William Logan
There was an art colony1. art colony: 藝術(shù)村,藝術(shù)區(qū),即專門供多位藝術(shù)家一起生活和創(chuàng)作的地方。美國最著名的藝術(shù)村有雅斗(Yaddo)和麥克道爾藝術(shù)社區(qū)(MacDowell Colony)。where paintings went to write their memoirs. The Mona Lisa had been working for more than a century on a tell-all life of da Vinci. When anyone inquired, she gave only that irritating smile.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte worried about her complexion, always stealing glances at the mirror. Everyone adored The Night Watch,who lounged2. lounge: 懶洋洋地躺(或坐、靠)著。in his bathrobe after cocktails,telling the most outrageous lies about Rembrandt’s kinky3. kinky: 奇特的,古怪的。obsessions with breastplates and feathery hats.
The landscapes rarely had a thing to say and were thought boring by the portraits,who appeared slightly over-varnished4. varnish: 給……涂清漆。某些清漆能夠防止畫作褪色,因此常被畫家涂在作品表面以延長保存時間。.
When Guernica swanned5. swan: 閑蕩,閑逛。in for two weeks,jabbering6. jabber: 急切而含混不清地說。in a monotone about his genius,no one could sleep at night.
The Scream spoke only a single word, “BACON7. Bacon: 此處指畫家弗朗西斯·培根(Francis Bacon, 1909—1992)。愛德華·蒙克(Edward Munch, 1863—1944)的《尖叫》曾于2012年5月2日以1.2億美元的天價成為了拍賣史上最昂貴的藝術(shù)品,但這一桂冠很快在2013年11月13日被培根的《盧西恩·弗洛伊德肖像畫三習作》(Three Studies of Lucian Freud)以1.424億美元的總成交價摘得,引得諸多媒體在咋舌之余,紛紛比較二者的藝術(shù)成就差距。!”
Whistler’s Mother, a Sudoku8. Sudoku: 數(shù)獨,一種由數(shù)字1—9構(gòu)成的邏輯游戲。addict,swore like a sailor. And the abstractions!The Rothko dressed to the nines9. dress to the nines: 盛裝打扮,穿著極為時髦華麗。,but everyone said she was just ordinary house-paint.The Pollock drank turpentine10. turpentine: 松脂,松節(jié)油,可用于稀釋油畫顏料。and threw gobbets11. gobbet: (柔軟物質(zhì)的)一小塊,一小團。of food at the other guests.
After a few days, he was asked to leave.
曾有過一座藝術(shù)村,在那里各幅名畫紛紛寫下自己的回憶錄?!睹赡塞惿芬呀?jīng)奮筆疾書了一個多世紀,只是為全面地展現(xiàn)達·芬奇的璀璨一生。每當被人問起,她就擠出那個惱人的笑容。
《大碗島上的星期日下午》則擔心著她自個兒的面容,總要偷偷地瞥幾眼鏡子。所有人都很崇拜《夜巡》,他剛品完雞尾酒,正身披睡衣懶散地躺著,大談關(guān)于倫勃朗的最駭人聽聞的謊言,即他對護胸盔甲和佩羽帽的古怪迷戀。
風景畫們極少有甚談資,因此肖像畫都覺得他們很無聊,但肖像畫又顯得粉飾太過、漆層略厚。在《格爾尼卡》溜達進來、自在閑逛的那兩周里,他用乏味的語調(diào)絮叨著自己的天賦異才,沒有人能夠在夜晚安然入睡。《尖叫》倒是說了僅僅一個詞語而已,“培根!”
油畫《大碗島上的星期日下午》
《惠斯勒的母親》是一位數(shù)獨愛好者,像個水手般咒罵不斷。還有抽象派們!羅斯科的代表作極盡盛裝之能事,但所有人都說她不過是普通的建筑涂漆。波洛克的畫作暢飲用于調(diào)色的松節(jié)油,還向別的賓客身上亂吐各種食物團塊。
過了幾天之后,他便被請出了藝術(shù)村。