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LukeSyson_2013X-_我如何停止担忧并且爱上“无用”的艺术_
Two years ago, I have to say there was no problem. 两年前,我得说一切都很正常。
Two years ago, I knew exactly what an icon looked like. 两年前,我很清楚地知道偶像长什么样。
It looks like this. 就长这样的。
Everybody's icon, but also the default position of a curator of Italian Renaissance paintings, which I was then. 这是所有人的偶像,包括我在内 当时我还是意大利文艺复兴博物馆的馆长。
default:n.违约;拖欠;缺席;缺陷;v.违约;拖欠;缺乏;不履行; curator:n.馆长;监护人;管理者; Renaissance:n.文艺复兴(欧洲14至17世纪);
And in a way, this is also another default selection . 从某种角度来说,选择这幅画也是如此。
selection:n.选择;选拔;挑选;被挑选的人(或物);
Leonardo da Vinci's exquisitely soulful image of the "Lady with an Ermine ." 莱昂纳多·达·芬奇细腻灵动的画作: “抱银鼠的女子”（‘Lady with an Ermine’）
exquisitely:adv.精致地;精巧地;敏锐地; soulful:adj.感情上的;高尚的;充满精神的; Ermine:n.貂;貂的白毛皮;
And I use that word, soulful, deliberately . 我说“灵动”,是特意这么说的。
deliberately:adv.故意地;谨慎地;慎重地;
Or then there's this, or rather these: the two versions of Leonardo's " Virgin of the Rocks" 再或者是这幅,应该说是这两幅: 达·芬奇“岩间圣母”（‘Virgin of the Rocks’）的两个版本
Virgin:n.处女;童男;无…经验的人;新手;
that were about to come together in London for the very first time. 当时在伦敦两幅画第一次一起展出。
were about to:眼看就要;即将;正要;行将;
In the exhibition that I was then in the absolute throes of organizing . 那时我正处在筹备展览的最后阶段。
throes:n.剧痛; v.苦苦挣扎; organizing:v.组织;安排;处理;分配;管理;(organize的现在分词)
I was literally up to my eyes in Leonardo, and I had been for three years. 我真真切切地在解读达芬奇, 持续了三年。
literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地:
So, he was occupying every part of my brain. 所以,我当时无时无刻不在想他。
occupying:v.占用;使用;居住;占领;占据;(occupy的现在分词)
Leonardo had taught me, during that three years, about what a picture can do. 在那三年中,达·芬奇教会了我, 一幅画的力量。
About taking you from your own material world into a spiritual world. 它带领你脱离物质世界并进入一个精神世界。
spiritual:n.圣歌(尤指美国南部黑人的);adj.精神的,心灵的;
He said, actually, that he believed the job of the painter was to paint everything that was visible and invisible in the universe. 实际上他说他相信画家的工作 是要去描绘宇宙中一切可见以及不可见的事物。
invisible:adj.看不见的;n.看不见的人或物;
That's a huge task. And yet, somehow he achieves it. 这可是任重道远。然而,他做到了。
somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地;
He shows us, I think, the human soul. 我想,他向我们展示了,人类的灵魂。
He shows us the capacity of ourselves to move into a spiritual realm . 也展示了我们自身具备的 能进入精神王国的能力,
capacity:n.能力;容量;资格,地位;生产力; realm:n.领域,范围;王国;
To see a vision of the universe that's more perfect than our own. 能够目睹比我们自身更完美的宇宙景象。
vision:n.视力;美景;幻象;想象力;v.想象;显现;梦见;
To see God's own plan, in some sense. 从某种意义上来说,看见上帝的计划。
So this, in a sense , was really what I believed an icon was. 所以,从这个层面上来说,我确信“偶像”就是这样的。
in a sense:在某种意义上;
At about that time, I started talking to Tom Campbell, director here of the Metropolitan Museum, about what my next move might be. 大概在那时,我开始与汤姆·坎伯交谈, 也就是这里的大都会博物馆的主管, 关于我下一步该怎么做的相关事宜。
Metropolitan:adj.大都市的;大主教辖区的;宗主国的;n.大城市人;大主教;宗主国的公民;
