纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 063伊费头像（5）

 

So it's perhaps not surprising that nearly all of the Ife metal sculptures that we know - and there are only about 30 - are heads. In 1938, an astonishing group of 13, including the one now at the British Museum, was dug up in the precincts of a royal palace at Ife. The quality of the brass¹ casting was superb. And there could be no doubt now that this was a totally African tradition. The 'Illustrated² London News' of 8 April 1939 published the find. And in an extraordinary article, the writer, still using the racist³ language of the 1930s, recognises that what he calls the negro tradition - a word then associated with slavery and primitivism - must, with the Ife sculptures, now take its place in the canon of world art. "Negro" could never again be used in quite the same way:

"One does not have to be a connoisseur⁴ or an expert to appreciate the beauty of their modelling, their virility⁵, their reposeful⁶ realism, their dignity and their simplicity⁷. No Greek or Roman sculpture of the best periods, not Cellini, not Houdon, ever produced anything that made a more immediate⁸ appeal to the senses, or is more immediately satisfying to European ideas of proportion."

迄今为止发现的伊费金属雕像共有三十具左右，在这种以头部为尊的传统下，也许不难理解为什么它们几乎都是头像。一九三八年在此地发现了十三座头像，毋庸置疑，它们完全是非洲传统文化的产物。一九三九年四月八日的《伦敦新闻画报》报道了这一发现。在一篇精彩的文章中，作者仍然使用了二十世纪三十年代那种相对保守（在我们看来不无种族主义倾向）的措辞，将其称为“黑鬼(Negro)传统”—这个词在当时与黑奴及原始主义紧密相连—认为伊费雕像使得这种传统艺术跻身世界经典艺术之列。而“Negro'”从此具有了不同的含义。

?不只是行家或专家，普通人也可以欣赏它们的造型之美、力量、沉静、庄严与简约。希腊和罗马鼎盛时期的雕像或者切利尼、乌东的作品中没有一件能像它一样，带给人如此强烈的感官冲击，契合欧洲人对完美比例的认知。

1 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

2 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

3 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

4 connoisseur   

n.鉴赏家，行家，内行

参考例句：

• Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。
• We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。

5 virility   

n.雄劲，丈夫气

参考例句：

• He wanted his sons to become strong,virile,and athletic like himself.他希望他的儿子们能长得像他一样强壮、阳刚而又健美。
• He is a tall,virile man with rugged good looks.他是个身材高大、体魄健壮、相貌粗犷英俊的男子。

6 reposeful   

adj.平稳的，沉着的

参考例句：

7 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。