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VOA慢速英语-THIS IS AMERICA - 'The Migration Series' by Jacob La

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These 60 paintings tell about the movement of African-Americans in the first half of the 20th century. Transcript1 of radio broadcast:
06 July 2008

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. This week we tell about an important series of historical paintings created by the African-American artist Jacob Lawrence. This modernist painter was only twenty-four when his Migration2 Series made him nationally famous. All sixty paintings in this series are currently being shown at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. These skillful works are as expressive3 and meaningful today as they were when Jacob Lawrence first painted them over sixty years ago.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 

Detail from Panel No. 1: “During World War I there was a great migration north by southern African Americans.”

The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence is as much a history lesson as it is a shining example of artistic4 skill. Starting around nineteen ten, thousands of African-Americans living in the rural southern part of the United States began to move, or migrate, to northern industrial cities. Many African-Americans left their homes in the South to escape discrimination, a worsening economy, and agricultural problems. The beginning of World War One in nineteen fourteen created an even larger demand for workers in the factories of the North.

VOICE TWO:

It is estimated that over a million African-Americans moved north during this period to seek better jobs. They moved to cities like New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan. This movement of people had a big effect on the economy and communities of the South.

Jacob Lawrence had a personal connection with the Great Migration. Before he was born, his own parents moved from the South to Atlantic City, New Jersey5, then later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

VOICE ONE:

Elsa Smithgall is the associate curator at the Phillips who organized this show on Jacob Lawrence. Here, she talks about the importance of his Migration Series.

ELSA SMITHGALL: "It really taps such universal themes that we still can really relate to. We think about themes of struggle, and perseverance6 and resilience, and these qualities that really are still at the heart of the immigrant experience in this country today. We have over two hundred million migrants estimated in the world today. One of the things about the series is that it transcends7 its own time. It is important historically, but at the same time it very much informs our present and our thinking about the future."

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen thirty, when Jacob was thirteen, his mother moved him and his brother and sister to the Harlem area of New York City. During the nineteen thirties Lawrence began taking art classes with the artist Charles Alston. First he took classes at the Utopia Children's House, then later at the Harlem Art Workshop. The Workshop was supported by the Works Progress Administration, or W.P.A. This federal government agency employed people to work on public buildings and other projects.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty-eight Jacob Lawrence began working for the W.P.A. He created several series of historical paintings that show important people and events in African-American history. These include "The Life of Frederick Douglass" and "The Life of Harriet Tubman."

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen forty, Jacob Lawrence received a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. His proposed project was to paint sixty panels called "The Migration of the Negro."

With the fifteen hundred dollar grant, Lawrence found a studio that was big enough for him to be able to lay out the sixty works at the same time. He did a great deal of research at the Schomburg Collection in Harlem to better understand the experiences of people who lived during the migration.

VOICE ONE:

Lawrence used a special method to work on this series. First, he wrote out the text that would describe the sixty paintings. Then, he prepared drawings. When it was time to paint, he worked on all the panels at the same time. For example, he would apply the brown and black colors to all sixty panels before continuing on to the next color. He did this so that all of the paintings would have a visual unity8. Jacob Lawrence updated the title of this series and its captions10 in nineteen ninety-two.

VOICE TWO:

Each painting in the Migration Series measures about thirty by forty-five centimeters. Lawrence worked with tempera paints or poster paints on a hardboard material. He chose these paints because they were low in cost. And Lawrence applied11 these pure colors directly onto the work surface to achieve a bold and energetic effect.

VOICE ONE:

The Migration Series starts with a panel showing a large crowd of African-Americans in line at a bus or train station. The people in the crowd wear different colored hats and clothing. They are waiting in line under signs that show the name of the city where they are going. The words under this panel read: "During World War One there was a great migration North by Southern African-Americans."

Jacob Lawrence's style is very bold and direct. His figures are not exact or detailed12. Instead, they are stylized to suggest emotion and movement. He told a complex story using simple but expressive forms.

VOICE TWO:

The Migration Series continues with panels that show the living conditions of African-Americans in the South. You learn about the insects and flooding which severely13 damaged cotton crops. You learn about the increased price of food during the war, which made life even more difficult for poor southern farmers.

VOICE ONE:

Elsa Smithgall describes for us one panel she finds especially expressive.

ELSA SMITHGALL: "The panel we're looking at is number eleven. The caption9 reads 'The War had doubled the cost of food, making life even harder for the poor.' And, this panel is to suggest the impact that poverty played in stimulating14 the migration."
 

