Page 41 - index

2018 ‫מועד סתיו‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) More than any other portrait artist in modern times, Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada has
changed the boundaries of portraiture, taking it beyond the walls of the conventional
museum. Rather than painting images on canvas, he creates giant portraits in large
urban spaces. Known as face-scapes, these outdoor portraits have won him

(5) international acclaim and transformed the way many people think of portraiture.

Born in Cuba and raised in the U.S., Rodriguez-Gerada moved to Spain in 2002. In
2008 on a beachfront in Barcelona, he created his first face-scape, an enormous sand
portrait of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. Portraits in other major cities
followed, including one in Amsterdam – almost as large as two football fields –

(10) depicting an anonymous Mesoamerican woman. Because of their size, the face-scapes
can be seen in their entirety only from tall buildings or from the air. "Big ideas require
big spaces," explained the artist.

In 2014, Rodriguez-Gerada created one of his most impressive face-scapes on five
acres of parkland in Washington, D.C. The portrait, depicting a single face, was a

(15) composite of photos of 50 young American men from different ethnic backgrounds.
Rodriguez-Gerada selected facial features from the photos and combined them into one
image using computer technology. With the aid of satellite imaging he mapped out how
to recreate the face on an enormous scale. Then came the actual construction stage. He
and his assistants arranged 10,000 wooden pegs in the ground and formed an

(20) outline of the face using 13 kilometers of string running from peg to peg. The outline
was then filled in with 2300 tons of sand and 800 tons of soil. The title of the work, Out
of Many, One, refers not only to the method used to make the face-scape but also to the
diversity of American society. "Diversity is the backbone of the nation, and this piece
embraces that fact," noted Rodriguez-Gerada.

(25) In contrast to traditional portraiture, which is often used to immortalize its subjects,
Rodriguez-Gerada's works are deliberately made using temporary materials to convey a
message about the ephemeral quality of life, hopes, and dreams. Out of Many, One was
on display for just one month, at the end of which it was plowed into the ground.
Fortunately, however, the face-scape was recorded in photos and videos and will not be

(30) lost to posterity.

Questions

18. An appropriate title for this text would be -

(1) Rodriguez-Gerada's Life and Career
(2) Out of Many, One: A Tribute to American Society
(3) Face-Scapes in American Art
(4) Rodriguez-Gerada: Transforming Our Idea of Portraits

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