one by insects – or by sunlight.Chloe: OK, let's go with that. It'll get everyone's attention | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Oliver suggesting they talk about specific reasons for fixing art, like water or insect damage. Chloe then says "OK, let's go with that," which means she agrees to include those reasons in the beginning of their talk. Answer Explanation: The answer means the students will talk about the different things that damage old paintings and make it important to fix them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Oliver suggests showing paintings and explaining 'why it was necessary' to fix them, such as damage from water, bugs, or the sun. Chloe agrees to this idea because she thinks it will be interesting for the audience. The word 'necessary' refers to the 'reasons why' the work had to be done. |
| Q22 | B | Did you know that most of the restorers we met didn't have a degree in art history? They'd done things like chemistry and archaeology. I never would have imagined that.Oliver: Me neither. I had no idea those kind of skills would be useful | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Chloe and Oliver talking about their museum visit. Chloe explains that the workers often have degrees in science or history rather than art, and both students admit they did not expect this to be true. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the students were shocked to learn what the workers who fix the paintings studied at university. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Chloe and Oliver discuss the university subjects (academic backgrounds) of the people fixing the paintings. Chloe points out that most restorers did not study art history, but instead studied chemistry or archaeology. She uses the phrase 'I never would have imagined that' to show her surprise, and Oliver agrees by saying he 'had no idea' those subjects would be helpful for art work. |
| Q23 | A | But the thing is, when someone owns the painting you're working on, you've got to get it right. What if they didn't like the colours you'd used? Too much pressure | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Oliver explaining that if a painting belongs to a person, you must do the job perfectly. He worries that the owner might be unhappy with the colors he picks, which makes him feel very stressed. Answer Explanation: The answer means Oliver is worried about what the people who own the paintings would think or say about his work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Oliver specifically mentions that having to satisfy a person who owns a painting is "too much pressure." He is concerned that the owner might not like the colors he chooses during the restoration process. While he mentions working high up in buildings, he says he "wouldn't mind" that part, meaning it does not put him off. He also learns that drawing skills are not necessary, so that is not the reason either. |
| Q24 | A | The original artist had painted a whale on the beach, and later - I suppose the painting was bought by someone who thought the whale ruined a pretty scene, and they paid another artist to cover it up.Oliver: You must be right. Not everyone judges a painting in the same way, obviously | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Chloe guessing that a buyer in the past didn't like the whale in the painting, so they paid someone to hide it under new paint. Oliver agrees with this idea, pointing out that everyone has a different way of deciding if a painting is good or not. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the two students agree that people have different opinions on what looks good or attractive in art. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the students discuss a painting where a whale was hidden by a previous owner. Chloe suggests the owner did this because they thought the whale "ruined" the scene. Oliver agrees by stating that "not everyone judges a painting in the same way," which is a direct way of saying that artistic taste "varies" (is different) from person to person. The keyword "judges" refers to the act of forming an opinion about the quality or style of the artwork. |
| Q25 | C | And what I like about digital reproduction is you could potentially make lots of copies – so a wider audience can see them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Oliver likes digital art because many copies can be made for many people to see. Answer Explanation: The answer means Oliver thinks that digital copies of art are good because they allow many more people to see the paintings. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Oliver specifically mentions that he likes digital reproduction because it allows for the creation of many copies, which means a "wider audience" can see the works. In English, when a "wider audience" can see something, it means that thing is more "accessible" to more people. He also mentions that it is different from a fake painting because there is no lying about who painted it, which makes choice B incorrect. |
| Q26 | C | They knew the National Gallery had a nearly identical sunflower painting by Van Gogh – and so they had to ask the gallery whether the team would be allowed to study and scan it – so they could reproduce the brushstrokes in the right way | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the team found another painting that looked almost exactly like the one they were working on. They had to ask the museum for permission to look at and scan this other painting so they could copy the artist's style correctly. Answer Explanation: The answer C means that the team had to ask for permission to look at and study a different painting that was almost exactly the same as the one they were trying to copy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Oliver mentions that the team found a painting that was 'nearly identical' (which means very similar) to Van Gogh's 'Six Sunflowers'. Because they only had a blurry photo of the original, they had to 'ask the gallery' if they could 'study and scan it' (which means getting permission to analyze it) to make sure their reproduction was accurate. |
| Q27 | A | The team had a photo they could use, but the problem was – it was a photo of The Concert after someone had tried to touch it up with fresh paint.Oliver: And they'd done a terrible job, hadn't they | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says the group used a "photo" of the painting. It also explains that someone "tried to touch it up" (which means to fix or restore it), but they did a "terrible job" (which means they did it very badly). Answer Explanation: The answer means the team had a photograph of the painting, but the artwork in the photo had already been fixed very poorly by someone else. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Chloe explains that the team used a photo of 'The Concert,' but the photo showed the artwork after a person had 'tried to touch it up with fresh paint.' In art, to 'touch up' is a synonym for 'restore.' Oliver then mentions that the people who did this 'done a terrible job,' which matches the idea that the painting was 'badly' restored. |
| Q28 | D | Oliver: Churchill hated that portrait. So his wife burnt it, and nothing was left. Chloe: So, the Factum Arte team had to search for the pencil sketches the artist had also made of Churchill as part of his preparation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that since the original painting was burnt, the team had to find the pencil drawings the artist made of Churchill beforehand. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the team had to use different drawings of the same person to help them recreate the painting. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the transcript explains that the original portrait of Sir Winston Churchill was destroyed by fire. Since the painting no longer existed, the Factum Arte team had to find and use 'pencil sketches' (which are drawings) that the artist had made of Churchill (the same subject) while preparing for the final work. This confirms they relied on similar drawings to complete the reproduction. |
| Q29 | B | In that case, the painting wasn't lost, but the top layer of paint had turned completely black because of smoke from a fire. The team had to work out what the colours beneath that layer had been | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the painting still existed, but its surface was covered in black smoke from a fire. The workers had to try to see what the colors were underneath that black smoke layer. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that the team had to find a way to look at the original colors that were hidden behind a ruined top part of the artwork. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the transcript describes a situation where the painting was damaged by smoke from a fire. This smoke turned the top of the painting black. Because the surface was ruined (damaged), the team had to figure out what the original colors were "beneath that layer," which means they had to see under the surface to know what the painting originally looked like. |
| Q30 | F | But they needed to know what colours Lempicka would have used. And most of her other paintings are held in private collections. Because of that, they couldn't go and see them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the team did not know the colors for the painting. They wanted to check other works by the artist, but they could not because most of those paintings were kept in private places where they were not allowed to go. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the team was not allowed or able to look at other paintings made by the same artist. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because the team had a hard time knowing what colors the painter, Tamara de Lempicka, used. To solve this, they wanted to look at her other paintings. However, those paintings were in "private collections," which means they were owned by people at home and not in a museum. Because of this, the team "couldn’t go and see them," which is a synonym for being "unable to view" those other works. |
Transcript
Oliver: Ok Chloe, let's put the presentation together. What do you want to include in the introduction?
