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Piet Mondrian: Beautiful Simplicity 蒙德里安：在方格子跳舞的音符

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A brush moved across a canvas, as swing-era jazz played in the background. The soul of the music manifested itself in the movements of the brush. Whether it was abstract creations that seemed to transcend time, or geometrical patterns that were deceptively simple – and yet complex – Dutch painter Piet Mondrian was an artists who worked to his own tune.

刷子在画布上移动着，背景音乐是摇滚时代爵士乐。音乐的灵魂在刷子的移动中显现。不管是看似超越时间的抽象创作，还是表面简单，实则复杂的几何型态，荷兰画家蒙德里安都随心所欲。

Born in Amersfoort in central Holland, Mondrian grew up in an artistic family of painters and musicians. His father gave him drawing lessons and often took him out into the countryside to sketch. However, Mondrian’s father was very strict, causing him to become quite shy. Mondrian would later withdraw further into his inner world of abstract thoughts.

诞生于荷兰中部的阿莫斯福特，蒙德里安成长于一个都是画家和音乐家的艺术家庭中。他的父亲教导他绘画，并且经常带他到乡间写生。但是，蒙德里安的父亲相当严厉，让他变得相当害羞、内向。日后，蒙德里安更畏缩，进入他抽象想法的内在世界。

The paintings that Mondrian would become best known for were his “composition” pieces, which he completed after moving to New York at the beginning of WWII. The compositions feature black lines delineating rectangular forms, some of which are colored in with primary colors like red, yellow, or blue. The shapes created effects that a cursory glance could not reveal.

「构图」系列是蒙德里安最出名的作品。这些作品完成于二次世界大战初期，蒙德里安搬到纽约之后。这些构图的特色是黑色线条画出长方形的轮廓，其中有些长方形涂上红、黄、蓝等原色。这些形状所产生的效果，在匆匆浏览之下是会被忽略的。

A perfect example of this Broadway Boogie-Woogie, which is one of his pieces that linked him to the jazz music movement of the 1930s and 40s. The grid plan captures the colorful irregularities and rhythms of jazz. The rectangular shapes look like a musical score, with notes flashing right off the canvas. Or perhaps it looks like a bird’s-eye view of an urban landscape, complete with streets, skyscrapers, and car-lined boulevards. Merely shapes and lines, you say? Not so in the simple yet complex world of Piet Mondrian!

最佳的例子，便是《百老汇爵士乐》这幅作品。这幅作品将他与1930、40年代的爵士音运动结合在一起。格子构图捕捉了爵士乐多采多姿的不规则性和节奏。画中，长方形看起来像是乐谱，音符彷佛从画布上跃然而出。它看起来又像是都市景观的鸟瞰图，拥有街道、摩天大楼和车辆排列两旁的林荫大道。这幅画作似乎捕捉了爵士乐的节奏、戏剧性，并呈现都市景观。只不过是长方形和线条罢了？但是在蒙德里安看似简单、实则复杂的作品中并非如此。

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

simplicity [sɪmˋplɪsətɪ] n. 简明

manifest [ˋmænə͵fɛst] v. 显示，表露

geometrical [͵dʒiəˋmɛtrik!] adj. 几何学的,几何的

withdraw into 隐入, 退进, 缩入

delineate [dɪˋlɪnɪ͵et] v. 画……的轮廓

More Information

canvas [ˋkænvəs] n. 油画布；油画

swing-era 摇滚时代

abstract [ˋæbstrækt] adj. 抽象的

transcend [trænˋsɛnd] v. 超越

deceptively [dɪˋsɛptɪvlɪ] adv. 看似; 表面上看来

yet [jɛt] adv. 然而

tune [tjun] n. 心情; 正常的状态（或心情）

sketch [skɛtʃ] n. 画素描，画速写

feature [fitʃɚ] v. 以……为特色；是……的特色

rectangular [rɛkˋtæŋgjəlɚ] adj. 矩形的，长方形的

primary [ˋpraɪ͵mɛrɪ] adj. 基本的

cursory [ˋkɝsərɪ] adj. 粗略的﹐ 草率的﹐ 仓促的

boogie [ˋbugi] n. 摇滚乐

boogie-woogie [ˋbugɪ͵wugɪ] n.【音】一种类似爵士的黑人音乐

grid plan 棋盘状

irregularity [͵ɪrɛgjəˋlærətɪ] n. 不规则

musical score: 乐谱 a written form of a musical composition; parts for different instruments appear on separate staves on large pages

note [not] n. 音符

bird’s-eye view 鸟瞰；概览

complete with 具有...的

boulevard [ˋbulə͵vɑrd] n. 林荫大道; 大马路

Reading Questions 

1. Which statement best describes Mondrian’s paintings?

A. They are either simplistic or very complex.

B. They use shapes and lines rather than realistic scenes.

C. As soon as you look at them, you can understand them.

D. His best-known works are about the beginning of WWII.

2. In which way did music influence Mondrian’s paintings?

A. Music helped him draw regular shapes.

B. Jazz inspired him to use secondary colors.

C. Composing music brought him inspiration.

D. The soul of the music came alive in his brush.

3. Which statement is NOT true about Broadway Boogie-Woogie?

A. Its meaning is lost in all the shapes and lines.

B. The geometric layout is symbolic of jazz rhythms.

C. Some of the shapes in it remind one of written music.

D. It looks like what a bird might see while flying over a city.

Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red by Piet Mondrian

Answer