Gul Mohar English Class 7 Chapter - 2 The Master Artist

Gul Mohar Edition 9 Orient Blackswan

Gul Mohar English Chapter - 2 The Master Artist

Writer of the story - Carol Moore
Question and answers
Question 1: “You need not even pose, because my memory’s excellent.” Do you think there was another reason, other than that he had a good memory, why l’ Abbaye told Bartoli that he did not have to pose for him?
Answer: During l’ Abbaye's time the guild controlled the painters, so the artists never got the chance to give wings to their imagination. When the artist got the offer to make portrait of Bartoli, he wanted to make use of the opportunity as he longed to paint in his own way. The artist boasted of his excellent memory on the pretext of total privacy to paint in a new and different style.

Question 2: Why, according to l’ Abbaye, was the painting taking so long?
Answer: l’ Abbaye explained that when he was eight years old he had been trained by Ambrogio Lorenzetti on how to plaster the walls, grind the colours while painting frescos and he had been advised never to hurry. The artist said that he had prepared the wall for the buon fresco (which needs 4 coats of lime plaster) and the painting would last forever and was therefore worth the time it consumed.

Question 3: How long did the masterpiece take? Do you know why?
Answer: The masterpiece took six months as l’ Abbaye used his unique creativity to bring the best out of the portrait. It took so long not only because it was 20 foot tall buon fresco, which needed 4 coats of lime plaster but also because l’ Abbaye had fussed and fixed over it and worked for a long time.

Question 4: How did Guliano Bartoli express his feelings when he saw his portrait?
Answer: Bartoli, the patron was astonished, felt furious and disappointed when he looked at his own portrait. His mouth fell open, his eyes turned red and his eyebrows twisted as if under a spell. He grabbed the few hairs on his head and did a little hop and twitch.

Question 5: Why did Bartoli feel that l’Abbaye was not an artist? Why did he call him as a thief or a madman?
Answer: Bartoli was shocked and angered as the portrait was done completely in a different style from what was popular at that time. Bartoli could not appreciate the style. He felt that he was not an artist and called him a thief as he thought the artist had deceived him. He could not tolerate his work , so he called him a madman because his style was so different from what the patron was used to and he could not understand why l’Abbaye had painted in such an unusual style.