Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Complete the sentences with a suitable form of a verb from the list.

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

Rewrite the sentences using the bold words

choose the word in which -ure is pronounced differently.

choose the word in which -ure is pronounced differently.

choose the word in which -ure is pronounced differently.

choose the word in which -ure is pronounced differently.

choose the word in which -ure is pronounced differently.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Complete the sentences with a colour idiom containing the word in bold.

Listen to a radio programme about Vladimir TretchikofPs painting The Chinese Girl.

Listen again and answer the questions.

Read the article once and choose the best title.

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Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

1____The joy of the cut-outs is their simplicity. They are made out of modest materials using basic techniques, and in them Matisse reduces art to the essentials of colour, shape, and pattern. Yet precisely because they offer us instant visual gratification, it is easy to forget how innovative they actually are.
2____ The process starts by cutting out shapes from sheets of paper that have already been painted in colours chosen by the artist. These cut-out shapes are then pinned (but not glued) to a support, which might be a sheet of paper, a wall, or a canvas. 3_____
Because the shapes of palm leaves, mermaids, parrots, and coral reefs were not fixed permanently to a flat surface, the cut-outs are much more physical than mediums such as painting and collage. It changes your understanding to learn that in their original form they might flutter slightly in a breeze, gaining a sense of movement.
4____ Matisse could only use pins during the first phases of his work. Of necessity, the next step had to be to glue the paper shapes to the support in order to preserve it. For purely practical reasons, then, Matisse had the cut-out shapes taken off the wall, traced, and glued onto canvas.
5____ So congratulations are in order for the curators of Tate Modern. Their beautifully realized exhibition changes our understanding of what Matisse achieved in the cutouts. From now on we’ll see them not simply as delightful arrangements of shapes and colours, but as works of art that represent the grand finale of an artistic genius.

Five sentences and paragraphs have been removed from the article. Read it again and match A-F to the gaps 1-5. There is one sentence or paragraph you do not need to use.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

1______The joy of the cut-outs is their simplicity. They are made out of modest materials using basic techniques, and in them Matisse reduces art to the essentials of colour, shape, and pattern. Yet precisely because they offer us instant visual gratification, it is easy to forget how innovative they actually are.

Five sentences and paragraphs have been removed from the article. Read it again and match A-F to the gaps 1-5. There is one sentence or paragraph you do not need to use.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

2____ The process starts by cutting out shapes from sheets of paper that have already been painted in colours chosen by the artist. These cut-out shapes are then pinned (but not glued) to a support, which might be a sheet of paper, a wall, or a canvas.

Five sentences and paragraphs have been removed from the article. Read it again and match A-F to the gaps 1-5. There is one sentence or paragraph you do not need to use.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

3_____Because the shapes of palm leaves, mermaids, parrots, and coral reefs were not fixed permanently to a flat surface, the cut-outs are much more physical than mediums such as painting and collage. It changes your understanding to learn that in their original form they might flutter slightly in a breeze, gaining a sense of movement

Five sentences and paragraphs have been removed from the article. Read it again and match A-F to the gaps 1-5. There is one sentence or paragraph you do not need to use.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

4______Matisse could only use pins during the first phases of his work. Of necessity, the next step had to be to glue the paper shapes to the support in order to preserve it. For purely practical reasons, then, Matisse had the cut-out shapes taken off the wall, traced, and glued onto canvas.

Five sentences and paragraphs have been removed from the article. Read it again and match A-F to the gaps 1-5. There is one sentence or paragraph you do not need to use.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tate Modern must know that with ‘Matisse: the Cut-Outs’ they have a winner. I guarantee that this exhibition of the colour-saturated works Henri Matisse made by cutting out shapes from pre-painted sheets of paper during the last 17 years of his life will be among the most popular ever held in the UK.

5________So congratulations are in order for the curators of Tate Modern. Their beautifully realized exhibition changes our understanding of what Matisse achieved in the cutouts. From now on we’ll see them not simply as delightful arrangements of shapes and colours, but as works of art that represent the grand finale of an artistic genius.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.

Read the article and answer the questions.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anna+Elena=Balbusso

In the solitude of the studio, the lone artist hunches over a canvas to add the final brush strokes to a portrait. Or at least that is how these professionals are commonly perceived. Yet a pair of Italian sisters has recently debunked this myth by producing a series of strikingly beautiful pictures as a team. It may help that illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso are identical twins, and the fact that they are able to create such perfect works as a duo has got the art world talking.
The sisters began drawing together as children, when they would get hold of pencils and coloured markers and cover sheets of squared notebook paper with pictures. They drew their way through primary school and after secondary school, they were lucky enough to both attend a special high school that was dedicated to art: the Instituto Statale d’Arte in their hometown, Udine. After both gained their diplomas, they went on to specialize in painting and art history at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan.
At this point in their careers, the sisters decided to branch out on their own, and spent the summers working separately as graphic designers with studios and advertising agencies in Milan. Upon graduation, they had intended to continue this path but a crisis in advertising and graphics meant that there was little work available. Consequently they decided to return to the medium of their youth – drawing – and independently began to visit publishing houses in Milan. Soon, however, the editors began to comment on how confusing it was to first receive one sister with her portfolio and then an hour later the other. To avoid the confusion, the sisters created a single identity and since 1998, they have been working together under the signature Anna+Elena=Balbusso.
During the years of their partnership, the sisters have been rewarded with a number of commissions, including several from the prestigious Folio Society, a privately-owned publisher which produces special hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books illustrated by professional artists. Undoubtedly one of their greatest works to date has been their award-winning illustrations of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the future in the fictional Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all of their rights and are only valued for their ability to reproduce, the story explores the fate of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ employed by a military commander and his wife to bear children for them.
The two sisters were the perfect choice for this particular book, not only because of their talent, but also because their own story is reflected in the main character’s struggle to find and maintain her own identity in a circle dominated by men. To create the right atmosphere, they chose a futuristic tone with accentuated perspectives and strong light. They used few colours, with a prevalence of red, black and white. The result was a series of haunting images that emphasize the alienation of the main character and reflect the regimented society in which she lives. The Balbusso sisters’ picture Pregnant from the series was chosen by the Society of Illustrators as the best illustration of 2012 and awarded a gold medal. Which only goes to show that in the world of art, sometimes two heads can be better than one.