Detail from Panel No. 11: “Food had doubled in price because of the war.”

In the painting, a woman stands at a table cutting a piece of meat while a thin little boy watches her actions with big eyes. Miz Smithgall explained the meaning of the kind of meat Jacob Lawrence chose to represent. It is fatback, one of the least costly15 cuts of pork meat. The two stand together in a room empty except for a table and candlelight hanging on the wall. The scene is very simple, but very emotionally expressive.

ELSA SMITHGALL: "He enlivens the entire scene with the color and the choice of color. And you notice there is a green wall and the woman is wearing this lovely red dress. So that there is a sense of creating some beauty within an otherwise very devastating16 kind of situation of life."

VOICE TWO:

The series continues with repeated images of migrants moving on trains towards the big northern cities. You see scenes of the factories where the migrants found work. And the southern communities they left behind. Panel thirty-three reads: "Letters from relatives in the North told of the better life there."

It shows a woman and her child in a big green bed. The woman is reading a letter. The scene is painted from a striking angle. It is as though the viewer was looking at the woman from the headboard of her bed.

VOICE ONE:
 

Detail from Panel No. 49: “They found discrimination in the North. It was a different kind.”

The series also shows examples of discrimination the migrants faced both in their lives in the South and in their new lives in the North.

In panel forty-nine, you see an eating area in which black people are separated from white people by a yellow barrier. Panel fifty-nine describes that in the North, African-Americans had the freedom to vote. You can see a group waiting in line at a voting center.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The Migration Series immediately received great attention from the art world. After completing the works in nineteen forty-one, Jacob Lawrence traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, with his new wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight17. This was their first visit to the South.

It was there that they learned that twenty-six of Lawrence's paintings from the series were published in Fortune magazine. Later, there was an exhibit of the entire series at the Downtown Gallery in New York City. Jacob Lawrence became the first African-American to be represented by a major New York City commercial art gallery.

VOICE ONE:

Soon, the arts supporter Adele Rosenwald Levy18 bought the even numbered panels for one thousand dollars. She gave the works to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The Phillips Collection bought the odd number panels for the same amount of money. Because Lawrence repeated subjects in the series, it still tells a clear story with only thirty of the panels.

VOICE TWO:

Since two museums each own half of the series, it is a rare and special event to see the entire series exhibited in one place. Later in his life, Jacob Lawrence said he did not create the Migration Series to make a political statement. He said it was just a part of his life and a part of the lives of his friends and family.

Jacob Lawrence said that he hoped the series would show what human beings can experience and survive. His Migration Series tells an important part of American history using the artistic skill of one of America's great painters.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can see some of the paintings of the Migration Series at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 transcript JgpzUp     
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 migration mDpxj     
n.迁移,移居,(鸟类等的)迁徙
参考例句:
  • Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
  • He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。
3 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
4 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
5 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
6 perseverance oMaxH     
n.坚持不懈,不屈不挠
参考例句:
  • It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
  • Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。
7 transcends dfa28a18c43373ca174d5387d99aafdf     
超出或超越(经验、信念、描写能力等)的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 ); 优于或胜过…
参考例句:
  • The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
  • The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。
8 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
9 caption FT2y3     
n.说明,字幕,标题;v.加上标题,加上说明
参考例句:
  • I didn't understand the drawing until I read the caption.直到我看到这幅画的说明才弄懂其意思。
  • There is a caption under the picture.图片下边附有说明。
10 captions 6b4aeece714abf706fa5b974cc5a9a41     
n.标题,说明文字,字幕( caption的名词复数 )v.给(图片、照片等)加说明文字( caption的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • I stared, trying to grasp the point of the picture and the captions. 我目不转睛地看着漫画,想弄清楚漫画和解说词的意思。 来自辞典例句
  • Indicates whether the user or the system paints the captions. 指示是由用户还是由系统来绘制标题。 来自互联网
11 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
12 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
13 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
14 stimulating ShBz7A     
adj.有启发性的,能激发人思考的
参考例句:
  • shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
  • This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。
15 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
16 devastating muOzlG     
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
参考例句:
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
17 knight W2Hxk     
n.骑士,武士;爵士
参考例句:
  • He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
  • A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。
18 levy Z9fzR     
n.征收税或其他款项,征收额
参考例句:
  • They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
  • A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

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