【外刊英语精读】乾隆最爱的西方宫廷画师 | royal painter

Royal Painter皇家画师A first sight of Portrait of Consort Chunhui, an 18th-century oil painting, which depicts a favorite wife of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, could remind onlookers of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's world-renowned piece, Girl with a Pearl Earring.纯惠贵妃像是十八世纪的油画作品，描绘了清朝乾隆皇帝最喜欢的一位妻子，该画作乍一看就让观众想起荷兰画家约翰内斯·维米尔的世界名作“戴珍珠耳环的少女”。Both are portraits showing a young woman decorated in pearls－beautiful and serene.两幅画都是对装饰有珍珠的年轻女子的画像，美丽且静谧。Vermeer's work shows his concern with how to present light on different surfaces, other than his model's identity, to deliver an intimate, enigmatic feeling.除了绘画对象的身份外，维米尔的作品还关注在不同表面上光的呈现，从而营造一种亲密、神秘的感觉。On the other hand, the consort's painting, created around 1737 by Italian missionary and court painter Giuseppe Castiglione, better known as Lang Shining in China, stands as a formal portrait to affirm the subject's noble status.而这幅贵妃图则是在1731年左右由意大利传教士及宫廷画师朱塞佩·伽斯底里奥内（其在中国更为熟知的名字为郎世宁）画成，作为一幅正式画像，该画作尽显绘画对象的贵族地位。Portrait of Consort Chunhui is at the heart of Arcadia World of Emperor Qianlong, an exhibition that shows the refinement of Chinese court art in the 18th century, especially the introduction of European art and crafts and their influence on Chinese art and reflects the cultural exchanges between the two sides.纯惠贵妃像是展览“弘历的世界”的核心展品，该展览展示了精致的18世纪中国宫廷艺术，尤其是展示了欧洲艺术工艺引入中国后对中国艺术的影响，该展览也反映出中西方的艺术交流。On show are over 100 artworks of various mediums and forms, including paintings, ceramics, furniture, textiles and clocks, mostly dating to Qianlong's reign.此次展览上有超过100件不同材料和形式的艺术品，包括绘画、陶器、家具、纺织品以及钟表，大部分艺术品可追溯至乾隆统治时期。He was known for a distinguished taste in art, which led to the building of a treasure trove of cultural properties.乾隆帝也因其对于艺术的杰出品味而出名，正因此他在位时期修建了文化珍品宝库。Qianlong showed interest in Western art, and Castiglione was one of his favorite court artists.乾隆帝对西方艺术展示出兴趣，伽斯底里是他最喜欢的宫廷艺术家之一。The two were said to be close: Castiglione was asked to paint royal activities, life in the palace and teach Chinese court painters oil techniques.两者据说很亲近：伽斯底里奥内曾被委任描绘皇家活动、宫廷生活并教授中国宫廷画师油画技艺。Li Yizhou, the exhibition curator, says Qianlong spoke highly of the figurative skills of Castiglione who received systematic art training in his youth before arriving in China.策展人李移舟表示乾隆高度赞赏伽斯底里奥内的形象技法。而伽斯底里奥内在来中国之前曾在青年时期接受了系统的绘画训练。He says once on Castiglione's painting titled Spring's Peaceful Message, the emperor inscribed a poem and wrote that the artist was a master who had painted him in his youth.他表示，乾隆帝曾在伽斯底里奥内的一幅名为“平安春信图”的画上题诗，诗中写道郎世宁是描绘青年时期自己（乾隆）的大师。Li says Portrait of Consort Chunhui shows Castiglione's efforts to achieve a balance between Western painting styles and Chinese cultural traditions.李移舟表示纯惠贵妃像展现出伽斯底里奥内在兼顾西方绘画风格和中国文化传统方面的巨大努力。Castiglione presented a contrast between light and shadow in the depiction of the pearls on Chunhui's earrings, hairdo and fur hat.伽斯底里奥内在描绘纯惠的耳环、发式和皮草帽上的珍珠时呈现出了光影的对比。But he dropped this common technique of oil painting when he worked on her face.但是他在脸部绘画上则是放弃了油画的通用技艺。Li says it was because at the time Chinese didn't like the idea of shadow on one's face, thereafter Castiglione presented a face in a front view and full light, attesting to the cultural preferences.李移舟表示这是因为当时中国人不喜欢脸部出现阴影，此后，伽斯底里奥内就从正面视角并使用全光来呈现面部，这印证了当时的文化偏好。前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动