VOA慢速英语2010年-THIS IS AMERICA - Norman Rockwell's Ar

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Norman Rockwell was one of the most popular American artists of the twentieth century. His drawings and paintings appeared in advertisements and on magazine covers. Today we tell about an exhibit of his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museupolleym in Washington, D.C.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The exhibit is called "Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg." It shows how the artist’s work influenced two of America’s most famous filmmakers. The exhibit also shows how Nstarorman Rockwell’s art was deeply influenced by movies.

STEVE EMBER: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are directors and producers best known for making the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" movies. Both filmmakers have been collecting Norman Rockwell’s paintings since the early nineteen eighties. This is the first time their private collections of fifty-seven artworks have been gathered together and shown publicly.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Norman Rockwell drew covers for the Saturday Evening Post magazine for nearly fifty years, starting in nineteen sixteen. Some of his art also illustrated² stories inside magazines. Each of his drawings and paintings tells a story. They often tell everyday stories, like the experience of a young girl having her first haircut at a beauty shop. Or, the happiness of a teacher whose students have surprised her with a birthday celebration.

Rockwell’s works often express a sense of warmth, innocence³, humor or fun. They show an idealized version of American families, children and life in small towns.

STEVE EMBER: Some works have a political message. In nineteen forty-three Rockwell was searching for a way to help the American war effort during World War Two. He had an idea after seeing his neighbor speak during a town meeting. Everyone at the meeting disagreed with the neighbor, but had permitted him to express his views.

Rockwell decided⁴ to represent this moment in his painting "Freedom of Speech." This painting and three others in the series were shown around the country as part of a government effort to sell war bonds. The paintings helped raise over one hundred thirty-two million dollars in one year.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Virginia Mecklenburg organized this Smithsonian exhibit. Here, she talks about why Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were so influenced by Norman Rockwell’s work.

VIRGINIA MECKLENBURG: "Both Lucas and Spielberg see Rockwell ultimately⁵ not just as an illustrator, not just as a maker¹ of pictures, but a teller⁶ of visual stories. George Lucas in fact said when we did an interview with him that he thought one of the reasons he was so comfortable when he got into the movie business [was] because he already knew how to tell a story visually from having looked at Norman Rockwell’s covers."

"Polley Voos Fransay? (Soldier Speaking to Little French Girl)," 1917, from George Lucas' collection

STEVE EMBER: One Norman Rockwell painting from nineteen seventeen is called "Polley Voos Fransay?" It shows a tall young American soldier standing⁷ in the countryside of France. Next to him is a very young French girl in a red and white dress and wooden shoes. She is looking up at him with a questioning look as he struggles to communicate with her in his poor French. This image appeared on the cover of "Life" magazine during World War One.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: A nineteen twenty-two painting is called "The Stuff of Which Memories are Made." Rockwell created it as an advertisement for a light made by the General Electric company.

In this work, a mother sits as her three children say their prayers before going to bed. They are in a dark room. But a General Electric light on a nearby table coverds them with a soft warm glow. George Lucas owns both of these paintings.

VIRGINIA MECKLENBURG: "One of the things that George Lucas loves about Rockwell is what Rockwell tells us about our culture, about our society, and about who we are as people. Many of his pictures have to do with children growing up and all of the funny things that happen."

STEVE EMBER: Steven Spielberg has praised Norman Rockwell for showing a sense of community and civic⁸ responsibility in his paintings.

VIRGINIA MECKLENBURG: "He owns several pictures of Boy Scouts⁹, Boy Scouts in action, Boy Scouts as sort of semi-heroic figures. As young men ready to take on whatever cause needs to be done"

STEVE EMBER: Steven Spielberg says Rockwell was the great American storyteller. The artist was able to tell an entire story using a single image.

"And Daniel Boone Comes to Life on the Underwood Portable¹⁰," 1923, from the collection of Steven Spielberg

The first Rockwell work Spielberg ever bought is a nineteen twenty-two painting called "And Daniel Boone Comes to Life on the Underwood Portable." It shows a young man hard at work on his typewriter. Above his head is an image of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. The young man is thinking about the story he is writing.

