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Edgar Degas’s Snapshots 窦加：捕捉生活的瞬间

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

A dance instructor stands in the center of a class of young ballerinas. All are dressed in beautiful white tutus with colorful bows wrapped around their waists. One girl is scratching her back. Another is biting her fingernails. Some are chatting. Others are warming up. This is no ordinary scene, however. It is The Dance Class, a painting by Edgar Degas, one of the greatest impressionist painters of the 19^th century. Rather than depicting ordinary Kodak moments, Degas portrayed the moments right before or immediately after.

一名舞蹈教练站在一班年轻芭蕾舞者中间。所有人都身穿漂亮的白色蓬裙，腰间系着彩色蝴蝶结。一个女孩在搔背，另一个女孩咬着手指甲；有些人在聊天，其他人则在暖身。这可不是一个寻常的景象，而是十九世纪最伟大的印象派画家之一窦加的一幅画作《舞蹈课》。窦加捕捉的不是一般相机按下快门的那一刻，而是描绘一剎那之前或顷刻之后的瞬间。

Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834, the son of affluent aristocrats. His family exposed him to music, opera, art and ballet. From an early age, Degas took special interest in painting. His parents, however, expected Degas to attend law school and begin a lucrative career. Degas wanted to be an artist and even turned a room in his house into a studio. He did eventually attend law school, but dropped out early. His passion for art couldn’t be suppressed.

窦加于1834年出生于巴黎的富裕贵族之家。他的家人让他接触音乐、歌剧、艺术和芭蕾。窦加自幼即对绘画特别感兴趣，但父母亲希望他研读法律，从事收入丰厚的行业。窦加想成为艺术家，甚至将家中的一间房间改成画室。最后他仍进了法学院，但很快就辍学。他无法压抑对艺术的热情。

After quitting law school, Degas studied under a pupil of classical painter Jean Auguste Dominiquue Ingres. Then, he enrolled in the Paris School of Fine Arts, and developed a talent for classical painting. He could easily paint human figures of superb quality. The Bellelli Family, for example, captures thediscontent between a husband and wife and their two daughters.

离开法学院后，窦加追随古典派画家安格尔的弟子习画。接着他进入巴黎艺术学院就读，培养出绘画古典画的才能。他能轻易绘出极其出色的人物像，以《贝里里一家》为例，它捕捉了丈夫、妻子及两位女儿间的不满情绪。

Degas’s classical pieces quickly made their way into exhibition halls with other up-and-coming artists. However, Degas soon found that classical techniques prevented him from truly expressing himself. He wanted something new.

窦加的古典画很快就和其他画坛后起之秀的作品一同展览。然而，窦加很快就发现古典派的技巧让他无法真正表达自己。他要新的东西。

Vocabulary

单词发音

wrap [ræp] v. 包; 缠绕

depict [dɪˋpɪkt] v. 描写﹐描述﹐描绘

portray [porˋtre] v. 画（人物，风景等）

affluent [ˋæflʊənt] adj. 富裕的

expose [ɪkˋspoz] v. 使接触到[O][（+to）]

lucrative [ˋlukrətɪv] adj.〔职业或活动〕可赚大钱的; 盈利的

suppress [səˋprɛs] v. 控制；压抑

enroll [ɪnˋrol] n. 入学，注册

capture [ˋkæptʃɚ] v.（用照片等）留存，记录，拍摄

make one's way into  进入

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单词发音

snapshot [ˋsnæp͵ʃɑt] n. 快照

ballerina [͵bæləˋrinə] n. 芭蕾舞女演员（尤指主角）

tutu [ˋtutu] n. 芭蕾舞裙〔芭蕾舞演员穿的短裙〕

bow [bo] n. 蝴蝶结

waist [west] n. 腰，腰部

scratch [skrætʃ] v. 抓；搔

fingernail [ˋfɪŋgɚ͵nel] n. 手指甲

warm up 热身; 〔舞蹈﹑运动前〕做准备动作 to briefly exercise as preparation for something

impressionist [ɪmˋprɛʃənɪst] n. 印象派画家

Kodak moment 柯达一刻（指能留下美好记忆的时刻）A KODAK Moment is a rare, one-time moment that is captured with a photo, or should have been captured with a photo.

aristocrat [æˋrɪstə͵kræt] n. 贵族

drop out 退出 (学校等) to stop doing something

pupil [ˋpjup!] n. 小学生，学生；弟子

discontent [dɪskənˋtɛnt] n. 不满

up-and-coming [ˋʌpəndˋkʌmɪŋ] adj. 崭露头角的; 有希望的﹐ 有前途的

课文讲解

In the 1860s, Degas came across the impressionist Edouard Manet. He was fascinated by impressionism’s visible brushstrokes and embraced its use of light colors. Rather than nature, Degas chose to paint pictures of ordinary life. The Absinthe Drinker, for example, depicts a depressed woman sitting in a café next to a gloomy man. Both are off center, expressing another of Degas’s trademarks.

