Why is Vermeer's ＂Girl with the Pearl Earring＂ considered a masterpiece？
为什么维米尔的《戴珍珠耳环的少女》能成为传世之作？
作者：James Earle
Is she turning towards you or away from you? No one can agree.She's the mysterious subject of Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring," a painting often referred to as the 'Mona Lisa of the North.' Belonging to a Dutch style of idealized, sometimes overly expressive paintings known as tronies, the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" has the allure and subtlety characteristic of Vermeer's work.
她是向你靠近还是离你远去？没人能给出结论。她就是荷兰艺术大师约翰内斯·维米尔的一件神秘作品，《戴珍珠耳环的少女》。这幅画常被认为是“荷兰的蒙娜丽莎”。它属于荷兰式理想主义的、有时过度表达的画派，叫做“tronies”（真人肖像画）,《戴珍珠耳环的少女》有着维米尔式的魅力和微妙。
idealized adj 理想化的
allure n诱惑；魅力；吸引力
subtlety n 微妙；巧妙；隐约难辨；隐晦
characteristic n特色，特点，特征
But this painting stands apart from the quiet narrative scenes that we observe from afar in many of Vermeer's paintings.A girl reading a letter.A piano lesson.A portrait artist at work.These paintings give us a sense of intimacy while retaining their distance,a drawn curtain often emphasizes
the separation.
但是这幅画和维米尔其他远观角度的静态叙事场景不同。《窗前读信的女人》《钢琴课》《工作中的肖像画家》，这些画的人物在保持距离的同时又给人一种亲切之感，通常用窗帘来表示隔离。
narrative adj叙述的，讲故事式的
scene n情景，场景，场面
afar adv 从远处；遥远地；在远处
intimacy n亲密；密切
We can witness a milkmaid serenely pouring a bowl of milk,but that milk isn't for us.We're only onlookers.The studied composition in Vermeer's paintings invokes a balanced harmony.
我们看到一个女仆往罐子里倒牛奶，但是知道牛奶不是倒给我们，我们只是旁观者。画中精密的构图制造出一种平衡的和谐。
milkmaid n挤奶女工
serenely adv安详地；沉着地；宁静地
onlooker n旁观者，围观者
studied adj审慎的；刻意的，有意的；精心安排的
composition n（绘画或照片的）构图，构思，布局
invoke v唤起，引起，使记起
With the checkered floor in many of his works,Vermeer demonstrates his command of perspective and foreshortening.That's a technique that uses distortion to give the illusion of an object receding into the distance.
他的画中经常出现方格地板，画家强调了自己对视角、透视法和缩短法的掌控。这是一种利用扭曲，制造出一个物体缓缓退到远方的幻象。
checkered adj有方格的
demonstrate v表达；表露；表现；显露
command v掌握，运用能力
perspective n透视（画）法
foreshortening n投影缩减；透视收缩；前缩透视法
distortion n扭曲，扭歪，变形
illusion n假象，错觉
recede into the distance 退到远处
Other elements, like sight lines,mirrors, and light sources describe the moment through space and position.The woman reading a letter by an open window is precisely placed so the window can reflect her image back to the viewer.Vermeer would even hide the leg of an easel for the sake of composition.
其他元素，比如视线、镜子和光源，描述了当时的空间和位置。一个女人在打开的窗前读着信，描绘地如此精确，窗户上可以看到她的倒影。维米尔甚至会藏起画架的一条腿只为达到构图目的。
easel n画架
The absence of these very elements brings the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" to life.Vermeer's treatment of light and shadow,or chiaroscuro,uses a dark, flat background to further spotlight her three-dimensionality.Instead of being like a set piece in a theatrical narrative scene,she becomes a psychological subject.Her eye contact and slightly parted lips,as if she is about to say something,draw us into her gaze.
《戴珍珠耳环的少女》弃用了上述元素，反而显得亲近生动。维米尔对光影和明暗对比的运用，深色平面的背景突出了人物的立体。她并没有置身于戏剧性的叙事场景，而是变成一个心理主体。她的眼神和轻启的双唇，好像有话要说，让我们注意到她的凝视。
chiaroscuro n（绘画中的）明暗对照法
flat adj水平的；平坦的
spotlight v用聚光灯照亮;使公众瞩目
three-dimensionality 三维性
theatrical adj戏剧性的，夸张的
parted adj分开的
gaze n凝视；注视；盯着
Traditional subjects of portraiture were often nobility or religious figures.So why was Vermeer painting an anonymous girl?
