美国国家公共电台 NPR--Whistler's Mother, meet Whistler's very, very close friend at the National Gallery

Whistler's Mother, meet Whistler's very, very close friend at the National Gallery

Transcript¹

An early painting by 19th century American artist James McNeill Whistler is the focus of an exhibition at Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art. The big and fascinating show does not feature his most famous work — a picture of Whistler's closest relative: his formidable mother.

I've known Whistler's Mother for years. So do you, if you've ever had an art class, or seen a book of art classics. Old lady in profile, wearing a really black dress, white lace cuffs², white bonnet³, sitting by a gray wall. Mean looking. Judgmental.

Click here to meet Anna McNeill Whistler.

This exhibition — "The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler" — is about the artist's relationship with a much younger woman. He painted her 10 years before his mother.

Hiffernan was Whistler's model, muse⁴, and more.

Did Muse and Mom know each other? "Oh yes!" says curator Margaret MacDonald, who unearthed⁵ new information about the model. She says Mama didn't seem to think much of Joanna. "She was a bit dubious⁶ about models. The danger of a model possibly being seduced⁷ made her not respectable."

Victorian morals. Were they lovers? "Oh yes! Absolutely."

Joanna Hiffernan may not have been too crazy about Anna McNeill Whistler with good reason. Hiffernan lived with James Whistler "until Mother came, and she had to move out," MacDonald says. Still, model and artist continued their relationship for decades. Hiffernan ran his studio, kept track of the books, even raised a son Whistler had with another woman.

Letters and diaries show Joanna Hiffernan to have been great company, says MacDonald. "She was passionate⁸, had a quick temper, was quite funny," she says. "She was jolly."

Whistler painted and sketched⁹ and etched his muse again and again. The National Gallery exhibits three paintings of Hiffernan in white.

In Symphony No. 1; the White Girl, she's larger than life, with long red hair. (X-rays show Whistler fooled around with the length.) She wears a long white dress. (Lots of laundresses in 1861). She's standing¹⁰ on a polar bear rug. (Stylish, then, in middle class homes). A distant gaze in her eyes, staring into space.

James McNeill Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl, 1864

National Gallery of Art,

In Symphony In White No. 2: the Little White Girl, she's still dreamy, still wearing white. Proper lady, with a nice mantlepiece!

James McNeill Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 3, 1865–1867

The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

In Symphony in White No. 3, she's got company. Two lovely women in white. Maybe having a heart-to-heart.

What's with those titles? Well, the famous painting of Whistler's Mother is officially called Arrangement in Grey and Black. He was exploring variations in those colors, how they sat together, echoed one another. He's doing the same thing in his Symphonies. Whistler's white wasn't just white. He mixed several colors into it. "So it had a warmth," MacDonald explains. "It isn't cold white."

Painters like working with white. Nice texture¹¹. Fun to use.

"Whistler got a big brush, got enough paint on it, and slams is down like a mosaic¹² of colors. It all feels good. If you're an artist, you enjoy that!" she says.

So do art lovers. Although Joanna Hiffernan wrote a friend about some 19th century reactions to Whistler's Symphony No. 1, the centerpiece of the National Gallery's exhibition: "The White Girl has made a great sensation, for and against. Some stupid painters don't understand it at all. The old duffers may refuse it altogether."

And they did. But not for long!

1 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。

2 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

3 bonnet   

n.无边女帽；童帽

参考例句：

• The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。
• She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。

4 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

5 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

6 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

7 seduced   

诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷

参考例句：

• The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

12 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。