EZCNN 易英网

Marc Chagall: The Magical Master of Color 用画笔写诗：色彩大师夏卡尔

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

 繁體中文譯本

 

If you’ve seen the hit British movie “Notting Hill,” starring Julia Roberts, you may recall a touching scene in which Roberts; character, Anna, presents her sweetheart, William, with a painting. The colorful canvas depicts a couple on their wedding day, surrounded by mystical creatures, including a violin-playing goat and a dancing fish. This enchanting yet haunting image, named “La Mariee,“ is a typical example of the work of the multi-talented artist Marc Chagall.

如果你曾看过茱莉亚．罗伯兹主演的英国卖座电影《新娘百分百》，你应该还记得这感人的一幕：茱莉亚．罗伯兹所饰演的主角安娜送给心上人威廉一幅画。那幅色彩绚丽的油画描绘一对新人的大喜之日，他们的身旁围绕着神秘的生物，其中包括一只正在拉小提琴的山羊和一只在跳舞的鱼。这幅迷人却又令人难忘的画作名为「新娘」，是才华洋溢的艺术大师夏卡尔的典型作品之一。

 

Born into a Jewish family in late 19th-century Russia, Chagall was the eldest of nine children. Life for Jews in Russia at the time was harsh, as they were discriminated against and forbidden to own land. Although his family was poor, young Marc’s childhood was far from bleak, thanks largely to the efforts of his mother, who strongly encouraged him to pursue his artistic talents.

夏卡尔出生于19世纪末期的俄国犹太家庭，在九个孩子里排行老大。在当时，俄国的犹太人生活非常艰辛，因为他们在当地受到种族歧视，而且被禁止拥有土地。虽然夏卡尔年幼时家境贫困，但他的童年算不上凄凉，这都多亏了他母亲的努力付出，因为她总是极力鼓励他继续发挥自己的艺术才华。

 

After leaving school, Chagall defied his father’s wishes and fled to the city of St. Petersburg in 1906 to attend art college. There, he first encountered the works of great French painters like Monet, Cézanne, and Matisse. Fascinated by their techniques and styles, Chagall decided a few years later to settle in Paris, where he eventually befriended another artistic genius, Picasso.

从学校毕业后，夏卡尔违背了父亲的心意，于1906年时逃家到圣彼得堡去读艺术学校。在那里，他首次接触到像莫奈、塞尚和马谛斯等法国重量级画家的作品。这些作品所展现的技巧与风格令他为之倾倒，于是几年后，夏卡尔决定搬到巴黎定居，后来还在那里结识了另一名艺术奇才毕加索。

 

Besides art, the other great love of Chagall’s life was his wife, Bella. They were married for 29 years until her untimely death, which left Chagall so devastated that he couldn’t paint for a whole year. Chagall himself managed to live to the ripe old age of 97, and he was laid to rest in his adopted France in 1985.

除了艺术以外，夏卡尔生命的另一个挚爱就是妻子贝拉。他们结褵29年，但随着贝拉的去世，这段婚姻只能提前划上休止符，这令夏卡尔悲恸不已，有一整年的时间都无法提笔作画。夏卡尔本人则活至97岁高龄，于1985年辞世，安葬于其第二祖国法国。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

character [ˋkærɪktɚ] n. 角色

surround [səˋraʊnd] v. 围绕；围住

haunting [ˋhɔntɪŋ] adj. 萦绕于心头的，不易忘怀的

typical [ˋtɪpɪk!] adj. 典型的﹐有代表性的

discriminate [dɪˋskrɪmə͵net] v. 歧视

forbid [fɚˋbɪd] v. 禁止，不许

thanks to  托...福; 幸亏

pursue [pɚˋsu] v. 追求

artistic [ɑrˋtɪstɪk] adj. 艺术的

defy [dɪˋfaɪ] v. 公然反抗

fascinated [ˋfæsn͵etɪd] adj. 被迷住的﹐被吸引住的; 极感兴趣的

technique [tɛkˋnik] n. 技巧；技术

devastated [ˋdɛvəs͵tetɪd] adj. 身心交瘁的；极为震惊的

lay somebody to rest 埋葬 to bury a dead person

adopted [əˋdɑptɪd] adj.〔国家〕被选择居住的

 

 

More Information

单词发音

 

canvas [ˋkænvəs] n. 油画布

Jew [dʒu] n. 犹太人

harsh [hɑrʃ] adj. 艰苦的﹐严峻的

bleak [blik] adj. 凄凉的

encounter [ɪnˋkaʊntɚ] v. 意外地遇见（朋友等）

untimely [ʌnˋtaɪmlɪ] adj. 过早的

live to a ripe old age 长命百岁  to live until you are very old

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Despite becoming a French citizen, Chagall never forget his Jewish roots in Russia. Many of his paintings represent the simple village life of his childhood, along with themes from Jewish folklore. Chagall’s style is also characterized by a vivid use of color, which helps his paintings radiate a sense of optimism and delight. Picasso was an admirer of Chagall’s sensitive perception of color, commenting that, “When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color is.”

