Lesson 4 The Late Bloomers
Grandma Moses: Life Is What You Make It
Do you believe that world-famous artists ____ show their special skills from an early age?
Do you think they ____ started their artistic careers as young people?
While this may be true for Mozart or ____, there are many individuals who discovered their artistic talents later in life.
A good ____ is Anna Mary Robertson Moses, widely known as Grandma Moses.
She only began painting in earnest in her late ____.
However, this did not stop her from ____ one of the most beloved American folk artists.
Life and Career
Moses was born on a farm in rural New York in ____.
She ____ her early years keeping house and doing farm work.
____ her interest in art from a young age, Moses was generally too busy to develop her abilities.
She worked hard as a farmer and homemaker, ____ finding time for “hobby art” such as quilting.
However, she never lost her passion for art, even in her busiest ____.
It was not until her late ____ that Moses finally began painting in earnest.
Once she started, she ____ most of her time painting.
In ____, an art collector discovered her paintings displayed in a local store.
The following year, he managed to get Moses’ works included in the exhibition “Contemporary Unknown American ____.”
In 1940, she had her first individual exhibition in New ____ City.
Soon after she became known as Grandma ____ throughout the art world.
Her ____ were commercially reproduced for greeting cards and stamps.
Her unique folk style and peaceful scenes inspired people ____ over the world.
She was given the Achievement Award of the Women’s National Press Club in 1949 for her outstanding artistic ____.
Artworks
Since Moses was self-taught, some people referred to her as a “primitive ____.”
Lacking formal ____, she usually ignored perspective and proportion.
However, her art was direct, honest, and cheerful. Using bright colors and simple forms, she skillfully conveyed her ____ memories and emotions.
Her works captured the everyday scenes of ____ and family life.
Here are some of the important works that represent her distinctive ____ and attitudes.
The process of making maple syrup, known as "sugaring ____," was one of Moses' favorite subjects, and she returned to it repeatedly.
"Sugaring Off" (1955) portrays villagers working in various stages of the process to produce maple syrup ____ trees on a winter day.
Moses' ____ for traditional ways of life shines through in this painting.
She believed that men, women, and ____ all should stay busy and do their parts for the community.
The checkered house
The checkered house is another ____ topic of Moses' paintings.
She created more than twenty ____ of this house in both summer and winter landscapes.
This house was a landmark inn near her childhood ____, decorated with a red and white checkered pattern.
In "The Old Checkered House, 1853" (1944), a large house painted in red and white squares ____ up the center.
In front of the house, ____ figures are engaged in different activities, with visitors arriving and leaving in horse carriages.
The checkered house represents her deep ____ to the past and her beloved memories of old things that were quickly disappearing.
"Calhoun" (1955) depicts a rural American ____ with farm buildings, rolling hills, lines of trees, and small figures working on the harvest.
The ____ may refer to Calhoun County, not far from the farm where Moses and her family once lived.
However, this peaceful and poetic scene portrays an ____ world that existed only in Moses’ imagination, rather than any real place.
She ____ that art should only present pleasant scenes and subjects.
She once said, “What's the use of painting a ____ if it isn’t something nice?”
Legacy
Despite her fame and success, ____ Moses remained modest and dedicated to her art.
She maintained her passion for painting until her death at the age of ____, leaving behind over 1,500 paintings.
Whether through her paintings or her life story, Grandma Moses proves that it is never too late to follow ____ passion and that there is no set schedule for success.
For ____ people, it may take time to find their true calling.
However, with hard work, dedication, and a willingness to take risks, it is possible to achieve your dreams at any ____ in your life.
As Grandma Moses once said, “Life is ____ you make it. Always has been. Always will be.”