Understanding ideas

Live from the Louvre

来自卢浮宫的直播

Hi, it’s Zack! Greetings from Paris, everyone! This broadcast is being brought to you from the largest museum on Earth—the Louvre! Today we’re going to find out about some of the Louvre’s most amazing treasures. Here we go!

嗨，我是扎克！我在巴黎向你们问好！本次直播地点是地球上最大的博物馆——卢浮宫！今天我们将一起探索卢浮宫最神奇的宝藏。开始吧！

Now, at the top of these stone stairs… get a load of that! That huge sculpture you can see is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, or Nike of Samothrace! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this is! It looks like she has just flown down out of the sky and is standing on a ship. Her head and arms are missing, but you can imagine her holding her arms up high, celebrating the result of an ancient battle. And just look at how her dress is being folded by the wind! I really can’t believe she’s made of stone. The skill of the sculptor is just incredible.

现在，我们到了这段石头阶梯的顶端……台阶实在是太多了！你们看到的这尊巨大雕塑是《萨莫色雷斯的胜利女神》，又名《萨莫色雷斯的奈基》！我都不知道该如何向你们形容这个雕塑有多么神奇！她宛如从天而降，飞立船头。虽然她的头部和胳膊都已经不见了，但你们仍然可以想象她正高举双臂，庆祝着一场古代战争的胜利。看她裙子上被风吹出的皱褶！我简直不敢相信她是石头做的。雕刻家的技艺真令人难以置信。

Okay, I’d better move on. You can see there are so many people here. I’m being pushed around quite a bit, in fact. And you’re really going to love what’s coming up next. It’s the one and only Mona Lisa! The painting is a lot smaller than you would expect, and is protected by glass. But from here I can get a good view to show you. When I look into her eyes it seems she has a mind of her own! One moment she seems to be laughing at me, but then again I catch a sense of sadness in her smile. I guess that’s why she attracts so many visitors every day.

好了，我得往前走了。你们能看见，这儿有好多人。事实上，我是被周围拥挤的人群推过来的。你们肯定会喜欢接下来这件展品。那就是独一无二的《蒙娜丽莎》！这幅画比你们想象的要小得多，而且被玻璃罩着。不过我在这里可以拍得很清楚来给你们看。当我与她对视的时候，她似乎有自己的思想！上一刻她仿佛还在取笑我，而下一刻我却能从她的微笑中捕捉到一丝悲伤。我想这就是为什么她每天都吸引这么多游客前来吧。

And now, it’s time to get up close and personal with one of history’s greatest artists—Rembrandt! He painted this self-portrait about 400 years ago. Throughout his life, he made over 90 self-portraits! No one really knows why. Perhaps it was his way of taking a 17th-century selfie? Or was it simply cheaper to paint himself than to pay for a model? 

现在，是时候近距离亲身了解历史上最伟大的画家之一——伦勃朗啦！他在大约400年前画了这幅自画像。他一生中画了90多幅自画像！没人知道为什么。也许这是他在17世纪“自拍”的方式？又或许只是因为画自己比花钱请模特儿更实惠？

About 35,000 works are currently being displayed in over 300 rooms in the Louvre, and it would take a lifetime to see everything! I’ll say bye for now, and hope you can all visit this fantastic place one day to feel the power of these great works of art for yourselves. They really do reach out to us across the centuries as if time itself were nothing. By the way, if you have enjoyed this live broadcast, subscribe to find out where I’m visiting next!

卢浮宫共有300多个房间，目前正在展出的艺术品大约是35,000件，而要看完所有的展品大概需要一辈子。此刻我要说再见了，希望有一天你们都能来参观这个美妙之地，亲身感受这些伟大艺术作品的魅力。这些作品穿越几个世纪，出现在我们面前，仿佛时间没有流逝一般。哦对了，如果你们喜欢这场直播，请点击“订阅”，关注我下一站的目的地吧！

Developing ideas

Han Gan and His Horses

韩干和他的马

What a magnificent horse! Even after more than a thousand years have passed, we can still feel the power within its burning eyes, bared teeth and kicking hooves. Night-Shining White, now kept in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is regarded as one of the most significant horse paintings in the history of Chinese art. Its artist, Han Gan, is known for his skill in capturing not only the physical features of the animal, but also its inner spirit and strength.

好一匹骏马！尽管已经走过千年的时光，我们仍能感受到它炽烈的双眼、裸露的牙齿与和四蹄蹦跳的力量。现收藏于纽约大都会艺术博物馆的《照夜白图》被认为是中国艺术史上最重要的骏马图之一。它的创作者——画家韩干以其神形兼备的画马技艺闻名于世。

Born into a poor family in the early Tang Dynasty, the young Han Gan had to help support his family by working in a local wine shop. His artistic talent was discovered by accident when he was sent to the poet Wang Wei’s house to collect payment for some wine. While waiting at the gate, Han Gan used a stick to draw pictures in the dirt and was seen by the poet himself. Wang Wei decided to sponsor the young man to study painting and recommended him to a master. Due to Han Gan’s natural talent and years of hard work, he was eventually chosen to serve Emperor Xuanzong in the royal palace.

出生于唐初的一个贫困家庭，年少的韩干不得不在当地的一家酒肆工作来维持家庭生计。有一次，他被派至诗人王维家收酒钱，绘画才能因机缘巧合被发现。当时，韩干在门口等候，他捡起一根棍子在土地上画画，正好被王维看见了。王维决定资助这个年轻人学画，并把他推荐给了一位大师。韩干本来就有天赋，加之多年勤学苦练，最终被召入宫为唐玄宗效力。

The Tang emperors were very fond of horses. This meant that the animal was a frequent subject for artists. At that time, the most common way to study horse painting was by copying the works of previous painters. Han Gan’s method, however, was different—he observed the animal itself. He was a frequent visitor to the royal stables and even moved in to live with the stable workers for quite some time. The horses, whether resting or on the move, offered him plenty of inspiration. The more time he spent observing these animals, the more his understanding of them grew. Day after day, Han Gan painted the horses, his brush presenting every detail that he saw with his own eyes.

唐朝皇帝十分喜爱骏马，马因此成为了画家笔下的常见主题。当时学习画马最常用的方法是临摹前人留下的画作。但韩干却采用了不同的方法——他去观察真的马。他是皇家马厩的常客，甚至直接搬到马厩中与马夫同住了很长一段时间。无论是静止休息的马还是动态行进的马，都给了他很多灵感。他观察这些动物的时间越长，对它们的了解程度就越深。韩干日复一日地练习画马，用画笔把眼睛观察到的每一处细节都呈现出来。

It is said that when the Emperor asked Han Gan to take a master of horse painting as his teacher, the artist replied, “I have my own teachers, Your Majesty. All the horses in your stables are my very teachers.”

据说，皇帝曾让他选一位画马大师为师，他却回答说：“陛下，臣自有师，陛下内厩之马，皆臣师也。”

Those who saw Han Gan’s horse paintings all sang high praises for his unique skill, saying that his horses “could gallop off the paper”. Even Su Shi, the famous poet of the Song Dynasty, expressed his admiration for Han Gan as a master of horse painting with the words, “The horses painted by Han Gan are real horses.”

那些看过韩干的骏马图的人都对他独特的技艺赞不绝口，称他的马“跃然纸上”。就连宋代的著名诗人苏轼在都诗中写道“韩生画马真是马”，表达了对韩干画马的卓越才能的钦佩。