2019年经济学人 木雕艺术家大卫·埃斯特利(4)

 

He was now a master in his own right and one for his own age. Freed from Gibbons's riotous¹ acanthus, he let other influence scrowd boldly in: the peonies, roses and lilies of Dutch Old Masters, the vegetable heads of Arcimboldo and a touch of modern cynicism in insect-blighted leaves. Letter-rack trompe-l'oeils became a favourite theme, as they were for 17th-century painters, but his racks contained cameras, car keys, film spools² and iPhones, as well as delicate hibiscus, holly³ or sprays of oak.

他现在是自己的主人，也是他这个年龄的主人。从长臂猿缤纷的叶形装饰中解放出来，他还大胆地加入了其他的影响：荷兰古代大师的牡丹、玫瑰和百合，阿西姆博尔多的蔬菜头，以及被昆虫摧残的树叶上的一丝现代犬儒主义。字母架错视画成了17世纪画家们最喜欢的主题，但他的架子上放着相机、汽车钥匙、胶卷卷轴和苹果手机，还有精致的木槿、冬青或橡木喷雾。

He became Gibbons's confident ambassador, curating an exhibition and writing books. Strolling into his workshop for a day of meditative⁴ carving⁵, still in his bathrobe and carrying his tea, he would go straight to Adobe⁶ Illustrator to map out his designs in many overlapping⁷ layers. As well as daylight, halogen spotlights⁸ illuminated⁹ his bench. Between defining the edges of his peony leaves and excavating¹⁰ tiny florets of lilac, he would check his emails. The portraits of Gibbons were still on the walls, but the voice no longer bothered him. He might have sensed, from time to time, an approving nod.

他成为了长臂猿的自信大使，策划展览和写书。他会穿着浴袍，手捧一杯茶，漫步进他的工作室进行一天的冥想雕刻，他会直接打开绘图软体应用，在许多重叠的图层中绘制出他的设计。和日光一样，卤素聚光灯照亮了他的长凳。在确定牡丹叶子的边缘和挖出一朵朵丁香花之间，他会查看电子邮件。墙上还挂着长臂猿的画像，但那声音已不再使他烦恼了。他可能会时不时地感觉到一个赞许的点头。

1 riotous   

adj.骚乱的；狂欢的

参考例句：

• Summer is in riotous profusion.盛夏的大地热闹纷繁。
• We spent a riotous night at Christmas.我们度过了一个狂欢之夜。

2 spools   

n.（绕线、铁线、照相软片等的）管( spool的名词复数 )；络纱；纺纱机；绕圈轴工人v.把…绕到线轴上（或从线轴上绕下来）( spool的第三人称单数 )；假脱机（输出或输入）

参考例句：

• I bought three spools of thread at the store. 我在这个店里买了三轴线。 来自辞典例句
• How many spools of thread did you use? 你用了几轴线？ 来自辞典例句

3 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

4 meditative   

adj.沉思的，冥想的

参考例句：

• A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
• Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。

5 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

6 adobe   

n.泥砖，土坯，美国Adobe公司

参考例句：

• They live in an adobe house.他们住在一间土坯屋里。
• Adobe bricks must drived dried completely before are used.土坯砖块使用前一定要完全干燥。

7 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

8 spotlights   

n.聚光灯（的光）( spotlight的名词复数 )；公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
• The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句

9 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

10 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句