Portrait of an Artist

Transcription

1 Portrait of an Artist Portrait of an Artist Phong Chung* has been a painter since age five. He was born in Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia. He moved to New York in his teens and went to college at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. He now works as the publisher of a magazine in Brooklyn, New York. In all this time, he has done one thing every day: paint. I ve always loved to paint, Chung says. It relaxes me. It gives my life a sense of meaning. I don t know why, but I enjoy putting colors and shapes onto large pieces of canvas. To some people, it seems strange, he adds. To me, it seems perfectly natural. Chung s parents worked regular jobs. His uncle, however, took an interest in the arts. When Chung was little, his uncle read him books out loud. He encouraged Chung to live a creative life and to build his imagination. He gave Chung comic books to read and took him to museums. It was because of his uncle, Chung says, that he became a painter. But painting for a living is hard. Chung realized this when he moved back to New York after graduating from college. He rented a cheap studio and painted all day. But no one wanted to buy his paintings.

2 Portrait of an Artist To make money, he found a job as a construction worker. He built walls in people s apartments. He installed wood floors in clothing stores. At times, he even painted houses. It was not the same as painting pictures. But he liked working with paint all the same. The more time I could spend with paint, the better, he says with a laugh. When he finished work for the day at 5 p.m., Chung returned to his studio in Brooklyn. After eating dinner, he often painted until 2 or 3 in the morning. He often got only a few hours of sleep a night. Yet he was never tired during the day. Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. I asked how he managed to stay awake after getting only three or four hours of sleep. For me, painting was sort of like sleeping, he says. After I paint, I feel rested. I feel relaxed. It s as if I just took a long nap. Even though I move around a lot when I paint, I don t feel tired. Because I enjoy painting so much, it doesn t feel like work. He compared himself to the famous poet named William Carlos Williams, who also worked as a doctor in New Jersey. Williams considered himself a poet first, a doctor second. But he claimed that treating patients left him feeling relaxed and rested. He liked it so much that it never felt like work. William Carlos Williams would deliver a baby in the middle of the night, and come back home and write poems, Chung says. He said that being a doctor calmed him, and he did not need much sleep because of it. Still, working as a construction worker was not easy. After a few years, Chung began to look for another job, one that required less physical activity. He loved spending time with other artists and talking with them about their work. By the time he was 30, he knew hundreds of other artists in New York. One day, a group of his artist friends told him they were starting an art magazine. The magazine would feature interviews with other artists and articles about art shows happening in the city. They asked if he would like to help them put it out every month.

3 Portrait of an Artist Chung was overjoyed. By working for an art magazine, he could spend all day learning about art. He could talk to artists about their paintings, sculptures, films and performances. It seemed like the perfect job. Today, Chung is the publisher of the magazine. That means he makes sure the magazine comes out every month. He checks in with the editors, the writers and the people who deliver the magazine to locations across the city. He also makes sure the magazine makes enough money to keep making new issues. Every issue of the magazine includes a long interview with Chung and another artist. Chung asks the artist all about their lives. Who are your heroes? he asks. How do you find the time to paint? Being an artist myself, I m curious to hear what other artists say about the job, Chung says. Talking with other artists can be as much fun as making art. *Mr. Chung s real name has been changed in this story.

4 Questions: Portrait of an Artist Name: Date: 1. What does Phong Chung do every day? A He studies. B He writes. C He paints. D He cooks. 2. This passage describes a sequence of events in the life of Phong Chung. Which event is part of the sequence of Phong Chung s life? A He moved from Vietnam to New York while in his teens. B He worked at a restaurant to make money in New York. C He considered pursuing a career as a doctor in New Jersey. D He eventually became the creative director of an art magazine. 3. The passage explains that because of Chung s uncle, Chung became a painter. What evidence in the text supports his conclusion? A Chung s uncle encouraged Chung to live a creative life and build his imagination. B Chung s parents worked regular jobs. C Chung rented a cheap studio and painted all day when he moved to New York. D Chung s uncle had comic books. 4. In the passage, Phong Chung compares himself to the poet William Carlos Williams. Why does Chung believe that they are similar? A Like Chung, Williams only enjoyed the artistic work that he did. B Like Chung, Williams spent his life pursuing his love for painting. C Like Chung, Williams worked in construction to earn money. D Like Chung, Williams enjoyed his work so much that it didn t feel like work. 5. What is this passage mainly about? A the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants in America B the difficulties all artists face when they move to New York C the story of one person who tries hard to live a creative life D the daily routines of art magazine publishers in New York 1