Steven Spielberg says this painting hung in his office and helped him whenever he was having trouble writing down his ideas for a movie.

VIRGINIA MECKLENBURG: "When he is starting to write a movie, he says he just sits there at the typewriter waiting for a little thought bubble to emerge¹¹ over his head that will finally get his fingers dancing across the keys. So it is a very evocative painting for him. But I think it is also a wonderful demonstration¹² of Rockwell's early fascination¹³ with the way movies look. The whole idea looks like a movie screen. It looks like a film playing out over the writer’s head."

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Norman Rockwell enjoyed movies and the movie industry. He spent some time in Hollywood during the nineteen thirties and forties. He designed posters for several movie production companies and became familiar with the industry.

In many ways, Rockwell worked like a movie director as he prepared for his paintings. He invited friends, neighbors or even strangers to sit for him in his studio. He chose special clothing for them to wear and objects to use that would help tell the story in his drawings.

STEVE EMBER: Rockwell worked with his models. He showed them how he wanted them to stand, look and act, much like how a movie director works with his actors. The artist also paid careful attention to the expressive¹⁴ qualities of light.

Rockwell photographed his models and then made drawings from those photographs. Sometimes he would take the arm or nose of one person and draw it on another person.

Or, he might take a photograph of a woman sitting in a chair, then later draw her sitting in a car. He did not draw from his imagination. Every detail he drew came from real life.

"Movie Starlet and Reporters," 1936, Spielberg collection

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The movies are a subject of several of his paintings. One example is his nineteen thirty-six painting "Movie Starlet and Reporters." It shows a beautiful actress surrounded by a group of male reporters. The model that experts believe Rockwell used for this work was trying to become a movie actress.

Her image appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Two weeks later the woman signed a deal with a movie production company and was on her way to Hollywood.

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STEVE EMBER: Norman Rockwell’s works have been extremely popular, but they also have their critics. Some people criticize his art for only showing a false or very limited image of America, one that is white and middle-class.

They say his art rarely showed the difficulties within American society, such as social injustice¹⁵, racism¹⁶ and poverty. However, Rockwell did pay attention to these subjects much later in his career.

Some critics believe his works were too safe. They never forced viewers to think about new ideas or try new activities. However, other art experts say these criticisms may be true, but that art does not have to be about reality.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: One work by Norman Rockwell shows that he was very much aware of the changes going on in American culture during the nineteen fifties and sixties.

By the early nineteen sixties, many magazines were having difficulty competing for advertising¹⁷ because of the growing popularity¹⁸ of television. Some people at the Saturday Evening Post where Rockwell worked believed his art was too old-fashioned for modern times.

STEVE EMBER: Rockwell’s nineteen sixty-two painting "The Connoisseur¹⁹" seems to express the artist’s questions about traditional and modern art.

The work shows the back of a well-dressed older man at a museum. He is standing in front of a bold and colorful painting similar to those created by the abstract-expressionist artist Jackson Pollock. We cannot see the face of this man. But it is possible that Rockwell was showing himself in the process of facing the future of modern art.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Norman Rockwell died in nineteen seventy-eight. Steven Spielberg has said that Rockwell would have been a great and famous filmmaker if he had made movies. But Spielberg says he is thankful that Rockwell painted pictures so that he could influence filmmakers to be better artists.

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STEVE EMBER: Our program was written and produced by Dana Demange with reporting by Susan Logue. I'm Steve Ember.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Shirley Griffith. You can see some of Norman Rockwell’s paintings on our website, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English
 

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

3 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

6 teller   

n.银行出纳员；(选举)计票员

参考例句：

• The bank started her as a teller.银行起用她当出纳员。
• The teller tried to remain aloof and calm.出纳员力图保持冷漠和镇静。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

9 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

10 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

11 emerge   

vi.（从水中等）出来，出现，浮现，形成

参考例句：

• The baby's head was starting to emerge from the womb.婴儿的头开始从母亲的子宮中露出来。
• It's still hard to tell who will emerge victorious.鹿死谁手尚难逆料。

12 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

13 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

14 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。

15 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

16 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

17 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

18 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

19 connoisseur   

n.鉴赏家，行家，内行

参考例句：

• Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。
• We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。