美国国家公共电台 NPR At 79, David Hockney Isn't Keen On Parties, But Still Paints Every Day

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The painter David Hockney once said, quote, "it is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work."

A major retrospective opens in London tomorrow at the Tate Britain museum, giving visitors the chance to see 60 years' worth of the English artist's doings. Hockney is one of the best-known contemporary artists. His work sells for millions of dollars. NPR's special correspondent Susan Stamberg met him at his studio in Los Angeles.

SUSAN STAMBERG, BYLINE¹: Up, up, up a winding² canyon³ road in the Hollywood Hills, a neighborhood studded with stars' homes, Hockney's studio has five easels, some comfy armchairs, white walls brightened with his works.

What are these marks on your floor?

DAVID HOCKNEY: Cigarettes.

STAMBERG: Huh - you put them down on the floor?

HOCKNEY: Yeah, yeah.

STAMBERG: But you have some ashtrays⁴. Oop - there you go again.

HOCKNEY: Yeah, yeah. I always stub it out with my foot.

STAMBERG: Well, to make sure it's really out.

HOCKNEY: Yeah, yeah.

STAMBERG: The floor is carpeted with Davidoff cigarettes, chain-smoked three-quarters down, then stubbed into dark brown smears⁵. There are some splotches of blue paint, more paint on the almost-80-year-old artist's khaki pants. His cardigan is Nile green - under it, a blue I can't name, more muted than the vivid blues⁶, greens, oranges, fuchsias in his paintings, colors that look backlit.

HOCKNEY: That's "Mulholland Drive." This is the "Hawthorne Blossom."

STAMBERG: Hockney turns the pages of a brand new Taschen book. "A Bigger Book," it's called. Two feet long, a foot and a half wide - $2,500 with reproductions of 450 of his works. LA swimming pools...

HOCKNEY: The pool with rain.

STAMBERG: ...Palm trees, flowers, his dachshunds, portraits of rich and not-rich friends, landscapes, designs for opera sets.

HOCKNEY: That's "The Magic Flute⁷."

STAMBERG: He won't linger over any of them, doesn't answer questions, keeps turning, leafing through a life's worth of works - loving the book, the clarity of the reproductions. It's art he made from age 16 on. He paints every day. He probably can't not paint, not be making. We sit wreathed in cigarette smoke.

Tell me about the Tate show. Is that - will that be the largest retrospective you've had?

HOCKNEY: Well, I think so. Yes, yeah - I mean, larger than 20 years ago because there's 20 years' more...

STAMBERG: More work.

HOCKNEY: ...Work.

STAMBERG: Will there be a big party for them in London?

HOCKNEY: I'm not that keen on parties. I'm too deaf for them. I don't like all the fuss being made. I like doing the pictures. That's what I like.

STAMBERG: You find it's isolating⁸, losing your hearing?

HOCKNEY: Well, yes. Yes, it is really.

STAMBERG: He once was a lively fixture⁹ at gatherings¹⁰ - no more.

HOCKNEY: I just have to leave and go home, have a sit in a quiet bedroom. And that's what I do. And then I read. And - I mean, that's my life now. I mean, that's what it's going to be.

STAMBERG: A portrait of the artist as a not-so-young man, still with a twinkle in his eyes, making joyous¹¹ pictures, so vibrant¹² and alive. What creative person doesn't question whether he, she has anything left to say? David Hockney goes into his studio every day and has never-ending conversations on canvas, paper, iPads. And the world of art lovers keeps listening.

In Southern California, I'm Susan Stamberg, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

3 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

4 ashtrays   

烟灰缸( ashtray的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A simple question: why are there ashtrays in a no-smoking restaurant? 问题是：一个禁止吸烟的餐厅为什么会有烟灰缸呢？
• Avoid temptation by throwing away all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays. 把所有的香烟，打火机，和烟灰缸扔掉以避免引诱。

5 smears   

污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤

参考例句：

• His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. 他的证词里掺杂着诽谤、部份的事实和彻头彻尾的谎言。
• Anything written with a soft pencil smears easily. 用软铅笔写成的东西容易污成一片。

6 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

7 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

8 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

9 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

10 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

11 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

12 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。