美国国家公共电台 NPR--A mad scientist and his bird in a bubble: The story behind a peculiar painting

A mad scientist and his bird in a bubble: The story behind a peculiar¹ painting

Transcript²

Two beloved paintings have swapped³ locations for a while. One went from California to London; the other, from London to California. No passports were involved. But the two museums where the paintings are housed — the Huntington Art Museum near Los Angeles, and London's National Gallery — are welcoming visitors to see these masterpieces.

The best known is a portrait of a rosy-cheeked fellow, maybe 15 years old, in a blue satiny suit with matching blue bows on his shoes.

A British fellow, he'd spent a century in the Huntington, near Pasadena, Calif. When he first left London back in 1921, 90,000 people came to say goodbye. Some wept. Still, he's had a good run at the Huntington, the star of the museum.

"It's the one thing everybody wants to see," says the Huntington's director, Christina Nielsen. And maybe take home images of him, for souvenirs. "There are lamps, pepper grinders, ashtrays," she says.

Thomas Gainsborough's 1770 painting has been reproduced on all kinds of tchotchkes. And why not? The kid's adorable, and getting a nice welcome back in England. "Blue Boy, right now, is wowing London audiences," according to Nielsen. Meanwhile the National Gallery in London loaned the Huntington one of their most popular 18th century paintings: Joseph Wright of Derby's massive 1768 work, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.

A mad "scientist" — probably a traveling lecturer — with a flowing red robe and glowing long, white hair holds up a big glass bubble. There's a beautiful white bird inside the bubble. A lid makes the bubble airtight. The experimenter turns the crank on a vacuum pump that's attached to the jar — stay with me. He pumps out the air. The bird looks distressed⁴.

"The poor cockatoo is unable to breathe!" exclaims Melinda McCurdy, the Huntington's curator of British art. "And if air is not let back into the jar soon, that bird will, unfortunately, die," she giggles⁵.

What's so funny? Two little girls at the lecturer's round wooden table are horrified⁶! One covers her face, can't look. Their grandfather tries to comfort them. Curators point out that Charles Darwin's grandpa is also there; he's watching along with other science fans. A young couple, though, just looks at one another. "They're really not paying attention to the scientific experiment" says McCurdy. Of course not! They're in love.

The most interested of the 10 observers, in a green jacket, holds a big watch. He knows how long it will take before the bird asphyxiates⁷.

"I'm hoping that he's gonna watch his watch and say, 'time to let the air back in,'" McCurdy says, giggling⁸ again.

Well, that would be a relief, tortuous⁹ as it appears. But what's going on? What's the red-robed fellow and his audience doing?

It's a scientific experiment. They're studying the nature of air: what it does, what depends on it. 1768 was the Enlightenment, a time of empirical observation, experimentation¹⁰, technology — and showbiz. The old man isn't a real scientist. He and others like him are showmen, entertainers.

"These guys would travel around and give demonstrations¹¹ in peoples houses," McCurdy explains. That's how they earned their livings. So the cockatoo couldn't die; they were expensive. The pseudo-scientist could lose money replacing them. Thus the watch, the release, the bird back in the big air-filled bubble.

And Brits bought their own air pumps to do their own experiments — instruction booklets included. (I mean, there was no Real Housewives in 1768!) This was real entertainment, back then.

"And if you notice the lecturer is looking straight out at the audience," McCurdy points out. "He's the only one making eye contact with us. It's almost as if he's asking us, 'should I let the air back in?'"

Yes! Let in the air! And then thank Joseph Wright of Derby for capturing the scene in his masterpiece — on display now at California's Huntington Art Museum.

1 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

4 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

5 giggles   

n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 )；傻笑；玩笑；the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Her nervous giggles annoyed me. 她神经质的傻笑把我惹火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had to rush to the loo to avoid an attack of hysterical giggles. 我不得不冲向卫生间，以免遭到别人的疯狂嘲笑。 来自辞典例句

6 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

7 asphyxiates   

n.使窒息( asphyxiate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

8 giggling   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑，叫我真受不了，那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 tortuous   

adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的

参考例句：

• We have travelled a tortuous road.我们走过了曲折的道路。
• They walked through the tortuous streets of the old city.他们步行穿过老城区中心弯弯曲曲的街道。

10 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。