2019年经济学人 艺术史:达·芬奇和我们(2)

 

Like many an autodidact, da Vinci was long on inquisitiveness¹ but short on intellectual self-discipline. He had astonishing powers of observation, an extraordinary talent for making connections between different areas of knowledge, a readiness to challenge contemporary beliefs and an uncanny ability to anticipate future discoveries. But his life yielded an endless succession of untested contraptions, unpublished studies and unfinished artworks.

达·芬奇和许多自学成才的人一样，好奇心很强，但缺乏理智的自律。他观察力惊人，拥有在不同领域的知识之间建立联系的非凡天赋，随时准备挑战当代信仰，在预测未来发现方面能力非凡。他的一生创造出无数未经测试的新奇玩意、未发表的研究和未完成的艺术品。

Anniversaries are normally opportunities for reappraising the legacy² of the great man or woman concerned. Da Vinci's highlights the fact that, outside the field of painting, his legacy—as distinct from his genius—was modest. He had brilliant intuitions in fields as diverse as anatomy³ and hydraulics, but because he failed to publish his theories and findings, hundreds of years were to pass before they were discovered by someone else.

一般来讲，重新评价与伟人相关的遗留下来的东西，周年纪念是个好机会。达·芬奇遗留下来的东西强调了一个事实，那就是在绘画领域之外，和他的天才不同，其他领域的遗留下来的东西是谦逊的。他在解剖学和水力学等各个领域都有卓越的直觉，但是因为他没有发表其理论和发现，几百年后才被其他人发现。

Even his artistic⁴ oeuvre, though sublime⁵, is minute. Fewer than 20 finished works are generally attributed to da Vinci. He failed to complete some of his most important commissions such as the “Adoration of the Magi”. His ill-fated experimentation⁶ with materials ruined others, including “The Last Supper”. Hence the paucity⁷ of exhibitions devoted⁸ to his art in what should be his year of years. Florence is commemorating⁹ him with a show devoted to his master, Verrocchio.

即使他的全部艺术作品，尽管崇高，但数量很少。一般只有不到二十幅完成作品被公认为是达·芬奇的作品。有些重要的作品未能完成，如《三博士朝圣》。他以失败告终的材料实验还毁坏了其他画作，包括《最后的晚餐》。因此，在他所处的年代里，很少有展览专门介绍他的艺术。佛罗伦萨用一场他老师韦罗基奥的展览来纪念他。

Born out of wedlock¹⁰ in 1452, the son of a notary¹¹ and a peasant woman, da Vinci had a lonely childhood and—probably lefthanded and almost certainly gay—grew up something of a misfit. He spent much of his life outside his native Tuscany in Milan, Rome and finally France as the guest of King Francis I. He died at Amboise in 1519.

达·芬奇于1452年非婚生，父亲是一名公证人，母亲是一名农民。他童年孤独，可能是左撇子，几乎可以肯定是同性恋，长大后与所处的环境有些不相合。他一生的大部分时光都在家乡托斯卡纳以外的罗马、米兰度过，最终受邀弗朗西斯一世国王客居法国。于1519年逝于安博瓦兹。

Such is the status he has acquired as the definitive¹², universal genius that the few questions raised in his quincentenary year are being put almost surreptitiously, as in a show at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome that largely comprises models based on da Vinci's designs. It opens with a display of treatises¹³ and often exquisite¹⁴ drawings by other Tuscan artist-engineers, including Francesco di Giorgio Martini, that show da Vinci was far from unique in combining technology with painting—and that some of his peers managed to get a lot more built or printed than he did.

这就是他作为一个权威、全能天才所获得的地位，以至于在他五百年诞辰之际提出的几个问题几乎都是秘密进行的，正如罗马的基里纳莱博物馆举办的一场展览，虽然展出的大多是基于达·芬奇设计的模型，但展览一开始展示了包括弗朗西斯科·迪乔治·马提尼在内的托斯卡纳艺术家和工程师们的论文和精美画作，这表明达·芬奇在将科技与绘画结合起来方面远非独一家，而且他的同行们的作品成果更多。

1 inquisitiveness   

好奇，求知欲

参考例句：

• It especially excited their inquisitiveness. 这尤其引起了他们的好奇心。
• This attitude combines a lack of class consciousness, a somewhat jaunty optimism and an inquisitiveness. 这种态度包括等级观念不强，得意洋洋的乐观劲儿和刨根问底的好奇心。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

6 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

7 paucity   

n.小量，缺乏

参考例句：

• The paucity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果缺乏是由于干旱造成的。
• The results are often unsatisfactory because of the paucity of cells.因细胞稀少，结果常令人不满意。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

10 wedlock   

n.婚姻，已婚状态

参考例句：

• My wife likes our wedlock.我妻子喜欢我们的婚姻生活。
• The Fawleys were not made for wedlock.范立家的人就跟结婚没有缘。

11 notary   

n.公证人，公证员

参考例句：

• She is the town clerk and a certified public accountant and notary public.她身兼城镇文书、执业会计师和公证人数职。
• That notary is authorised to perform the certain legal functions.公证人被授权执行某些法律职能。

12 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

13 treatises   

n.专题著作，专题论文，专著( treatise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many treatises in different languages have been published on pigeons. 关于鸽类的著作，用各种文字写的很多。 来自辞典例句
• Many other treatises incorporated the new rigor. 许多其它的专题论文体现了新的严密性。 来自辞典例句

14 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。