VOA英语2010年-Wood Revolution Comes to Washington

An exhibit at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C. is featuring turned and carved wood by some of America's best known craftsmen¹. The exhibit, donated to the museum by husband and wife collectors, is considered one of the most important collections of its type in the United States.

History of wood art

For centuries wood turners around the world have been using blocks of wood to make common household objects like candlesticks, bowls and drinking vessels².

They use a machine called a lathe³ to spin the wood, and special cutting tools to shape it.

Form over function

But starting about 40 years ago, innovative⁴ wood artists began to use the lathe in a more sophisticated way, creating objects that were sculptural rather than functional⁵.

 

Now an exhibit at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. is showcasing more than 60 pieces of turned and carved wood by some of the finest artists in the U.S.

Curator Nicolas Bell says the exhibit reflects the energy that's come out of that movement, and shows how it has evolved over the last few decades.

"It developed on the ground with people coming together and saying, 'I'm interested in this material; I'm interested in exploring something new that hasn't been done before and really doing it at a community level.'"

 
VOA - J. Taboh
A new exhibit at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. is showcases one of the largest collections of wood art ever donated to an American museum.
Feel-good qualities of natural wood

The pieces in the exhibit were donated to the museum by collectors Fleur Bresler and her late husband, Charles.

Bresler says her love of wood art began in this same gallery when she saw a similar exhibit decades earlier. If there hadn't been guards on duty, says Bresler, she "probably would have taken the tops off the cases, picked them things up and touched them."

"It is alive because it comes from something that is living. And you can pick it up, you can hold it, you can feel it," she says.

Bresler was further inspired by the wide range of colors that she discovered while collecting her wood art.

"I had never seen wood in that many colors with that many patterns in it," she says. "I was hooked."

 
VOA - J. Taboh
Curator Nicolas Bell says about two to three dozen exotic woods, including African Black wood, pink ivory and ebony, are represented in the exhibit.
Exotic woods

Nicolas Bell says about two to three dozen exotic woods are represented in the exhibit.

"Everything from African Black wood to pink ivory wood to ebony to wonderful domestic woods such as pine, oak, maple⁶, cherry and the incredible array of colors that comes out of those materials," he says.

Bell and Bresler say that as wood as an art form continues to evolve, there will be a shift away from the lathe and more towards carving⁷ and sculpture, as has been the trend for the past 20 years. Objects by renowned⁸ artists like Ron Fleming and Michelle Holzapfel, may appear functional says Bresler, but are really sculptures.

Fleur Bresler hopes her decision to share her collection will inspire a new generation of both artists and collectors.

1 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

2 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 lathe   

n.车床，陶器，镟床

参考例句：

• Gradually she learned to operate a lathe.她慢慢地学会了开车床。
• That lathe went out of order at times.那台车床有时发生故障。

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

6 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

7 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

8 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。