unit17 Trees Are Violet 树是紫罗兰色的

Unit 17

Trees Are Violet

In 1874, fifty-five artists held the first independent group show of Impressionist art. Most of them, including Canne, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet and his sister-in-law Berthe Morisot — “a bunch of lunatics and a women,” remarked one observer — had been rejected by the Salon¹, the annual French state-sponsored exhibition that offered the only real opportunity for artists to display and tell their work. Never mind, they told each other. At the Salon, paintings were stacked three or four high, and crowded too closely together on the walls. At their independent exhibition, mounted in what was formerly² a photographer’s studio, the artists could hang their works at eye level with space between them. Although the artists didn’t call themselves “Impressionists” at first, this occasion would be the first of eight such “Impressionist” exhibits over the next twelve years.

An outraged³ critic, Louis Leroy, coined the label “Impressionist”. He looked at Monet’s Impression Sunrise, the artist’s sensory⁴ response to a harbor at dawn, painted with sketchy⁵ brushstrokes. “Impression!” the journalist scoffed⁶. “Wallpaper in its embryonic⁷ state is more finished!” Within a year, the name Impressionism was an accepted term in the art world.

If the name was accepted, the art itself was not. In impressionist paintings, trees are violet; the sky is the color of fresh butter … Although some people appreciated the new paintings, many did not. The critics agreed the Impressionists couldn’t draw and their colors were considered vulgar. Their compositions were strange. Their short, hurried brushstrokes make their paintings practically illegible⁸.

Impressionism broke every rule of the French Academy of Fine Arts, the conservative school that had dominated art training and taste since 1648. Impressionist scenes of modern urban and country life were a far cry from the Academic efforts to teach moral lessons through historic, and mythological⁹ themes. This tradition, drawn¹⁰ from ancient Greek and Roman art, featured idealized images. Symmetrical compositions, hard outlines, and smooth paint surfaces characterized academic paintings.

Despite the Academy’s power, seeds of artistic¹¹ and political unrest had been sown long before 1874. The mid-19th century was a time of political instability in France. During the Revolution of 1848, Parisian workers with socialist¹² goals overthrew¹³ the monarchy¹⁴, only to see conservatives seize the reins¹⁵ of government later that year. Fear of further uprising created widespread distrust among the aristocracy, the poor, and the newly prosperous bourgeoisie or middle class. Meanwhile, the far-reaching Industrial Revolution fostered a new faith in the individual and his unlimited¹⁶ potential. Romantic painters began to celebrate individuality in term of painting technique with warm colors and vigorous brushstrokes. The Impressionists brought together a variety of influences, beliefs, and styles when they first exhibited in Paris. Their rejection¹⁷ of the Academy and the Academy’s rejection of them united the group.

译文：

树是紫罗兰色的

1874年，55位艺术家举行了第一次独立的印象派艺术展。他们中的大部分，包括戛纳、毕沙罗、雷诺尔、德加、夏奈、爱德华，还有他妻子的妹妹莫里索。一位参观者说，“一群疯子和一个女人，”已经被沙龙拒绝的，这个沙龙是每年法国国家赞助的为艺术家显示提供真实的机会并告诉他们工作不要记在心上，他们互相通知。在这个沙龙，图画被堆放有3或4个高高的挂在墙上紧密地围在一起。在独立的画展上，安装在以前的摄影工作室，艺术家把他们的作品挂在他们之间眼睛的高度。虽然最初这些艺术家不称他们自己为印象派，但这将是十二年来8个展览会中的第一个印象派。

一个气愤的评论家路易斯杜撰了印象派。他看了莫奈的日出印象,艺术家的感觉是黎明的港口,一个生动的写生。“印象!”记者嘲笑他。胚胎国家的壁纸更加完成!在一年之内,这个名字是一个印象派艺术界普遍公认的术语。

如果名字被接受,艺术本身并没有被接受。在印象派画家的作品,树是紫色的;天空的颜色是新鲜的奶油色…虽然有些人欣赏的新画，但许多人都不欣赏。评论家们同意不能让印象派和他们的颜色是为是庸俗的。他们的作品是很奇怪的。他们简短的，慌忙的笔画使他们的绘画几乎很难辨认。

印象派打破了法国美术学院的每条规则，保守的学校自从1648年就在艺术培训和审美方面占据了统治地位。城市和农村现代化生活的印象派景象已经远离了学院通过具有历史意义的、神话的主题努力教道德课程。这个传统,来自于古希腊罗马美术、精选理想化的图像。对称的成分,努力轮廓特征、滑油漆表面学术绘画。

尽管学院的力量,在1874年以前艺术和政治的种子动荡已经被撒播了很久。19世纪中期法国的政局是不稳定的。在1848年社会主义的革命目标是巴黎的工人推翻了君主制,只看到保守派抓住政权的后一年。害怕更大的起义引起了广泛的不信任在贵族、穷人,新兴资产阶级和中产阶级中。与此同时,工业革命在个人和他们无限地潜能里产生了一个深渊的信念。浪漫的画家开始从绘画技巧在暖色、充满活力的笔庆祝个性。在他们第一次在巴黎展览时，画家聚集了各种各样的影响、信仰和风格。他们拒绝学院及学院拒绝他们联合在一起。

词汇：

academic adj.学术的

academy n.专科院校,研究院

bourgeoisie n.资产阶级

characterize vt.表现出……的特点

critic n.批评家

display vt.展示

distrust n.不信任

dominate vt.主宰

far-reaching adj.深远的

feature vt.突出……特色

flesh n.肉

Impressionist n.印象主义者

mount vt.安放,设置

observer n.观察家

occasion n.场合,时机

outraged adj.愤怒的

overthrow¹⁸ vt.推翻

practically adv.几乎

prosperous adj.繁荣的

rejuct vt.拒绝接受

sensory adj.感官的

sponsor vt.赞助

stack vt.叠放

symmetrical adj.对称的

stain n.污渍

uprising n.起义,反抗

urban adj.城市的

vigorous adj.有力的

流行短语：

be a far cry from 远远不同于

symmetrical composition 对称结构

sketchy brushstroke 粗略的笔画

the French Academy of Fine Arts 法国艺术学院

1 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

2 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

3 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

4 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

5 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

6 scoffed   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
• A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

7 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

8 illegible   

adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的

参考例句：

• It is impossible to deliver this letter because the address is illegible.由于地址字迹不清，致使信件无法投递。
• Can you see what this note says—his writing is almost illegible!你能看出这个便条上写些什么吗？他的笔迹几乎无法辨认。

9 mythological   

adj.神话的

参考例句：

• He is remembered for his historical and mythological works. 他以其带有历史感和神话色彩的作品而著称。
• But even so, the cumulative process had for most Americans a deep, almost mythological significance. 不过即使如此，移民渐增的过程，对于大部分美国人，还是意味深长的，几乎有不可思议的影响。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

12 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

13 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

14 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

15 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

16 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

17 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

18 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。