欧美人文风情第69篇:波提切利名画《维纳斯的诞生》

 We're looking at The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. 我们正在看波提切利的《维纳斯的诞生》。

This is, of course, one of the most iconic images in the history of western art. 这是，当然，西洋艺术史中最具标志性的图像之一。

Venus is fabulously¹ beautiful. How could it be otherwise? 维纳斯是难以至信地美丽。怎么可能不这样觉得呢？

So she stands radically² naked in a Renaissance³ painting not in a Christian⁴ context here. 所以她完全赤裸地站在这里一幅不在基督教脉络中的文艺复兴画作里。

Until, really, this point in the Renaissance, the only time you would see nude⁵ was Eve, but here... 直到，真的，在文艺复兴的这时期，你会看到裸体的唯一机会是夏娃，但这里...

This is not Eve. 这不是夏娃。

No, Botticelli's portrayed⁶ the ancient goddess of love, Venus. 不是，波提切利绘出古代爱神－－维纳斯。

...which was actually a copy of an even earlier ancient Greek sculpture, which was known sometimes as the Modest Venus, ...这其实是一个甚至更早期古希腊雕像的仿作，这有时以《含羞维纳斯》为人所知，

and which was actually in the collection of the Medici. 这其实是在麦地奇家族的收藏中。

We think that this painting might have actually been for one of the Medici court, 我们认为这幅画也许其实是要给麦地奇的其中一座宫殿，

perhaps even for a cousin of Lorenzo de' Medici. 也许甚至是要给伦罗佐麦地奇的一位表亲。

So Venus stands in the middle. She's born of the sea and seems to be being pushed in by the winds, 所以维纳斯站在中间。她从海洋诞生，看似被风推动，

the Zephyrs⁸ that are personified on the left. She stands on a seashell, or almost stands on a seashell. 也就是在左侧拟人化的风神。她站在贝壳上，或几乎站在贝壳上。

There's so much impossibility in this painting. 在这幅画里有太多的不可能性。

And when she gets to the shore, she'll be received by an attendant that's ready to wrap her nude body. 然后当她走到岸边，她将会由一名准备好裹覆她赤裸身躯的侍女接待。

But we're, I think, delighted that she hasn't gotten there yet because the body is just so beautiful. 但我们是，我认为，很开心她还没走到那儿，因为那身躯就是如此美丽。

It's so sensuous⁹, and it's an impossible kind of pose. It's not really contrapposto. 那是如此充满美感，而且那是个不大可能做到的姿势。

You know, there's this extraordinary curve to the body that I think... 那是非常人体比例不协调的。你知道，有这个身体异常的弧线，我觉得...

I suggest that she's got a very flexible kind of skeletal structure. 我认为她有种非常灵活的骨骼构造。

And even the Zephyrs who are those winds that blow her to shore are intertwined in impossible ways. 甚至风神，就是那些吹动她到岸边的风，也以不可能的方式交缠。

And every figure here floats. 且这里每个角色都是飘在空中的。

When we look at Renaissance paintings, we generally expect to see real naturalism. 当我们欣赏文艺复兴的画作时，我们通常期待看到真正的自然主义。

We expect to see figures that have weight, with bodies that make sense, existing in a realistic space. 我们期待看到有重量的人物、有合理的身躯、存在于现实的空间里。

That's what we think of when we think about the Renaissance, 那是当我们想到文艺复兴时会想到的东西，

but that's not what Botticelli gives us. 但那不是波提切利带给我们的。

Well, some art historians suggested that Botticelli is looking back to ancient Greek painting. 嗯，有些美术史学家认为波提切利正在回顾古希腊的画作。

And the only painting, really, that Botticelli would have available to him from the classical Greek tradition would have been vase painting, 而真的，波提切利唯一能从古典希腊传统找到的画作会是瓶画，

where figures are often isolated¹⁰ against the ground. 其中人物通常都与地面分离。

This is really a freeze. 这真的是个定格动作。

All the figures, and this is very much a Botticelli characteristic, are pushed forward, and... 所有人物都被往前推向前景，这是非常波提切利的特性，而且...

