Dürer， Self-portrait
中文翻譯：竟叔
譯文校對：Adayikkes
翻譯僅供參考 | 影片不得商用
英文稿：
Dürer, Self-portrait (1498)
Steven:
We‘re in the Prado in Madrid，
and we’re looking at Albrecht Durer‘s self-portrait
from 1498， where he shows himself，
for me， almost like a dandy。
Beth:
He painted this when he was 26，
and that’s what the inscription says below the window。
You can see that he‘s proud of his looks
and proud of his clothes， and mostly proud
of how he could paint。
Steven:
It’s so interesting because he is creating himself here。
But he‘s representing himself not only
in terms of his likeness， not only in terms of the class
that he’s aspiring to， not only in terms
of his representation of his own aesthetics
in terms of his choice of costume，
but he‘s representing himself as a painter as well， right？
As a craftsman， as somebody who is extraordinarily capable。
And yet at the same time， he’s also negating that very ability
by rendering himself not in the guise of an artist，
of a workman， but wearing actually incredibly expensive
kid gloves and very much not in a workshop environment， but as
if he were a nobleman。
Beth:
Right。
I mean， it‘s important to remember
that when an artist paints a self-portrait，
he’s actually probably looking in a mirror。
And you know， he‘s got paint。
He’s got brushes in his hands。
And he‘s in his studio， and he’s painting。
So there‘s a real conscious decision to remove those things
and to show himself in another way。
And so the hands are completely fabricated。
Steven:
And yet in some ways， this
is still very much， for me， tied to his identity as an artist。
I think he’s not only representing himself，
but he‘s representing his abilities——
in a sense， a kind of portfolio piece。
Beth:
Laying claim to art as something
that is intellectual。
Steven:
Ah， see， that’s the key， right？
This notion that painting is in fact，
as you said， an intellectual activity， not just
the work of a craftsman， of a cabinet maker。
Beth:
Exactly。
But something which happens in the artist‘s mind，
and therefore worthy of a different kind
and level of respect。
And I think that’s very much here。
Dürer, Self-portrait (1
500
)
Steven:
Two years after Durer finished his
first painted self-portrait，
he produced another in the year 1500。
We‘re looking at it now in the
Alte Pinakothek in Munich。
If you look on the left， you can see the 1500 painted in gold paint and
just below that， a large A and a small D，
his signature， his insignia。
Beth:
And it’s really different from that
earlier self-portrait。
Steven:
Oh， it‘s so different。
In the early portrait， he is dressed up as if
he’s a court hearer and he seems to be
trying to show what he can do as a painter，
“Hire me。 Look what I can do。”
Beth:
Here he seems to liken himself to Christ。
Steven:
Well， he‘s rendered himself full frontal
and that’s a pose that‘s is almost always
reserved for Christ。
It’s not the most flattering pose，
but it is very powerful and very direct。
Beth:
This passivity， the emotionlessness
of the face also remind me of images of
Christ as a judge。
Steven:
But at the same time， there‘s also
solemnity and a powerful sense of his creative potential。
Durer was very much a humanist。
He was like some of the great Italian artists。
I’m thinking about Leonardo da Vinci， Michaelangelo here‘s somebody who also is
deeply interested in the way in which science and artwork together。
He was interested in philosophy。
He was interested in ancient literature。
He was very much a product of the Renaissance。
Beth:
And a writer as well as a painter。
The idea of the artist that is born
in the Renaissance no longer as a craftsman，
just as someone who makes something with
his hands， but someone who is
a gifted intellect， a scholar。
Steven:
There is really a sense of seriousness，
of purpose in this painting。
This is a man who is bringing that
northern interest in highly developed detail。
It does not speak to a general， but
renders the particularity of every element in the face。
Beth:
Right， so you can think of van Eyck，
for example， or Campin， that northern tradition
of paying attention to detail and clarity。
Steven:
At the same time， this is a man who’s
crossed the Alps， gone south，
gone to Italy and studied what the Italians
had achieved and is bringing that back
north of the Alps。
Beth:
Durer was certainly one of the most
important artists of the 16th century，
the contemporary of Michaelangelo。
He‘s a printmaker， a painter 。。。
Steven:
And he’s a theoretician。
He‘s actually writing books to help other artists
understand what the Renaissance has established。
Beth:
And he’s also painting for the
Holy Roman Emperor， he‘s painting for the King of Spain，
Durer was as important as an artist could be
in the 16th century。
In the inscription on this painting，
he wrote “Thus I， Albrecht Durer of Nuremberg，
made an image of myself in appropriate colors
in my 28th year。”
He’s only 28 when he painted this。
Steven:
I‘m interested in where he
places the inscription。
He places the inscription and the date
and his insignia at eye level so that
we would read across his eyes。
Beth:
Durer asks us to focus on his eyes
and his hands， the tools of an artist。
更新不易，還請
點贊分享