卢浮宫的珍宝（2013）

一切缓缓地进入你的焦点
everything slowly creeps into focus.
我想着重介绍夏尔丹的一幅画作
There is one painting of Chardin that I especially wanted to look at here –
这也是他公认的杰作 《鳐鱼》
the one that is considered his masterpiece – The Ray.
这是幅静物画
Yes, it’s a still life.
其中却蕴含着如此丰富的能量和动作
But with such energy and motion –
看那只猫 随时准备着扑向牡蛎
look at the cat about to pounce on the oysters!
但真正吸引人注意的是
And what really draws the eye,
是鳐鱼内脏袒露的形态
is the eviscerated form of the ray fish.
我认为夏尔丹生动地描绘出了一条鳐鱼
‘I think Chardin created a true character of the ray,
并将其塑造成了一个悲剧形象
‘personified in many senses with a seemingly tragic character.
他利用了鳐鱼三角形的形状
‘He uses the form of the ray, this triangular shape that you see,
并用其惨白的颜色构成了图画
‘but also its whiteness to construct his painting.
还有酷似人脸的描绘
‘And then there’s the semblance of a face,
许多人都认为这是一张脸
‘that many people read into the painting.
其实 这并不是嘴和眼
‘Which is, in fact, neither the mouth, nor the eyes,
而是鱼鳃
but the gills.
他将鳐鱼拟人化了
‘It’s a sort of anthropomorphic vision of this ray.
当然也极富戏剧性
‘Which is, of course, also rather dramatic,
内脏外露 颜色鲜红
‘with his insides coming out, reddened.’
尽管我们将夏尔丹的静物画视为天才佳作
Whatever genius we now recognise in the still lives of Chardin,
这种艺术形式当时被法兰西艺术院视为
this style of art was seen by the Academy as inferior
次于高尚的历史画流派
to the more high-minded genre of history painting.
红厅里收藏了许多以历史为题材的作品
Works inspired by the past can be seen in the Salle Rouge…
这里有一位18世纪末艺术家的作品
where hang the creations of one artist from the late 18th century
他广受沙龙的赞誉
who received the acclaim of the Salon
画作回溯古代
with paintings that looked back to antiquity
以古非今
as a source of moral instruction to the present.
这是一幅他的自画像
This is a self-portrait of the artist
他在我们接下来的故事中占有重要地位
who features in the next part of our story –
雅克-路易·大卫
Jacques Louis David –
这幅画捕捉了他生命中一段困顿的岁月
and it captures him at a bad moment in his life
当时他在法国大革命期间被困狱中
when he was in prison during the French Revolution.
但令人好奇之处是他脸上的表情
But the curious thing is the expression on his face.
是愤怒 是害怕
Is he angry? Is he frightened?
还是备受折磨的艺术家的自傲
Or is this the self-regard of the tormented artist?
他确实相当自负
He was certainly vain enough,
但这样言之尚早
but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
1784年 大卫创作了《荷拉斯兄弟之誓》
In 1784, David painted this – The Oath of the Horatii.
这幅画的委托人
And he did it for the man
为他在卢浮宫提供了工作室和住处
who’d given him a studio and lodgings in the Louvre
路易十六
Louis XVI.
画面讲述了三兄弟宣誓保卫罗马的故事
It tells the story of three brothers sworn to defend Rome.
看他们伸向父亲的手臂
Look at the outstretched arms reaching towards the father
后者手持着战争的武器
who holds the weapons of war in his hand.
也可以将画面分割开来看
And look at the way the picture splits in two –
从男性和女性角色来看
between its masculine and feminine characters.
画风简约 色彩昏暗朴素
The style is simple, austere with sombre colours.
这幅画在1785年惊艳了整个沙龙
The painting took the Salon of 1785 by storm –
迅速被誉为新古典主义艺术的杰作
hailed as an instant masterpiece of neoclassical art.
但此画对委托创作的君主有何意义
But what meaning did it have for the monarch who paid for it,
对欣赏者又有何意义呢
and the others who saw it?
众人皆知这是一幅爱国主义作品
Everyone agreed it was a patriotic painting.
但之后发生了颠覆性的事件
But was there something more subversive going on here,
由那些自视为市民的人发动
addressed to those now seeing themselves as citizens.
因为这幅画的含义
Because this was a painting whose message would change
在法国局势动荡的十年间发生了变化
during a turbulent decade of French history.
就在大卫完成
Just in the ten years
《荷拉斯兄弟之誓》的十年后
after David had painted The Oath of Horatii,
他的赞助人 国王去世了
his patron, the King, was dead.
路易十六在协和广场被推上断头台
He was sent to the guillotine here in the Place de la Concorde.
这是以攻占巴士底狱为开始的
This was the most shocking moment yet
法国大革命过程中
in the drama of the Revolution
最令人震惊的时刻
that had begun with the storming of the Bastille.