Kind of occupying a single plane. 有点像佔住了一个单平面。

That's right! And they are sort of isolated, these three groupings. 没错!且他们有点孤立，这三组人物。

And you can always imagine them as line painting on a vase. 而且你总是可以把它们想像成花瓶上的线图。

In fact, this painting is really linear. 事实上，这幅画是非常依赖线条的。

And because of the patterning, because of the quality of the linear, it sort of defies space. 而因为那结构、因为那线条的特形，它有点违反空间。

I mean, yes, we can look into the deep space, but this is not a Masaccio. 我是说，是的，我们可以望进那深度空间，但这不是马萨乔(意大利画家)。

The attempt here is to really de-emphasize deep space and to, instead, create a sense of pattern, create a sense of beauty. 这里的尝试是要确实降低深度空间的重要性，转而创造出格局感，创造出美感。

This is a painting, presumably, and we're just guessing. We don't know. 理论上来说，这是一幅画，而我们只是在猜测。我们不知道。

It is really about beauty. Perhaps in the neo-Platonic sense, both beauty is physical and sensual as erotic, 这确实有关美感。也许是新柏拉图派的概念，美感，正如情欲般既是形体上又刺激感官的，

but that leads one to his notion of divine beauty. 但那将一个人引导至他对神圣美感的概念。

Right, there are two kinds of beauty, and that through a contemplation of physical beauty we can arrive at divine beauty. 没错，有两种美感，而透过形体美感的沉思，我们可以到达神圣的美感。

Botticelli is creating a kind of beauty that is a result of, of course, the narrative¹¹; 波提切利正在创造出一种美感，当然，那是叙事的结果；

it's a result of the elegance¹² of the figure herself, but also through the use of pattern, through a kind of purely¹³ decorative¹⁴ quality. 那也是人物她本身优雅的结果，但同样是透过构图的使用、透过一种纯粹装饰的特性。

We can see that especially in the traces of gold that he's placed in her hair, in the trees to the right. 我们可以看到那点特别是他放在她发丝中、放在右侧树中的金色轮廓。

There's a kind of sensuality here that's irresistible¹⁵, right? 这里有一种无法抗拒的感官享受，对吧？

The pink flowers, fluttering between Venus and the Zephyr⁷; 那粉红色的花朵，在维纳斯及风神之间飘动；

the beautiful lines that create the waves; the lines from her hair; that fluttering drapery. 那创造出海浪的美丽线条；她发丝中的线条；那摇荡的布料。

It's a beautiful world that we want to enter. 那是个我们想要进入的美丽世界。

 

1 fabulously   

难以置信地，惊人地

参考例句：

• The couple are said to be fabulously wealthy. 据说这对夫妇家财万贯。
• I should say this shirt matches your trousers fabulously. 我得说这衬衫同你的裤子非常相配。

2 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 nude   

adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品

参考例句：

• It's a painting of the Duchess of Alba in the nude.这是一幅阿尔巴公爵夫人的裸体肖像画。
• She doesn't like nude swimming.她不喜欢裸泳。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 zephyr   

n.和风，微风

参考例句：

• I feel very comfortable in the zephyr from the sea.从海上吹来的和风令我非常惬意。
• Zephyr,the West Wind,blew away the clouds so that Apollo,the sun god,could shine and made this flower bloom.西风之神吹散了云朵，太阳神阿波罗得以照耀它并使它开花。

8 zephyrs   

n.和风，微风( zephyr的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you but smile, spring zephyrs blow through my spirits, wondrously. 假使你只是仅仅对我微笑，春天的和风就会惊奇的吹过我的心灵间。 来自互联网

9 sensuous   

adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的

参考例句：

• Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。
• The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

12 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

13 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

14 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

15 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。