2007年VOA标准英语-Christian Art From Ethiopia on Display in New Y

By Carolyn Weaver¹
New York
02 May 2007
 

Some of the oldest and most striking Christian² art in existence is now on view in New York at the Museum of Biblical Art. Visitors to Angels of Light: Ethiopian Art from the Walters Art Museum said they were fascinated at its glimpse into a distinctive³ medieval Christian culture in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Ethiopian paintings, manuscripts and crosses on display at the Museum of Biblical Art are all on loan from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Gary Vican, director of the Walters, visited New York for the opening of the exhibit, and said the works are as significant as more familiar early Christian art from Byzantium, Italy and Northern Europe.

"What makes this different from those is it's virtually unknown,” he said. “And it's not unknown because it's lesser⁴. It's unknown simply because it was from a faraway place and it tended to stay in that faraway place."

Canon Tables, Ethiopia, late 14th -- early 15th century

Westerners and Africans alike may assume that missionaries⁵ brought Christianity to Africa. Vican said that’s true, but they came from the Middle East, not Europe. And they were in Africa long before the 19th century.

"The missionaries we're talking about were in the fourth century,” he said. “So, when Constantine was still bowing down to Jupiter up there in Rome, here in the heart of the Horn of Africa, people were practicing Christianity. And probably most people don't know, and would in fact be very surprised to learn, that the first empire to put the cross on their coins was Ethiopia.”

A 15th century Ethiopian painting of the Madonna and Christ Child flanked by archangels, perhaps by Fre Seyon, a court painter

Vican says vibrant⁶ colors and simple design are hallmarks of Ethiopian Christian painting. "The other thing that's very striking about Ethiopian icons⁷ is the eyes,” he said. “They're huge, and the pupils are black and round. So, there's a kind of penetrating⁸ quality that's without parallel. There's nothing exactly like that."

The crosses of Ethiopia also are unlike those of other Christian cultures, with lace-like loops and swirls⁹ reminiscent of Islamic art. But the precise influences have not yet been traced out, Vican said, because the scholarly study of Ethiopian Christian art began only recently.

"The first Ethiopian exhibition of any dimension took place at my museum, I'm very proud to say, in 1993,” he said. “Can you imagine that? And these things have been around for centuries. So, it's opening a whole new chapter, a whole new book, in the history of medieval culture. And what is so amazing about Ethiopia is it is a living tradition. Right now in Ethiopia people are still doing manuscripts on vellum. No place else in the Christian world is this still practiced."

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

4 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

5 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 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。

7 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 penetrating   

adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的

参考例句：

• He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
• He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。

9 swirls   

n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Swirls of smoke rose through the trees. 树林中升起盘旋的青烟。 来自辞典例句
• On reaching the southeast corner of Himalaya-Tibet, It'swirls cyclonically across the Yunnan Plateau. 在到达喜马拉雅--西藏高原东南角处，它作气旋性转向越过云南高原。 来自辞典例句