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The Race to Make Great Art: Work of Art: The Next Great Artist 《艺术新秀生死斗》

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

TLC’s new reality show, Work of Art, follows 14 unknown artists as they compete to win their own art show at the Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of US$100,000.

It’s a tough world out there for artists, as even some of the greatest painters, and photographers of all time lived their entire lives in poverty and obscurity. Only after their deaths did their work gain critical acclaim and commercial value. But one competition, TLC’s Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, seeks to make sure at least one contemporary artist gets some well-deserved recognition right now.

对于艺术家而言，这是个严峻的世界。因为即使是一些前所未有的伟大画家、雕刻家与摄影师也一辈子过着贫穷与默默无闻的日子，直到他们过世之后，他们的作品才受到评论界的好评并具商业价值。但在TLC频道《艺术新秀生死斗》节目的竞赛中，就在寻求并确保至少能有一位当代艺术家即刻就得到应有的赏识。

The winner of this reality TV show competition will get a solo show at the renowned Brooklyn Museum, along with a cash prize of US$100,000. Fourteen artists from a variety of different backgrounds, utilizing many different artistic media, will vie to impress the show’s judges and advance to the next round as the weeks go on.

此实境电视竞赛节目中的赢家将可在知名的布鲁克林博物馆举办个人展览，还能带走十万美元现金。来自各种不同背景的14名艺术家，利用了各式各样的艺术媒介，争相让节目的评审印象深刻，得以在持数数周的比赛中，晋级到下一回合。

The first of ten challenges that the artist must complete is to make a portrait of one of their fellow competitors. They will have just 13 hours to capture the true essence of their subject. The following night, their works of art will be put on display in a gallery, and critiqued by the show’s panel of expert judges. They will decide who wins this round, and is safe from elimination for the next competition, and who is sent home. With that in mind, the 14 aspiring artists set to work, the looming deadline growing heavier with each passing minute. The seven pairs of artists have only a limited amount of time to get to know each other and decide how to try and portray their subject.

这些艺术家在十项挑战中的第一项必须完成的是描绘其中一位竞争者的肖像画。他们只有13个小时刻画该对象真实的本质。隔晚，他们的艺术作品将会在画廊中展示，并由节目中的专业评审团评判。他们将决定谁赢得此回合，免遭淘汰进到下一回合，谁又该打道回府。这些怀有企图心的艺术家谨记这些规则，并且展开工作，随着一分一秒过去，逼近的截止时间让人觉得压力越来越大。这七组艺术家只能用有限的时间了解彼此，决定如何设法描绘出他们的对象。

Vocabulary

单词发音

poverty [ˋpɑvɚtɪ] n. 贫穷，贫困

contemporary [kənˋtɛmpə͵rɛrɪ] adj. 当代的; 同时代的

well-deserved [ˋwɛldɪˋzɝvd] adj. 当之无愧的，罪有应得的 fully merited；describes something that you earn or are given because of your behavior or qualities

renowned [rɪˋnaʊnd] adj. 有名的；有声誉的

along with 除某事物以外 together with someone or something

utilize [ˋjut!͵aɪz] v.【正式】利用﹐使用

essence [ˋɛsns] n. 本质，实质；要素

panel [ˋpæn!] n. 评判小组

aspiring [əˋspaɪrɪŋ] adj. 有抱负的  ambitious；desiring or striving for recognition or advancement

portray [porˋtre] v. 描绘; 描写; 描述

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单词发音

of all time 有史以来 at any time

obscurity [əbˋskjʊrətɪ] n. 无名; 默默无闻

critical acclaim [əˋklem] 评论界的称赞

media [`midɪə] n. 传播媒介〈如报纸﹑电视等〉

vie [vaɪ] v. 争；竞争

portrait [ˋportret] n. 肖像，画像  a painting, drawing, sculpture, photograph, or other likeness of an individual, esp of the face

display [dɪˋsple] n. 展览，陈列

critique [krɪˋtik] v. 评论〔文艺作品等〕to review or discuss critically

looming [ˋlumɪŋ] adj. 逼近的；迫在眉睫的  giving signs of immediate occurrence

课文朗读

课文讲解

Right off the bat, there are some personality clashes, as Judith, the eldest of the group by far at 61 years of age, offends her partner, Jaclyn, with her straightforward nature. Nao, a confident visual and performance artist, also ruffles a few feathers with her open criticism of others’ work.