The move, in fact, back to an earlier life, one I'd begun at the British Museum, back to the world of three dimensions -- of sculpture and of decorative arts -- to take over the department of European sculpture and decorative arts, here at the Met. 下一步,实际上,是回到早些时候 回到我刚在大英博物馆工作的时候, 回到三维的世界—— 回到雕塑与装饰艺术的世界, 去接管大都会艺术博物馆的欧洲雕塑与装饰艺术系别。
dimensions:n.规模,大小; sculpture:n.雕塑;雕刻;刻蚀;vt.雕塑;雕刻;刻蚀;vi.从事雕刻; decorative arts:n.装饰艺术; take over:接管;继承;接收;接任;接替;
But it was an incredibly busy time. 那段时间真是出奇的忙。
incredibly:adv.难以置信地;非常地;
All the conversations were done at very peculiar times of the day -- over the phone. 那天花了各种各样的时间段谈完了话, 而且还是通过电话。
peculiar:adj.特殊的;独特的;奇怪的;罕见的;n.特权;特有财产;
In the end, I accepted the job without actually having been here. 最后,我接受了这项工作, 但其实人并没来。
Again, I'd been there a couple of years before, but on that particular visit. 我除了几年前来过这里一次, 就再没有来过。
So, it was just before the time that the Leonardo show was due to open when I finally made it back to the Met, to New York, to see my new domain . 因此,就在达·芬奇的展览将要开幕前 我终于来到了纽约的大都会博物馆, 来看看我的新领域,
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; domain:n.领域;域名;产业;地产;
To see what European sculpture and decorative arts looked like, beyond those Renaissance collections with which I was so already familiar . 超越我熟悉的意大利文艺复兴时期的收藏, 看看欧洲雕塑与装饰艺术是什么样的。
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友;
And I thought, on that very first day, I better tour the galleries . 就在第一天的时候,我想最好还是参观参观。
galleries:n.美术馆(gallery的复数);图表种类;
Fifty-seven of these galleries -- like 57 varieties of baked beans , I believe. 五十七个画廊—— 就像五十七种不同的烘豆,我觉得。
baked beans:n.番茄酱烘豆(常制成罐头);
I walked through and I started in my comfort zone in the Italian Renaissance. 我从熟悉的意大利文艺复兴的领域步行穿过这些画廊。
comfort zone:n.舒适区;最佳状态;
And then I moved gradually around, feeling a little lost sometimes. 然后,逐渐漫步到另一边, 有时会觉得有点迷惑。
gradually:adv.渐渐地;逐步地;
My head, also still full of the Leonardo exhibition that was about to open, and I came across this. 我的脑海仍然被即将开幕的 达·芬奇的展览所占据着,然后,我看到了这个。
was about to:眼看就要;即将;正要;行将;
And I thought to myself: What the hell have I done? 接着我对自己说我就想:“我究竟在干嘛呢？”
There was absolutely no connection in my mind at all and, in fact, if there was any emotion going on, it was a kind of repulsion . 这东西在我看来绝对与这个领域没有一点联系, 而且,如果我对它有什么情绪的话, 就只能是一种反感。
absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地; emotion:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感; repulsion:n.排斥;反驳;反感;厌恶;
This object felt utterly and completely alien. 这个物件给人的感觉完全是完全陌生的。
utterly:adv.完全地;绝对地;全然地;彻底地,十足地;
Silly at a level that I hadn't yet understood silliness to be. 前所未有的古怪。
silliness:n.愚蠢;糊涂;
And then it was made worse -- there were two of them. 但是问题似乎更糟了—— 两个这样的展品。
(Laughter) （笑声）
So, I started thinking about why it was, in fact, that I disliked this object so much. 因此,我开始思考为什么 我如此讨厌这个展品。
What was the anatomy of my distaste ? 我的厌恶情绪的根源是什么？