5 Questions: Portrait of an Artist 6. Read the following sentences: Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. I asked how he managed to stay awake after getting only three or four hours of sleep. As used in the passage, would does the word manage most nearly mean? A to control B to be able to C to be in charge D to fail 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Working as a construction worker was not easy., after a few years, Chung began to look for another job, one that required less physical activity. A However B Therefore C Otherwise D Above all 8. Chung enjoys interacting with other artists and learning about what they do. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? 2

6 Questions: Portrait of an Artist 9. No one wanted to buy Chung s paintings, but Chung still found jobs that supported his love for art. Describe one of these jobs and how it helped him to live a creative life. 10. Do you think Chung will continue to work as a publisher in the future? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. 3

7 Teacher Guide & Answers: Portrait of an Artist Teacher Guide & Answers Passage Reading Level: Lexile What does Phong Chung do every day? A He studies. B He writes. C He paints. D He cooks. 2. This passage describes a sequence of events in the life of Phong Chung. Which event is part of the sequence of Phong Chung s life? A He moved from Vietnam to New York while in his teens. B He worked at a restaurant to make money in New York. C He considered pursuing a career as a doctor in New Jersey. D He eventually became the creative director of an art magazine. 3. The passage explains that because of Chung s uncle, Chung became a painter. What evidence in the text supports his conclusion? A Chung s uncle encouraged Chung to live a creative life and build his imagination. B Chung s parents worked regular jobs. C Chung rented a cheap studio and painted all day when he moved to New York. D Chung s uncle had comic books. 4. In the passage, Phong Chung compares himself to the poet William Carlos Williams. Why does Chung believe that they are similar? A Like Chung, Williams only enjoyed the artistic work that he did. B Like Chung, Williams spent his life pursuing his love for painting. C Like Chung, Williams worked in construction to earn money. D Like Chung, Williams enjoyed his work so much that it didn t feel like work. 5. What is this passage mainly about? A the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants in America B the difficulties all artists face when they move to New York C the story of one person who tries hard to live a creative life D the daily routines of art magazine publishers in New York 1

8 Teacher Guide & Answers: Portrait of an Artist 6. Read the following sentences: Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. I asked how he managed to stay awake after getting only three or four hours of sleep. As used in the passage, would does the word manage most nearly mean? A to control B to be able to C to be in charge D to fail 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Working as a construction worker was not easy., after a few years, Chung began to look for another job, one that required less physical activity. A However B Therefore C Otherwise D Above all 8. Chung enjoys interacting with other artists and learning about what they do. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? Suggested answer: In the passage, we learn that Chung loved spending time with other artists and talking with them about their work. By the time he was 30, he knew hundreds of other artists in New York. He was excited to talk to artists about their painting, sculptures, films and performances for the magazine. And he tells the author that, Talking with other artists can be as much fun as making art. 9. No one wanted to buy Chung s paintings, but Chung still found jobs that supported his love for art. Describe one of these jobs and how it helped him to live a creative life. Suggested answer: Students may explain that Chung worked during the day as a construction worker, painting houses, then stayed up late at night to make his art. Students may also note that as a magazine publisher, Chung learns about art, interviews other artists and helps to put out a magazine. 10. Do you think Chung will continue to work as a publisher in the future? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Suggested answer: Students may answer that Chung is likely to continue to work as a publisher, because he is living the creative life that his uncle encouraged him to live. He can be friends with artists. He can spend all day learning about art. He can meet artists and talk to them about their work. And since he has always pursued both his work and his dream at the same time, he may continue to do so. Or, students may focus on the fact that Chung feels happiest when he is painting. So they may conclude that he will at some point focus on just making art himself if he has the financial means to do so. 2