美国国家公共电台 NPR--Does some art deserve to be attacked by climate activists?

Does some art deserve to be attacked by climate activists¹?

Transcript²

Great works of art that have been attacked by climate protesters are innocent victims. But is there some art that deserves to be vandalized?

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

So we've talked before on the show about how climate change activists are targeting works of art. NPR's Neda Ulaby asked how that looks to an art critic.

NEDA ULABY, BYLINE³: Over the past few months, soup has been thrown at a Van Gogh, orange paint sprayed all over a Charles Ray sculpture in Paris, black gunk on a Gustav Klimt in Vienna. And on YouTube, you can see climate activists taping themselves to a couple of artworks by Goya at the Prado in Madrid.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).

ULABY: Critic and author Blake Gopnik says this suggests that art is not irrelevant⁴.

BLAKE GOPNIK: It matters to people in a way that really surprises me as an art critic. I mean, you know, this stuff is supposed to be esoteric.

ULABY: But art in museums is accessible. Where else can you walk right up to something so symbolic⁵ of the establishment and let everyone know exactly what you think of how the rich spend their resources? Billionaires pay hundreds of millions of dollars for works like these at fancy auction⁶ houses. And wealthy tourists fly around the world to see them.

GOPNIK: Art has a kind of celebrity⁷ status that it's never had before.

ULABY: Every art lover, Gopnik included, is aghast at the potential damage to cultural treasures. But he's also aghast at the damage being wreaked⁸ upon the world. These works of art may not deserve to be attacked by climate activists, Gopnik says, but perhaps that's not true of all of them.

GOPNIK: There are works of art that I wish somebody would attack. But I ain't going to go on the record about that, I don't think.

ULABY: Oh, come on.

GOPNIK: OK. I will go on the record. How about if someone attacked a Beeple?

ULABY: A Beeple. Beeple is the artist whose NFTs made headlines last year because they sold for so much money. One was auctioned⁹ for $69 million even though NFTs rely on environmentally unfriendly blockchain technology.

GOPNIK: If they could get a hold of the $69 million Beeple and throw some food at it, I actually wouldn't complain.

ULABY: Getting a hold of a Beeple might be impossible for climate activists. But when they target works of extraordinary art, Blake Gopnik says, they remind us of everything we have to lose.

Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

5 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

6 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

7 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

8 wreaked   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. 地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• They have wreaked dreadful havoc among the wildlife by shooting and trapping. 他们射杀和诱捕野生动物，造成了严重的破坏。

9 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》