anatomy:n.解剖;解剖学;剖析;解析; distaste:n.厌恶;讨厌;vt.厌恶;不喜欢;vi.不喜欢;
Well, so much gold, so vulgar . 嗯,太多的金色了,俗辣辣的俗。
vulgar:adj.粗俗的;通俗的;本土的;n.平民,百姓;
You know, so nouveau riche , frankly. 你们懂的,坦白地说,就是暴发户。
nouveau riche:n.暴发户;
Leonardo himself had preached against the use of gold, so it was absolutely anathema at that moment. 达·芬奇自己就很反对对于金色的运用, 所以当时这对我来说是个很让人讨厌的东西。
preached:v.讲道;宣传,宣讲;说教;(preach的过去分词和过去式) anathema:n.诅咒;革出教门;被诅咒者;令人厌恶的人;
And then there's little pretty sprigs of flowers everywhere. (Laughter) 而且,上面都是娇小可爱的小花枝。（笑声）
sprigs:n.小(树)枝; v.加小枝花样; (sprig的复数);
And finally, that pink. That damned pink. 最后一点,粉色。作死的粉色。
damned:adj.该死的; v.该死,混账; (damn的过去分词和过去式)
It's such an extraordinarily artificial color. 完完全全人工制造的颜色。
extraordinarily:adv.非常;格外地;非凡地; artificial:adj.人造的;仿造的;虚伪的;非原产地的;武断的;
I mean, it's a color that I can't think of anything that you actually see in nature, that looks that shade . 我的意思是,这种暗暗的色调 是绝对不可能在自然界看到的。
shade:n.阴凉处;色度;灯罩;背阴;v.给…遮挡(光线);加灯罩;把…涂暗;画阴影;
The object even has its own tutu . (Laughter) 这个展品甚至有芭蕾短裙。（笑声）
tutu:n.(法)芭蕾舞短裙;新西兰马桑;
This little flouncy , spangly , bottomy bit that sits at the bottom of the vase. 就是这种位于花瓶底部的 小褶边和亮片。
flouncy:adj.张开的;向外鼓起的; spangly:闪烁发光:;
It reminded me, in an odd kind of way, of my niece's fifth birthday party. 它以一种古怪的方式使我想起了 我侄女五岁的生日派对。
reminded:v.提醒;使想起;(remind的过去分词和过去式) odd:adj.古怪的;奇数的;n.奇数;
Where all the little girls would come either as a princess or a fairy . 所有的小女孩都会装扮成公主或仙女过来。
princess:n.王妃;(除女王或王后外的)王室女成员;(尤指)公主;王公贵族夫人; fairy:n.仙子;adj.美丽的;优雅的;妖精(一样)的;
There was one who would come as a fairy princess. 有个姑娘装扮成了童话里的公主。
You should have seen the looks. 你们应该已经知道那是什么样儿了。
(Laughter) （笑声）
And I realize that this object was in my mind, born from the same mind, from the same womb , practically , as Barbie Ballerina . (Laughter) 我意识到,对我来说这件展品 是基本类似于 芭比娃娃打扮成芭蕾舞演员。（笑声）
womb:n.[解剖]子宫;发源地;vt.容纳; practically:adv.实际地;几乎;事实上; Ballerina:n.芭蕾舞女演员,芭蕾舞女;
And then there's the elephants. (Laughter) 之后,这些大象。（笑声）
Those extraordinary elephants with their little, sort of strange, sinister expressions and Greta Garbo eyelashes , with these golden tusks and so on. 这些非同一般的大象 露出些许奇怪阴险的表情 有着葛丽泰·嘉宝样的睫毛以及金象牙等等。
extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的; sinister:adj.阴险的;凶兆的;灾难性的;左边的; expressions:表达,表情(expression的复数) Garbo:n.垃圾工人; eyelashes:n.睫;睫毛;(eyelash的复数) tusks:n.獠牙(tusk的复数);[建]墙面牙石;v.用长牙掘(tusk的第三人称单数);
I realized this was an elephant that had absolutely nothing to do with a majestic march across the Serengeti . 我意识到这只象与塞伦盖蒂的 “宏伟行军”绝对没有半毛钱关系。
majestic:adj.庄严的;宏伟的; Serengeti:n.塞伦盖蒂平原(位于坦桑尼亚西北部);
It was a Dumbo nightmare . (Laughter) 这是小飞象的噩梦版。（笑声）
Dumbo:n.(美口)救护(搜索)飞机;(口)傻瓜; nightmare:n.恶梦;梦魇般的经历;adj.可怕的;噩梦似的;
But something more profound was happening as well. 但是我脑海中也蹦出了更深刻的东西。
profound:adj.深厚的;意义深远的;渊博的;
