2007年VOA标准英语-Salvador Dali Museum Offers A Peek Into Dali's

By Cheng Xiaohong
St. Petersburg, Florida
09 January 2007
 
watch Salvador Dali Museum report

Eccentric, iconoclastic², genius -- Salvador Dali was the epitome³ of all. For producer Cheng Xiaohong, Elaine Lu takes a look at the Salvador Dali Museum and the intriguing⁴ life of the artist.

Touted⁵ as the one of the most important painters of the 20th century, Spanish artist Salvador Dali transcended⁶ geographic⁷ borders with his artwork.  In fact, one of the world's greatest Dali collections is found in the United States, in Saint Petersburg, in the southeast state of Florida.

 
Sculpture by Dali at the Salvador Dali Museum, 
The Salvador Dali Museum houses 96 oil paintings, more than 100 watercolors and drawings, and 1300 graphics⁸, photographs, sculptures, and other works of art. 

The museum opened to the public in 1982.  Pete Tush, the Director of Education of the museum, offers a tour of the museum's collection. "The painting we have, “Galacidalacidesoxiribunucleicacid,” is the longest one-word title among any paintings by Dali. He was very proud of that."

 
Pete Tush
Tush says "Portrait of My Dead Brother" was important for the museum to acquire because it was so pertinent⁹ to understanding who Dali was as an artist.  Dali was told by his mother that he was the reincarnation of his older brother by the same name, Salvador, who died three years before Dali was born, at the age of seven. 

"[It] is a fabulous¹⁰ piece.  It was a companion in a way to the Galacid painting.  (It) talked about very important and significant psychological dimensions of Dali's life, which is that he did have a brother."

Michael, a museum docent, explains one of the museum's recent acquisitions. "This is a painting of Abraham Lincoln. In fact, has a long title. It's called, 'Gala Contemplating¹¹ the Mediterranean¹² Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes A Portrait of Abraham Lincoln.' "

Michael says Dali saw this picture in a scientific magazine. It's actually the picture of Abraham Lincoln taken from a $5 bill.  The picture was put into a computer and pixilated. Dali recreated the picture by expanding the pixilation into squares.

 
Salvador Dali
Born on May 11, 1904 in the town of Figueres, Spain, Salvador Dali loved his picturesque¹³ hometown, which was the frequent subject of his painting.  In fact, after a lifelong journey through Europe and America, Dali died where he was born.

All his life, Dali was known as an eccentric.  He wore long hair, 19th century style clothing, and an unusual mustache.  He was also outspoken¹⁴, making outlandish statements such as: none of his teachers were competent enough to give him exams, which had him expelled from the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in 1926.  Pete Tush adds, "Dali fundamentally is a very reactionary¹⁵ individual. His whole life was lived trying to do the opposite of what was expected. And as a result, he made a lot of enemies. "

Dali went to Paris in 1929 and soon became the leader of the Surrealism Movement.  During the same year, he met his muse¹ and lover for life, Gala, who modeled and inspired Dali throughout the years.

The 19 large canvases series marked Dali's transition from Surrealism to the classic period of his career. He became increasingly interested in exploring the themes of religion, history and science. "The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus" and "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" are part of the series.

Dali's work is rich in symbolism.  "The Persistence¹⁶ of Memory," also known as "Soft Watches" or "Melting Clocks," is Dali's most famous surrealist painting.  Soft watches were frequently employed to convey the relativity of time.  Ants are associated with death and decay, while eggs symbolize¹⁷ love and hope.

Dali is creative and unlimited¹⁸ in his artistic¹⁹ exploration.  Other than paintings, Dali also made significant contributions to filmmaking, sculpture, and photography, employing a vast array of media and form.  “The Lobster²⁰ Telephone” and “Mae West Lips Sofa” are two of the most important works in surrealist art.

"He represents permissions,” says Tush. “He represents a sense of liberty. A sense that you do not have to be limited by the constraints²¹ of your culture at any time. There are always possibilities for thinking outside of the box, pushing the envelope, just really recreating our day today, you know, the way of living."  

Dali himself best captured the extent to which his artistic passion goes when he said, "I am painting pictures which make me die for joy…" 

1 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

2 iconoclastic   

adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的

参考例句：

• His iconoclastic tendencies can get him into trouble. 他与传统信仰相悖的思想倾向可能会给他带来麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• The film is an iconoclastic allegory. 电影是一个关于破坏的寓言。 来自互联网

3 epitome   

n.典型，梗概

参考例句：

• He is the epitome of goodness.他是善良的典范。
• This handbook is a neat epitome of everyday hygiene.这本手册概括了日常卫生的要点。

4 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

6 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

7 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

9 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

10 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

11 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

12 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

13 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

14 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

15 reactionary   

n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的

参考例句：

• They forced thousands of peasants into their reactionary armies.他们迫使成千上万的农民参加他们的反动军队。
• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。

16 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

17 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

18 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

19 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

20 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

21 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