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A World of Art Beneath Your Feet 出神入「画」，真假难分

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

We are used to thinking of art as something that we only see in galleries. In recent years, however, there has been a revival of an art form in which the painters’ canvas is the very streets beneath our feet. This tradition of street painting has its origins in 16th-century Italy, where artists known as “madonnari” traveled between towns, decorating public squares for religious festivals. They got their name from their fondness for painting images of Jesus’ mother, the “Madonna.”

我们习惯认为艺术就是在艺廊看到的东西。但近年来，有一种艺术形式复苏，这群艺术家的画布正是我们脚下的街道。街道彩绘的传统源于16世纪的意大利，当时称作「圣母画家」的艺术家在各城镇间旅行，为宗教庆典装饰公共广场。他们因为喜爱以耶稣的母亲「圣母玛利亚」作为绘画主题而得名。

Yet, it is an American who deserves much of the credit for bringing street painting back into the public eye. Kurt Wenner moved to Italy in the 1980s to become a “madonnaro.” He was influenced by certain Renaissance artists who used a technique known as anamorphism when painting on ceiling. This uses the illusion of perspective to make an image appear three-dimensional. Wenner reversed this technique onto the ground with impressive effect, and his works have wowed crowds from Italy to the U.S. and beyond.

然而，街道彩绘得以重新引起大众注意，大半要归功于一位美国人。寇特．温纳于1980年代移居意大利，成为「圣母画家」。他受到某些文艺复兴艺术家的影响，这群艺术家在天花板作画时，使用一种名叫合成变质的技巧。这种技巧运用透视的幻象，制造看似3-D立体的图像。温纳将此技巧转用在地面，结果效果惊人。他的作品让意大利、美国和世界各地的群众都赞叹不已。

Following in Wenner’s footsteps, Englishman Julian Beever is another street painter who has gained worldwide attention. Whereas Wenner tends to focus on more religious and classical themes, Beever has a more contemporary take on the art form. Among the eye-catching 3-D images he has created are a swimming pool, a huge Coke bottle, and even Spider-Man swinging from a skyscraper!

英国的朱利安．毕佛追随着温纳的脚步，成为另一位举世瞩目的街道画家。温纳倾向于比较宗教性质和古典的主题，而毕佛则对这种艺术形式采取较现代的诠释。他引人注目的3-D立体画作包括泳池、巨无霸可乐罐、甚至在摩天大楼悬荡的蜘蛛人！

Vocabulary

单词发音

gallery [ˋgælərɪ] n. 画廊，美术馆

revival [rɪˋvaɪv!] n. 复兴，再流行

illusion [ɪˋljuʒən] n. 幻觉；假象

follow in one's footsteps 步某人的后尘

whereas [hwɛrˋæz] conj. 反之；却；而

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单词发音

canvas [ˋkænvəs] n. 油画布

very [ˋvɛrɪ] adv. 正是；恰好是

decorate [ˋdɛkə͵ret] v. 装饰，修饰

Madonna [məˋdɑnə] n. 圣母玛利亚

deserve [dɪˋzɝv] v. 应受，该得

credit [ˋkrɛdɪt] n. 功劳; 荣誉

Renaissance [ˋrenəsɑns] n.（R-）文艺复兴

anamorphism [͵ænəˋmɔrfɪzəm] n.【地】合成变质，岩石变性

perspective [pɚˋspɛktɪv] n. 透视图法，远近画法

reverse [rɪˋvɝs] v. 彻底改变; 翻转

wow [waʊ] v.【美】【俚】赢得……喝采

take [tek] n. 反应; 看法 view, opinion, and understanding of, analysis of, interpretation of, reading of, explanation of

eye-catching [ˋaɪ͵kætʃɪŋ] adj.【口】引人注目的；显著的

skyscraper [ˋskaɪ͵skrepɚ] n. 摩天楼，超高层大楼

课文朗读

课文讲解

One of the best things about street painting is that it allows the artist to share his creation process directly with the public. For creating a 3-D illusion, the process is complicated, requiring a great deal of patience and skill.

街道彩绘最棒的一点就是艺术家可以直接和大众分享创作过程。创作3-D立体幻象的过程相当复杂，需要很多耐心和技巧。

In Beever’s case, after first drawing the design in miniature, a larger outline is sketched out on the ground. To achieve the desired 3-D effect, a camera is set up on a tripod on the spot from where the final image is meant to be viewed. Then, while painting, he must continually move back and forth to look through the camera lens and check that the perspective is totally accurate. According to Beever, it takes an average of three-and-a-half days to complete one work.

以毕佛为例，他将设计绘成缩图，然后在地上画出较大的草图。为了达成想要的3-D三维效果，必须先在三脚架上设置相机，再将相机架在最后要欣赏画作的地点。作画过程中，他必须不断来回移动，透过相机镜头检查透视角度是否完全精确。据毕佛表示，完成一幅作品平均要花三天半。

One drawback is that the paintings are vulnerable to the weather, as chalk is the main tool and can easily be washed away by rain. For Beever, though, this is not a big deal, as he sees his main medium as the Internet rather than the sidewalk. The street paintings themselves may be temporary, but thanks to photographs on the Web, we can all marvel at the amazing images created by Beever, Wenner, and others like them.

缺点之一是这些画作很容易受到天气的破坏，因为作画的主要工具粉笔很容易被雨水冲刷掉。可是对毕佛来说，这不是大问题，因为他认为他的主要媒介是因特网，而不是人行道。街道彩绘本身或许是短暂的，可是拜网络照片之赐，我们都能对毕佛、温纳及其他同类艺术家的惊人画作发出赞叹。

−by David Vickers

Vocabulary

单词发音

complicated [ˋkɑmplə͵ketɪd] adj. 复杂的

in miniature 小型的; 在小规模上

back and forth 来来回回地

medium [ˋmidɪəm] n. 媒介物，媒体

marvel [ˋmɑrv!] v. 感到惊讶；感到好奇[（+at）]

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单词发音

outline [ˋaʊt͵laɪn] n. 外形；轮廓

tripod [ˋtraɪpɑd] n. 三脚架

lens [lɛnz] n.（照相机等的）镜头

accurate [ˋækjərɪt] adj. 精确的

drawback [ˋdrɔ͵bæk] n. 缺点，短处

Reading Questions

1. What does the article tell us about street painting?

A. The first street painters liked to paint Jesus.

B. An American in Italy started the tradition.

C. Street painting has become more popular recently.

D. The tradition has been around for over 500 years.

2. What is the main difference between the artists Wenner and Beever?

A. Only Wenner focuses on creating illusions.

B. Beever’s paintings tend to have modern themes.

C. Wenner is much better known than Beever.

D. Beever’s images are more eye-catching.

3. What is NOT part of Beever’s creation process?

A. Trying to stay still while he paints.

B. Frequently monitoring perspective.

C. Initially drawing a small version of the image.

D. Using a camera to represent the audience’s viewpoint.

4. What would be another suitable title for the article?

A. The Future of Street Painting

B. Kurt Wenner: Street Painting Pioneer

C. Amazing Images to Thrill Passers-By

D. A New Perspective on Classical Art

Street Painting 3d

3D Street Painting

Kurt Wenner #1 3D street paintings

3D Street Art With Julian Beever

Answer