These objects, it seemed to me, were quintessentially the kind that I and my liberal left friends in London had always seen as summing up something deplorable about the French aristocracy in the 18th century. 对我来说,似乎这些展品, 是那种典型的我和我在伦敦的自由主义左派朋友 常看到的展品类型 当我们总结十八世纪 凄惨的法国贵族的时候。
quintessentially:adv.典型地;标准地; liberal:adj.宽宏大度的; n.理解且尊重他人意见的人; summing:adj.求和的;做加法的;n.求和;v.合计(sum的ing形式); deplorable:adj.可叹的;凄惨的; aristocracy:n.贵族;贵族统治;上层社会;贵族政治;
The label had told me that these pieces were made by the Sèvres Manufactory , made of porcelain in the late 1750s, and designed by a designer called Jean-Claude Duplessis, actually somebody of extraordinary distinction as I later learned. 展品上的标签告诉我这些作品 是在塞夫勒厂（Sèvres Manufactory）制作的, 材质是瓷,年代在制作于十八世纪五十年代后期, 它的设计师名叫让-克洛德·杜普蕾西丝（Jean-Claude Duplessis）, 但后来据我了解, 他是一位特立独行的设计师。
label:n.标签;标记;谓;唱片公司;v.贴标签于;用标签标明; Manufactory:n.制造厂,工厂; porcelain:n.瓷;瓷器;adj.瓷制的;精美的; distinction:n.区别;区分;差别;卓越;
But for me, they summed up a kind of, that sort of sheer uselessness of the aristocracy in the 18th century. 但对我来说,他们似乎在总结, 十八世纪的贵族的 纯粹的无价值性。
summed:v.归纳;总计;总结,概括;(sum的过去分词和过去式) sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; uselessness:n.无用,无效;
I and my colleagues had always thought that these objects, in way, summed up the idea of, you know -- no wonder there was a revolution . 我和我的同事以前经常认为 这些展品,从某种角度来说,总结了 你们懂的--怪不得后来爆发了一场革命。
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); revolution:n.革命;旋转;运行;循环;
Or, indeed, thank God there was a revolution. 或确切些说,感谢上帝,这场革命爆发了。
There was a sort of idea really, that, if you owned a vase like this, then there was really only one fate possible. 这种观点认为, 如果你有一个像这样的花瓶, 命运可能就只有一种了。
(Laughter) （笑声）
So, there I was -- in a sort of paroxysm of horror . 因此,我陷入了一种终极恐慌中。
paroxysm:n.(疾病周期性)发作;突发; horror:n.恐惧;厌恶;震惊;对某事物的强烈畏惧(或憎恨);
But I took the job and I went on looking at these vases. 但是,我仍然接受了这项工作,并继续研究这些花瓶。
I sort of had to because they're on a through route in the Met. 其实不得不看,因为它们就摆放在博物馆的必经之路上。
route:n.路线;路途;固定线路;途径;v.按某路线发送;
So, almost anywhere I went, there they were. 所以,我在哪儿,都能看到它们。
They had this kind of odd sort of fascination , like a car accident. 它们有这种奇怪的魅力, 就跟车祸现场一样。
fascination:n.魅力;魔力;入迷;
Where I couldn't stop looking. 叫我忍不住的看。
And as I did so, I started thinking: 我反复地观察,然后开始思考:
Well, what are we actually looking at here? 嗯,我们到底在观察什么呢？
And what I started with was understanding this as really a supreme piece of design. 这种思考的开端就是去真正地 把这个展品当作优秀的设计来理解。
supreme:adj.最高的;至高的;最重要的;n.至高;霸权;
It took me a little time. 这花了我一些时间。
But, that tutu for example -- actually, this is a piece that does dance in its own way. 比如,这里的“芭蕾短裙”—— 事实上,它是在用自己的方式“舞蹈”。
It has an extraordinary lightness and yet, it is also amazing balanced. 看看它卓越的亮度 以及令人称奇的平衡力。
lightness:n.轻盈;轻松;明亮;(颜色)浅淡;
It has these kinds of sculptural ingredients . 它拥有许多雕刻所需的组成。
sculptural:adj.雕刻的;雕刻般的; ingredients:n.成分;(尤指烹饪)原料;(成功的)要素;(ingredient的复数)