Chloe: Well, we're looking at the restoration of old paintings, and the reproduction. So we should begin with a definition – to show how those two things are different.
Oliver: Is that necessary? Let's start in a visual way. Show some paintings that have been restored, and talk about why it was necessary. So, for instance a painting that was damaged by water, and another one by insects – or by sunlight.
Chloe: OK, let's go with that. It'll get everyone's attention.
Oliver: After the introduction, we should tell everyone about our museum visit.
Chloe: Yes, it was great to see people restoring paintings in front of us. Did you know that most of the restorers we met didn't have a degree in art history? They'd done things like chemistry and archaeology. I never would have imagined that.
Oliver: Me neither. I had no idea those kind of skills would be useful.
Chloe: Apparently, a painting can take a year to clean.
Oliver: I guess it would. And one guy I spoke to told me they're always experimenting. Reading up on different ways to clean the paintings.
Chloe: So, would you be interested in a career in art restoration? You know you don't actually need to be able to draw – so it might suit you!
Oliver: Very funny. Look, I think it would be a great job but I wouldn't choose to do it. You get to work in interesting places – that's true. I mean, sometimes you'd be working in a public place – like restoring the paintings high up on a church ceiling.
Chloe: With the public watching.
Oliver: I wouldn't mind that. But the thing is, when someone owns the painting you're working on, you've got to get it right. What if they didn't like the colours you'd used? Too much pressure.
Chloe: True. Since we visited the museum, I've been researching other restored paintings. One was a Dutch landscape. It'd been hanging in a museum for over 100 years – and everyone just thought it was a nice scene of people on the beach. And then a restorer started cleaning it, and discovered someone had painted over a whale.
Oliver: A whale?
Chloe: Yes. The original artist had painted a whale on the beach, and later - I suppose the painting was bought by someone who thought the whale ruined a pretty scene, and they paid another artist to cover it up.
Oliver: You must be right. Not everyone judges a painting in the same way, obviously. Anyway, we'll have plenty to say about restoration. What about digital reproduction?
Chloe: Yeah, digital technology is having quite an impact on the art world. We can now reproduce famous paintings – and you can see something that looks just like the original.
Oliver: I guess the difference between a digital reproduction and a fake painting is no-one's pretending it was painted by the original artist. And what I like about digital reproduction is you could potentially make lots of copies – so a wider audience can see them.
Chloe: Maybe. I'd rather look at the real painting.
Chloe: OK, so if we're talking about digital reproduction of art, we have to mention the company Factum Arte, and how they reproduced famous paintings that had been lost or damaged – so they can go on public display.
Oliver: Good idea.
Chloe: Let's note down the challenges the team faced. What about Vincent van Gogh's Six Sunflowers? The original painting was destroyed. The team had a photo of it, but it wasn't very clear.
Oliver: Right. They couldn't see how Van Gogh had used his brush. They knew the National Gallery had a nearly identical sunflower painting by Van Gogh – and so they had to ask the gallery whether the team would be allowed to study and scan it – so they could reproduce the brushstrokes in the right way.
Chloe: They got approval in the end.
Oliver: What about The Concert? The original was stolen, right?
Chloe: The team had a photo they could use, but the problem was – it was a photo of The Concert after someone had tried to touch it up with fresh paint.
Oliver: And they'd done a terrible job, hadn't they?
Chloe: Yes. But the team were happy with the reproduction in the end. We should mention the Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill.
Oliver: Churchill hated that portrait. So his wife burnt it, and nothing was left.
Chloe: So, the Factum Arte team had to search for the pencil sketches the artist had also made of Churchill as part of his preparation.
Oliver: Right. For me, I was most interested in The Water Lilies.
Chloe: By Claude Monet. In that case, the painting wasn't lost, but the top layer of paint had turned completely black because of smoke from a fire. The team had to work out what the colours beneath that layer had been.
Oliver: And then there was Myrto – a painting by Tamara de Lempicka. No-one knows for sure what happened to the original. At least the team had a black and white photo they could work from.
Chloe: But they needed to know what colours Lempicka would have used. And most of her other paintings are held in private collections. Because of that, they couldn't go and see them. That's a shame because…