1860年代，窦加遇见印象派画家马内。他为印象派清晰的笔触着迷不已，并采用其画派所使用的明亮色彩。窦加作画的对象并非大自然，而是日常生活的浮光掠影。以《苦艾酒》一画为例，一名神情沮丧的女子坐在咖啡馆里，身旁坐着一位脸色阴郁的男子，两人都不在画面中央；这是窦加的另一个特色。

In Place de la Concorde, Degas began incorporating a sense of movement into his art. The painting captures a gentleman strolling in a plaza as his two young daughters look in the opposite direction. Their dog approaches a man with a top hat and cane who appears on the left. The unexpected meeting of these characters was captured, like a snapshot.

《协和广场》这幅画里，窦加开始在其艺术中展现律动感。此画描绘一位绅士在广场漫步，其两名女儿望向反方向。他们的狗儿走向画面左侧一名头戴高帽、手拄拐杖的男子。这些人物不期而遇的瞬间就像照相般被捕捉下来。

Actually, the invention of the camera helped Degas improve his technique. He loved photography and described it as an “image of magical instantaneity.” Inspired by photographs that captured horses in perfect motion, Degas created over one hundred scenes of racecourses.

相机的发明确实有助于窦加改进他的技巧。他热爱摄影，称其为「奇妙瞬间的影像」。马儿完美律动的照片激发了窦加的灵感，他创作出一百多幅关于赛马场场景的作品。

Degas is best known for his paintings of the ballet. Instead of portrayed ballerinas dancing gracefully on the stage, his work depicts ballerinas in awkward positions: fixing a strap, bending unfashionably, or breathing heavily after a performance. Degas also painted ballerinas from unusual angels, such as from the side, from high above, or even from down below.

窦加的芭蕾舞画作最广为人知。他描绘的不是芭蕾舞者在台上优雅起舞，而是她们各种笨拙的姿势：系带子、弯腰的怪相，还有表演后气喘嘘嘘的模样。窦加也从许多不寻常的角度来捕捉这些舞者，比方从侧面看，由高处俯视或自低处仰望。

Degas painted just like a photographer who takes pictures without counting to three and having his subjects say “cheese.” He will always be remembered for capturing the beauty of life’s unexpected moments, which most people never stop to see.

窦加作画正如同摄影师拍照一般，只是他从不数到三，也不叫作画对象露齿微笑。他捕捉住生活中突如其来那一瞬间的美感，这是多数人从未驻足欣赏的。窦加将因此长存世人心中。

−by Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

单词发音

come across 偶然碰见 to happen to find someone or something

visible [ˋvɪzəb!] adj. 可看见的

embrace [ɪmˋbres] v. 欣然接受; 拥抱

gloomy [ˋglumɪ] adj. 阴郁的；忧郁的

trademark [ˋtred͵mɑrk] n.（人或物的）标记

stroll [strol] v. 散步

plaza [ˋplæzə] n. 广场

opposite [ˋɑpəzɪt] adj. 相反的

photography [fəˋtɑgrəfɪ] n. 摄影

gracefully [ˋgresfəlɪ] adv. 优雅地; 优美地

awkward [ˋɔkwɚd] adj. 笨拙的

More Information

单词发音

brushstroke 一笔,一画, 笔法 the stroke of a brush, especially a hair brush or paintbrush

cane [ken] n. 手杖，拐杖

instantaneity [ɪn͵stæntəˋniətɪ] n. 立即; 瞬间

racecourse [ˋres͵kors] n. 赛马场

unfashionable [ʌnˋfæʃənəb!] adj. 不時髦的；不流行的

unfashionably [ʌnˋfæʃənəb!ɪ] adv. 不时髦地；不流行地

Reading Questions

1.  What kind of career did Degas’s parents expect him to undertake?

A.  One that made him happy.

B.  One that was well-paying.

C.  One that involved creativity.

D.  One that suited his interests.

2.  According to the article, what can we say about Degas’s portrayal of ballerinas?

A.  The ballerinas he depicted were oddly shaped.

B.  The ballerinas were portrayed doing graceful dances.

C.  The ballerinas he showed were depressed and gloomy.

D.  The ballerinas were painted in bizarre positions.

3.  Which of the following is true of Degas’s paintings?

A.  They incorporated a sense of movement.

B.  They were always done in dark colors.

C.  They captured life’s expected moments.

D.  They were mainly about natural scenery.

4.  What effect can we assume Degas’s works has on viewers?

A.  They created a new interest in the ballet among the general public.

B.  They made people become fascinated with photography.

C.  They reminded people of the everyday beauty of things.

D.  They made people feel that being an artist can allow one to be rich.

Edgar Degas, Classical Bell Tutus in "The Dance Class" by Degas, 1874)

The Bellelli Family

The Absinthe Drinker 

Place de la Concorde (painting)

Answer