And then the play between -- actually really quite carefully disposed color and gilding , and the sculptural surface, is really rather remarkable . 还有,颜色与镀金 之间的完美结合,以及与雕塑表面之间的结合, 无不精湛。
disposed:adj.乐意; v.排列; (dispose的过去分词和过去式) gilding:n.镀金;虚饰的外观;v.镀金;虚饰(gild的现在分词); remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的;
And then I realized that this piece went into the kiln four times, at least four times in order to arrive at this. 然后我意识到这个花瓶 入过四次窑,至少四次才能达到这个水准。
kiln:vt.烧窑;在干燥炉干燥;n.(砖,石灰等的)窑;炉;干燥炉;
How many moments for accident can you think of that could have happened to this piece? 你能想象花瓶在烧制过程中 可能会出现多少意外吗？
And then remember, not just one, but two. 而且请记住,不是只有一个,而是两个。
So he's having to arrive at two exactly matched vases of this kind. 所以设计师得做两个完全达到了 这种水准的花瓶。
And then this question of uselessness. 然后,回到“无价值”的问题上。
Well actually, the end of the trunks were originally candle holders . 其实,象鼻的末端是一个小烛台。
originally:adv.原来;起初; holders:n.[专利]持有人(holder的复数);
So what you would have had were candles on either side. 所以可以在两边各放一支蜡烛。
Imagine that effect of candlelight on that surface. 想象一下烛光映照在这个表面的效果。
candlelight:n.烛光;黄昏;
On the slightly uneven pink, on the beautiful gold. 映照在那稍稍不均匀的粉色上,那美丽的金色上。
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; uneven:adj.不均匀的;不平坦的;[数]奇数的;
It would have glittered in an interior , a little like a little firework . 它会在在室内闪闪发光, 就像迷你的烟火。
glittered:vi.闪光;闪烁;n.闪光;灿烂; interior:n.内部;内陆;内地;里面;adj.内部的;里面的; firework:n.烟花;烟火表演;激烈的言辞;令人激动的行动;
And at that point, actually, a firework went off in my brain. 说到这里,事实上,我脑海中已经有了烟火盛放的画面。
Somebody reminded me that, that word 'fancy' -- which in a sense for me, encapsulated this object -- actually comes from the same root as the word ' fantasy .' 有人提醒我,用“花哨”（‘fancy’）这个词—— 来形容这个花瓶,对我来说 这和和“幻想”（‘fantasy’）一词是同源的。
encapsulated:adj.密封的; v.压缩(encapsulate的过去分词); fantasy:n.幻想; adj.虚幻的; v.空想;
And that what this object was just as much in a way, in its own way, as a Leonardo da Vinci painting, is a portal to somewhere else. 而且,这件展品其实只是 在用自己的方式,就像达·芬奇的画作一样, 成为通往另一个世界的入口。
portal:n.大门,入口;
This is an object of the imagination . 这是一件充满想象的艺术品。
imagination:n.想象;想象力;创造力;想象的事物;
If you think about the mad 18th-century operas of the time -- set in the Orient . 如果你去想想18世纪歌剧的疯狂—来自东方的作品,
operas:n.歌剧(opera的复数); Orient:vt.使适应;确定方向;使朝东;n.东方;东方诸国;adj.东方的;vi.向东;
If you think about divans and perhaps even opium-induced visions of pink elephants, then at that point, this object starts to make sense . 以及室内的装潢和甚至是鸦片导致的粉色大象的幻觉, 从这个角度来讲,这个作品就说得通了。
visions:n.愿景; v.想像; make sense:有意义;讲得通;言之有理;
This is an object which is all about escapism . 这件作品描述了一种空想。
escapism:n.逃避现实,空想;逃避主义;
It's about an escapism that happens -- that the aristocracy in France sought very deliberately to distinguish themselves from ordinary people. 这种空想成为了现实—— 法国贵族 有意 要把他们自己同寻常百姓区别开来。
sought:v.seek(寻求、寻找)的过去式和过去分词形式; distinguish:vt.区分;辨别;使杰出,使表现突出;vi.区别,区分;辨别;