一开始，就发生一些个性上的冲突。像是参赛艺术家中最年长的茱蒂丝，61岁的她就因其直来直往的个性冒犯了她的搭档婕斯琳。奈央是一位有自信的视觉及表演艺术家，也因她当众批评其他人的作品而惹恼大家。

Each artist takes a different approach to his or her piece. Erik, a relatively new artist who, prior to the competition, has never even shown anyone his art before, tries to exhibit the wackiness of his subject, Mark, by painting him as a clown, and putting the portrait on a palette that will be displayed on an easel. Amanda, an abstract oil painter, choose to portray Jamie Lynn abstractly using colors that she feels best represent her nature, and not doing a portrait at all. Meanwhile, Miles resurrects a morbid art form from the 19th century – the death portrait – in his portrayal of no-nonsense Nao.

每位艺术家都采取不同的方法创作他们的作品。一位相形之下为新手的艺术家艾瑞克在比赛前从未在任何人面前展示过他的作品，艾瑞克想尽办法来表现对像马克的古怪，他在调色板上把马克画成一个小丑，而这个调色板将会被展示在画架上。阿曼达是一位抽象派油画画家，她选择运用她觉得最能表现杰米．林特性的色彩来抽象地描绘杰米．林，而非实际画出她的肖像画。同时，麦尔重现来自19世纪的病态艺术──死亡肖像画──用以描绘正经八百的奈央。

All the artists take some risks in their own way, and in the end, it is Miles who comes away with the win. The judges love how he captures Nao’s beauty in such a dark manner. Unfortunately for Amanda, the judges don’t get her abstract representation of Jamie Lynn, saying that it looks less like a portrait than a landscape. Amanda is the first to go, but there are still nine more competitors to come in this exciting season of Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.

所有的艺术家都冒些许风险以他们的方式创作，到最后麦尔凯旋而归。评审们很喜爱他以如此带着死亡气息的方式表现奈央的美。很可惜地，评审们不了解阿曼达对杰米．林的抽象描绘，并说该画看起来与其说像肖像画，不如说是像风景画。阿曼达成为第一位打道回府的参赛者，但仍有九场竞赛即将在这季刺激的《艺术新秀生死斗》中展开。

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

clash [klæʃ] n. 冲突

offend [əˋfɛnd] v. 冒犯；触怒

straightforward [͵stretˋfɔrwɚd] adj. 老实的；坦率的

confident [ˋkɑnfədənt] adj. 有信心的

criticism [ˋkrɪtə͵sɪzəm] n. 批评；评论

relatively [ˋrɛlətɪvlɪ] adv. 相对地; 相当

prior to  在...之前 before

abstract [ˋæbstrækt] adj. 抽象的

come away 离开〔某地〕leave in a certain condition

More Information

单词发音

right off the bat 立刻, 立即, 马上 immediately; first thing

bat [bæt] n.【口】（棒等的）一击，猛击

by far 显然 without a doubt

ruffle a few feathers 得罪; 惹怒他人 If you ruffle a few feathers, you annoy some people when making changes or improvements.

ruffle [ˋrʌf!] v.（鸟受惊等时）竖起（羽毛）

wackiness [ˋwækɪnɪs] n. 古怪

clown [klaʊn] n. 小丑，丑角

palette [ˋpælɪt] n. 调色板

easel [ˋiz!] n. 画架；黑板架

resurrect [͵rɛzəˋrɛkt] v. 使复活；使复苏

morbid [ˋmɔrbɪd] adj. 病态的 suggesting an unhealthy mental state

portrayal [porˋtreəl] n. 肖像；人像; 描绘；描写

no-nonsense [noˋnɑnsɛns] adj. 正经的；严肃的 sensible, practical, straightforward; without nonsense of any kind

Reading Questions

1.  What is true of most artists, according to the article?

(A)  They all go on to fame and fortune.

(B)  They live very comfortable lifestyles.

(C)  Their lives are to be envied by the rest of us.

(D)  Their talent is not recognized while they are living.

2.  Which of the following statements about the first challenge is NOT true?

(A)  The winner will get their own show at a museum.

(B)  The artists’ work will be viewed by several experts.

(C)  Each competitor will paint one of their fellow contest participants.

(D)  No one will be eliminated from the competition in this round.

3.  What is likely true of Judith?

(A)  She hides her true thoughts.

(B)  She is a very direct woman.

(C)  She keeps her ideas to herself.

(D)  She doesn’t say much.

4.  What do we know about the artists?

(A)  They all share in Miles’s victory.

(B)  They all get along very well.

(C)  They have their own unique style.

(D)  They try to copy each others’ work.

Work Of Art E1P1

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