尽管具有法国公民身分，夏卡尔从没有一刻忘记过自身在俄国的犹太根源。他在很多画作里呈现儿时单纯的乡村生活，并结合犹太民间传奇故事题材，鲜明的用色造就了夏卡尔的风格，让他的作品散发着乐观与欣喜的光辉。毕加索对夏卡尔敏锐的色感十分钦慕，他曾经评论：「当马谛斯不在人世时，世上懂得何谓色彩的画家就只剩下夏卡尔一人了。」

 

Chagall was quite open-minded when it came to religion, and he included Christian, as well as Jewish symbolism in his works. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the painting “White Crucifixion.” Painted in 1938, just before World War II, it depicts Jesus hung up on the cross while around him Jews are being persecuted by Nazis and Communists. It is widely regarded as one of his masterpieces, and has been praised as one of the most forceful condemnations of war ever put to canvas.

夏卡尔对宗教持开明的态度，他的作品揉合了基督教与犹太教的象征。这类风格里最具代表性的作品应属《耶稣被钉在白色十字架上》。这幅作品画于1938年，正好在第二次世界大战爆发前，画里描绘着耶稣被钉在十字架上，而在他周遭的犹太人正受到纳粹党和共产党的迫害。这幅画被公认为他最杰出的作品之一，也被誉为有史以来用画布谴责战争最具说服力的例子之一。

 

Not limited to being a brilliant painter, Chagall was constantly exploring different types of art, such as sculpture, tapestry, and printmaking. Towards the end of his career, he embarked on a series of projects to design stained glass windows for churches in Berlin, France, and Germany. His message of religious understanding and tolerance was seen as ideal for such an enterprise.

夏卡尔不单单是优秀的画家而已，他还一直不断在探索各种类型的艺术，例如雕塑、绣帷还有版画。在他的画家生涯迈入尾声时，他接受了来自英国、法国和德国当地教堂的委托，开始从事一系列的彩绘玻璃制作。他个人一贯对宗教的理解与包容使他成为参与此一志业的理想人选。

 

There is a well-known English proverb that states “Jack of all trades, master of none.” However, Marc Chagall’s impressively diverse career proved he was a master of many.

虽然俗话说：「门门精通，样样稀松。」不过，夏卡尔杰出的多元化艺术生涯证明了他是「十八般美艺，样样精通。」

 

−by David Vickers

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

represent [͵rɛprɪˋzɛnt] v. 描绘，（抽象地）表现

characterize [ˋkærəktə͵raɪz] v. 表示…的特性, 使具有…特点

vivid [ˋvɪvɪd] adj.（色彩，光线等）鲜艳的

optimism [ˋɑptəmɪzəm] n. 乐观；乐观主义

delight [dɪˋlaɪt] n. 欣喜，愉快

admirer [ədˋmaɪrɚ] n. 爱慕者; 仰慕者

sensitive [ˋsɛnsətɪv] adj. 敏感的; 灵敏的

comment [ˋkɑmɛnt] v. 评论

open-minded [ˋopənˋmaɪndɪd] adj. 思想开放的

crucifixion [͵krusəˋfɪkʃən] n. 钉死于十字架

be limited to 被局限于

constantly [ˋkɑnstəntlɪ] adv. 不断地；时常地

embark on 着手, 开始 begin, start

tolerance [ˋtɑlərəns] n. 宽容

enterprise [ˋɛntɚ͵praɪz] n.（有一定冒险性的）事业; 企业

diverse [daɪˋvɝs] adj. 多种多样的

 

 

More Information

单词发音

 

radiate [ˋredɪ͵et] v. 散发，传播

perception [pɚˋsɛpʃən] n. 感知能力；洞察力; 认识，观念；看法

symbolism [ˋsɪmb!͵ɪzəm] n. 象征主义（手法）

persecute [ˋpɝsɪ͵kjut] v. 迫害，残害

condemnation [͵kɑndɛmˋneʃən] n. 谴责

tapestry [ˋtæpɪstrɪ] n. 绣帷；挂毯

printmaking [ˋprɪnt͵mekɪŋ] n. 版画复制（术）

understanding [͵ʌndɚˋstændɪŋ] n. 了解；理解

ideal [aɪˋdiəl] adj. 非常合适的[（+for）]

proverb [ˋprɑvɝb] n. 谚语，俗语

 

 

Reading Questions

 

1. What is the connection between Marc Chagall and “Notting Hill”?

A. The movie was inspired by one of Marc Chagall’s paintings.

B. Julia Roberts’ character receives a Marc Chagall painting as a wedding gift.

C. The plot of the movie is based around Marc Chagall’s life.

D. One of Marc Chagall’s paintings is featured in a scene of the movie.

 

2. What does the article tell us about Marc Chagall’s life?

A. He had a tough and depressing childhood.

B. His mother’s support was a big influence in his life.

C. He met some great artists at college in St. Petersburg.

D. He met his wife Bella when he was 29 years old.

 

3. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Marc Chagall’s artistic work?

A. Representations of strange and mysterious images.

B. Reflections on life for French Jews.

C. A skillful use of color to portray emotion.

D. Experimentation with a range of types of art.

 

4. In what way does religion feature in Marc Chagall’s art?

A. His use of color was largely influenced by Christianity.

B. Religion was rarely a subject of his art.

C. He didn’t limit his art to representations of any one religion.

D. He used his art to teach religious intolerance.

 

Notting Hill trailer

 

Favorite Artists: Marc Chagall

 

Claude Monet

 

Paul Cezanne

 

Matisse

 

 

 

Answer

1. ( D )

2. ( B )

3. ( B )

4. ( C )