It's not an escapism that we feel particularly happy with today, however. 然而,这并不是那种 现如今会令人愉悦的空想。
particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地;
And again, going on thinking about this, 我继续思考着,
I realize that in a way we're all victims of a certain kind of tyranny of the triumph of modernism whereby form and function in an object have to follow one another, or are deemed to do so. 然后意识到,在某种意义上,我们都是 胜利的现代主义中 暴政的受害者, 也就是说,一件物品的构造与功能 必须相互参照,或者人们是这样想的。
tyranny:n.暴政;专横;严酷;残暴的行为(需用复数); triumph:v.战胜;成功;打败;n.巨大成功;重大成就;伟大胜利;喜悦; modernism:n.现代主义;现代思想;现代作风; whereby:adv.凭借;通过…;借以;与…一致; deemed:v.认为;视为;相信;(deem的过去分词和过去式)
And the extraneous ornament is seen as really, essentially, criminal. 而无用的装饰被从根本上视为是 一种真正的犯罪。
extraneous:adj.外来的;没有关联的;来自体外的; ornament:n.装饰品;首饰;v.装饰;点缀;美化;
It's a triumph, in a way, of bourgeois values rather than aristocratic ones. 这与其说是贵族的胜利,还不如说是资产阶级的胜利。
bourgeois:n.资本家; adj.资产阶级的; aristocratic:adj.贵族的;贵族政治的;有贵族气派的;
And that seems fine. 听上去似乎行得通,
Except for the fact that it becomes a kind of sequestration of imagination. 除了,想象力的匮乏是不争的事实以外。
sequestration:n.隔离;扣押;退隐;
So just as in the 20th century, so many people had the idea that their faith took place on the Sabbath day, and the rest of their lives -- their lives of washing machines and orthodontics -- took place on another day. 因此,就像在20世纪一样,那么多的人 认为他们的信仰生活 应在安息日进行, 除此以外的生活—— 洗衣服看牙医的生活—— 则改日进行。
faith:n.信心;信任;宗教信仰; Sabbath:n.安息日; orthodontics:n.畸齿矫正学(orthodontic的复数);
Then, I think we've started doing the same. 我觉得我们现在做的事情如出一辙。
We've allowed ourselves to lead our fantasy lives in front of screens. 我们允许自己 将幻想生活局限在电视屏幕前。
In the dark of the cinema, with the television in the corner of the room. 在黑暗的电影院中,在角落里的电视机前。
We've eliminated , in a sense, that constant of the imagination that these vases represented in people's lives. 从某种意义上说,我们已经扼杀了 这些花瓶所展示的人们生活中的想象力。
eliminated:v.排除;清除;消除;(比赛中)淘汰;消灭;(eliminate的过去式和过去分词) represented:v.代表; (represent的过去式和过去分词)
So maybe it's time we got this back a little. 因此,也许我们是时候“怀怀旧”了。
I think it's beginning to happen. 我认为这已经开始发生了。
In London, for example, with these extraordinary buildings that have been appearing over the last few years. 比如在伦敦, 像这样非同一般的建筑物 在过去的几年中一直在新建。
Redolent , in a sense, of science fiction , turning London into a kind of fantasy playground. 它们从某种角度上使人想到科幻小说, 并把伦敦变成了一块幻想之地。
Redolent:adj.芬芳的;有…香味的;令人想起…的; science fiction:科幻小说;
It's actually amazing to look out of a high building nowadays there. 如今从高层建筑向外眺望是非常令人着迷的。
But even then, there's a resistance . 但即使这样,阻力却仍然存在。
resistance:n.电阻;抵抗;阻力;抗力;
London has called these buildings the Gherkin , the Shard , the Walkie Talkie -- bringing these soaring buildings down to Earth . 伦敦人把这些建筑叫做“小黄瓜”、“水晶宫”、“对讲机”—— 把这些冲向云霄的建筑拉回到了现实。
Gherkin:n.(做泡菜用的)小黄瓜; Shard:n.(甲虫的)[昆]鞘翅;陶瓷碎片; Walkie:n.步行式; Talkie:n.有声电影; soaring:adj.翱翔的;高耸的;猛增的;v.高耸;高飞;猛增;(soar的现在分词形式) down to Earth:实际的;