1793年1月21日 一个阴风阵阵的早晨
On a windy morning, on January 21st, 1793,
路易十六在众目睽睽之下被押上断头台
Louis the XVI mounted the scaffold, watched by thousands.
伴随着声声鼓点
There was a roll of drums…
12英寸长的铡刀落下
and then the 12 inch blade fell.
按照习俗
As was the custom,
滴着血的头颅
the severed head dripping with blood,
被举起来
was held aloft for display
向法兰西第一共和国的公民们展示
to the citizens of the first French Republic.
恐怖时代就此开始
As so began the Terror,
有一万八千人被送上断头台
when 18,000 men and women were sent to the guillotine,
被选为国民公会代表的大卫
and David, now an elected deputy to the National Convention,
当时正忙于此事
was up to his neck in it.
他投票赞成处死君主
David voted for the killing of the King,
并热心地签署了逮捕令
and eagerly signed arrest warrants
于是敌对派就遭殃了
so others could go to their deaths.
当罗伯斯比尔的劲敌丹东被处死
When Robespierre’s great rival Danton went to his death,
大卫嘲弄地呐喊
David was there shouting out mockingly…
Le voila, le scelerat!
“Le voila, le scelerat!
C’est ce scelerat qui est le Grand-juge!
C’est ce scelerat qui est le Grand-juge!”
“看那些自视为判官的罪犯们啊”
“Here, look at the criminal who thinks he’s the big judge.”
大卫成为了罗伯斯比尔的文化代表
David became Robespierre’s cultural commissar.
他要求艺术家们为人♥民♥服务
He demanded that artists be at the service of the people,
艺术的意义在于为革命服务
the meaning of their art appropriated for the Revolution.
大卫自己的艺术就贯彻了这个命令
David included his own art in this command.
当他的杰作《荷拉斯兄弟之誓》被再次展出
So, when his masterpiece The Oath of the Horatii was shown again,
它被解读为歌♥颂革命美德之作
it was interpreted as a work of revolutionary virtue,
向家园宣誓 充满手足之情
with oaths to La Patrie, much “Fraternite”,
和对牺牲的激赏
and a taste for martyrdom.
但这类画作需要一个公共场所
But what paintings like this needed was a public place
来教导忠诚的共和国公民
to educate loyal citizens of the Republic.
于是大卫和革命同伴们
So David and fellow revolutionaries,
想到了启蒙运动思想家狄德罗等人
turned to an idea proposed by Enlightenment thinkers like Diderot,
曾建议设立长♥期♥展览场所
who’d advocated that a permanent exhibition space be created –
一座博物馆
a museum.
那么 建在哪儿呢
So, where?
1793年8月10日
On the 10th of August, 1793,
正是旧制度被推♥翻♥的一年后
exactly 12 months after the fall of the Ancien Regime,
卢浮宫成为了”人♥民♥的博物馆”
the Louvre was declared Musee de la Nation, “The people’s museum”.
典礼就在这个大画廊举♥行♥
And the ceremony took place here in the Grande Galerie.
事实上就是
What actually happened
法国的艺术品全部国有化
was that all art in France was nationalised,
包括法国势力范围所至的艺术品
all art in fact in the territories that France also had its eye on.
当时的情况就是
So what happened really was that
来自凡尔赛宫的皇家藏品 教会
from the royal collection in Versailles, from churches,
贵族 以及流亡者的
from aristocrats, from exiles –
所有艺术品都属于人♥民♥ 属于伟大祖国
all art now belonged to the people, “La grande patrie”.
这虽严酷 却很必要
This was brutal and necessary,
大卫及其革命伙伴们如是说
argued the likes of David and his fellow revolutionaries.
真正的情况是
But what was really happening
欧洲历史正在发生巨变
was a seismic shift in European history.
在那段时间
This was the moment
艺术品不再是富人们的禁脔
when art ceased to be the preserve of the rich and the wealthy
而是服务于人♥民♥
and was really at the service of the people.
新博物馆一周十天不休息
The new museum worked to the revolutionary 10-day week.
[法兰西第一共和国时期采用的法国共和历中 一周包括十天]
前六天面向艺术家
The first six were reserved for artists
他们可以自♥由♥取下墙上的画作进行临摹
who were at liberty to take paintings off walls to copy,
自♥由♥地在画布上做记号♥
free to put chalk marks on the canvases.
接下来三天向公众开放
Then the Louvre was open three days for the public.
最后一天清理修复
With the last day for cleaning and repairs.
为了把更多充公的艺术品放入馆中
And to add to the galleries of confiscated art,
革命军接到命令
the revolutionary army was given the order
通过海外征战 掠夺新的珍宝
to seize new treasures during the campaigns abroad.
1798年7月27日
On the 27th of July, 1798,
罗伯斯比尔逝世纪念日
on the anniversary of the fall of Robespierre,
一条长队 载着取自意大利的革命战利品
an extraordinary procession of revolutionary booty from Italy
进入巴黎
made its way across Paris.
停在了战神广场