A nature-inspired sculptor

"Une sculptrice inspirée par la nature"
French B2 writing exercise

Michel, a journalist, is interviewing sculptor Olivia to find out what inspires her to create sculptures.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "a listener (radio show)", "to inspire [someone]", "a sculpture", "ever since...", "to feel a connection to [something]", "century-old", "an oak tree", "at the far end of ...", "to fascinate [someone]", "to twist in all directions (branch)", "to incorporate", "world-renowned", "to capture the essence of...", "rather than [doing]", "to recreate", "a twisting shape", "a surface", "to include [something]", "a groove (tree)", "tree bark", "to influence", "an art project", "a goal", "to get [someone] to [do]", "to reflect", "through one's work".

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA
Last updated: 2025-01-22

I’ll give you some sentences to translate into French

  • I’ll show you where you make mistakes
  • I’ll keep track of what you need to practise
  • Change my choices if you want
Start the exercise
How the test works
You’ll practise: Adjectif possessif, L'Imparfait (Indicatif), Le Présent (Indicatif)

Here's a preview of the text for the writing challenge, when you're ready click the start button above:

- Hello Olivia, explain to our listeners what inspires your sculptures. - Michel, ever since I was a child, I've always felt a great connection to nature. When I would visit my grandparents who lived in the countryside, there used to be a century-old oak tree at the far end of their garden. That tree absolutely fascinated me because of the way its branches twisted in all directions. - Olivia, how do you incorporate these natural forms into your world-renowned creations? - I try to capture their essence rather than copying them. For example, my latest sculpture recreates a tall twisting shape whose surface includes similar grooves to those of tree bark. - Do you also find that emotions influence your creativity? - Absolutely! Though nature is the main element in my art projects, my goal is to get people to pause, (to) reflect and (to) feel emotions through my work.

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