There's an idea that we don't want these anxious-making, imaginative journeys to happen in our daily lives. 有人认为是我们本身不想 在生活中碰见这些使人焦虑、富于想象力的过程。
imaginative:adj.虚构的;富于想象的;有创造力的;
I feel lucky in a way, 从某种角度来说,我是幸运的。
I've encountered this object. 我遇上了这个作品。
encountered:v.遭遇,遇到;偶然碰到;意外地遇见;(encounter的过去分词和过去式)
(Laughter) (笑声)
I found him on the Internet when I was looking up a reference . 我在网上寻找参考材料的时候找到了他。
reference:n.参考,提及;参考书目;证明书;v.引用;
And there he was. 就是这个。
And unlike the pink elephant vase, this was a kind of love at first sight . 不同于粉色大象花瓶, 我第一眼看到就觉得很有爱。
love at first sight:一见钟情;一见锺情;一见倾心;闪电恋爱;
In fact, reader, I married him. I bought him. 事实上,我拥有了他,我买下来了。
And he now adorns my office. 现在是我办公室里的装饰品。
adorns:vt.装饰;使生色;
He's a Staffordshire figure made in the middle of the 19th century. 他是一个19世纪中叶制作的斯塔福郡塑像（Staffordshire figure）。
He represents the actor, Edmund Kean, playing Shakespeare's Richard III. 展示了男演员埃德蒙·基恩饰演莎士比亚的理查三世的场景。
represents:v.代表;维护…的利益;相当于;(represent的第三人称单数)
And it's based, actually, on a more elevated piece of porcelain. 而且它的材质是一种更高级的瓷。
elevated:adj.提高的;高尚的;欢欣的;v.提高;振奋;提拔;(elevate的过去分词和过去式)
So I loved, on an art historical level, 所以我喜欢它,从艺术史的层面上来说,
historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的;
I loved that layered quality that he has. 喜欢它极富层次感的品质。
layered:adj.分层的;层状的;v.分层堆积;用压条法培植(layer的过去分词);
But more than that, I love him. 但更重要的是,我喜欢他本身。
In a way that I think would have been impossible without the pink Sèvres vase in my Leonardo days. 从某种角度来说,如果在研究达芬奇的日子里没有见到过粉色花瓶 这就是绝对不可能发生的事了。
I love his orange and pink breeches . 我喜欢他橙粉相间的短裤。
breeches:n.马裤(裤脚束紧长及膝部的裤子); v.给…穿上裤子;
I love the fact that he seems to be going off to war, having just finished the washing up. (Laughter) 我喜欢他那种似乎刚刚打扮整洁 然后要去上战场的样子。（笑声）
He seems also to have forgotten his sword. 他好像还忘了他的剑。
I love his pink little cheeks, his munchkin energy. 我喜欢他粉色的双颊,还有充沛的精力。
munchkin:n.负责任又讨人喜爱的小好人;无事忙的人;
In a way, he's become my sort of alter ego . 从某种角度来说,他已经成为了另一个我。
alter ego:n.第二自我;至交;知己;挚友;
He's, I hope, a little bit dignified , but mostly rather vulgar. (Laughter) 他还是有点威严的, 但还是粗俗占大部分。（笑声）
dignified:adj.端庄的; v.使有尊严; (dignify的过去分词和过去式)
And energetic , I hope, too. 我也希望他活力充沛。
energetic:adj.精力充沛的;充满活力的;需要能量的;积极的;
I let him into my life because the Sèvres pink elephant vase allowed me to do so. 因为那只粉色大象,我让他进入了我的生活。
And before that Leonardo, 在达芬奇多之前,
I understood that this object could become part of a journey for me every day, sitting in my office. 我明白这件作品会成为我人生旅程的一部分, 就这么坐在办公室里。
I really hope that others, all of you, visiting objects in the museum, and taking them home and finding them for yourselves, will allow those objects to flourish in your imaginative lives. 我真诚地希望其他人,在座的各位, 在博物馆参观展品的时候, 还有在把它们带回家,抑或是在寻找它们的时候 能够跟随着这些展品让想象力源源不断地注入进生命。
flourish:n.兴旺; vt.夸耀; vi.繁荣,兴旺;
Thank you very much. 非常感谢。
(Applause) （掌声）