肖像画的传统主体通常是贵族或宗教人物，维米尔为什么会画一位无名女性呢？
portraiture n肖像画；肖像绘制
nobility n贵族
anonymous adj匿名的；不知姓名的；名字不公开的
In the 17th century, the city of Delft,like the Netherlands in general,had turned against ruling aristocracy and the Catholic church.After eight decades of rebellion against Spanish power,the Dutch came to favor the idea of self-rule and a political republic.
17世纪的德尔福特市以及整个荷兰，都反对贵族和天主教的统治。经过80多年对西班牙力量的反对，荷兰希望能实现自治并建立政治共和国。
aristocracy n贵族，贵族阶级
Catholic n天主教（徒）
rebellion n 叛逆；抗争；反抗
rebellion against 对…的反抗
self-rule n自治
political adj政治（上）的，政府的
republic n共和国，共和政体
Cities like Delft were unsupervised by kings or bishops,so many artists like Vermeer were left without traditional patrons.Fortunately, business innovation spearheaded by the Dutch East India Company transformed the economic landscape in the Netherlands.It created a merchant class and new type of patron.
德尔福特这类城市并没有国王或主教管理，许多像维米尔这样的艺术家并没有赞助人。幸运的是，荷兰东印度公司引领了商业创新，转变了荷兰的经济版图，它创办了一个商业学习班并培养新式赞助人。
unsupervised adj无人监督（或指导）的
bishop n主教
patron n赞助者，资助人
spearhead v领导;充当…的先锋；带头做
landscape n风景，景色
merchant n商人
Wishing to be represented in the paintings they financed,these merchants preferred middle class subjects depicted in spaces that looked like their own homes surrounded by familiar objects.The maps that appear in Vermeer's paintings, for example,were considered fashionable and worldly by the merchant class of what is known as the Dutch Golden Age.
赞助人希望能在自己资助的画中出现。这些商人喜欢中产阶级主题，喜欢描绘自家空间里那些熟悉的物体，比如维米尔画中出现的那些地图，就被商人阶级当做时尚和世俗化，这就是众所周知的荷兰黄金时代。
represent v表现；展现
depict v描绘，描述，描写
worldly adj世俗的；世间的；尘世的
The oriental turban worn by the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" also emphasizes the worldliness of the merchant class,and the pearl itself, a symbol of wealth,is actually an exaggeration.Vermeer couldn't have afforded a real pearl of its size.It was likely just a glass or tin drop varnished to look like a pearl.
《带珍珠耳环的少女》戴着东方式头巾，也强调了商人阶级的世俗化，珍珠象征着财富，其实是一种夸张表现，维米尔负担不起这种大小的珍珠，可能把涂抹过的玻璃或锡珠当成珍珠。
oriental adj东方的，东方人的
turban n女用头巾;包头巾;（包头巾式的）女帽
worldliness n世俗化
exaggeration n夸张；夸大
varnished adj涂漆的
This mirage of wealth is mirrored in the painting itself.In greater context, the pearl appears round and heavy,but a detailed view shows that it's just a floating smudge of paint.Upon close inspection,we are reminded of Vermeer's power as an illusion maker.While we may never know the real identity of the "Girl with the Pearl Earring," we can engage with her portrait in a way that is unforgettable.
这幅画本身就是财富的化身，从远处看，珍珠又圆又重，但是细看它只是一个浮动的色团。仔细观察后，我们想起维米尔是一个幻像制造大师，但我们可能永远无法知道《戴珍珠耳环的少女》的真实身份。这幅画像可以说是难以忘怀。
mirage n海市蜃楼，蜃景，幻景
mirror v反映
context n背景，环境
smudge n光点，斑点
inspection n检查；视察
engage with 融入，连接，连通
As she hangs in her permanent home in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague,her presence is simultaneously penetrating and subtle.In her enigmatic way, she represents the birth of a modern perspective on economics, politics, and love.
它永远地悬挂于海牙的莫瑞泰斯皇家美术馆，她的风姿摄人心魄又柔和微妙，她用一种神秘的方式表现了现代视角下的经济、政治和爱。
Hague n海牙
presence n仪态，风度；气质
simultaneously adv 同时地
penetrating adj有洞察力的；目光犀利的
subtle adj微妙的;不易察觉的
enigmatic adj费解的；难以捉摸的；神秘的
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