《林中熟睡》

译/爱艺

《林中熟睡》

Asleep in the Woods

译/爱艺

A rthur Hughes (1832-1915) was an artist from England. He was born of Welsh parents in London. In 1847 he enrolled in the Royal Academy, and exhibited his first finished painting in 1849. 1850 was the most important year of his life: he fi rst discovered Pre-Raphaelitism by reading the Germ; he met Tryphena Foord, his future wife and mother of his six children; and met Alexander Munro, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Ford Madox Brown, thenceforward being converted to their cause. He was affiliated throughout his career with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The group never opened up membership after its founding and several artists, like Hughes, who were associated with the Brotherhood never became full members. As well as being the best of the younger Pre-Raphaelite followers, Hughes was one of the leading book illustrators. Hughes died in 1915. His legacy included about 700 known paintings and over 750 book illustrations.

阿瑟·休斯（1832－1915）是英国画家。他出生于伦敦，父母是威尔士人。1847年，他进入皇家美术学院学习，并于1849年展出了自己的处女作。1850年是他人生中最重要的一年：其一，通过杂志《萌芽》第一次了解到拉斐尔前派；其二，与特丽费娜·富德相遇，两人后来结为夫妇，养育了六个子女；其三，结识亚历山大·芒罗、丹蒂·加布里埃尔·罗塞蒂和福特·马多克斯·布朗，从此转而支持他们的艺术主张。整个绘画生涯，他都与拉斐尔前派兄弟会过从甚密。该团体自成立后从未开放接纳会员，好几位像休斯一样与兄弟会关系密切的画家始终没有成为正式会员。休斯不仅是拉斐尔前派年轻追随者中的佼佼者，还是一位优秀的书籍插图画家。1915年，休斯辞世，身后存世的画作约700幅，书籍插图超过750幅。

[2] Asleep in the Woods (oil on canvas, 35.5×45.7 cm) exempli fi es the description we have of Hughes from Percy H. Bate, the author of the 1899 work The English pre-Raphaelite Painters: Their Associates and Successors: “Always sweet, always wholesome, his work shows delicacy of feature, purity of colour, truth of texture, poetic fancy. He rarely seems to aim at dramatic force…There is a sweetness and gentle grace in his subjects, and a pleasing artistry in the accomplishment, that speak for themselves.”

[3] The work depicts a young maiden sitting upon the roots of a large tree. Her basket clutched in both hands sits on the roots beside her. The entire scene is bathed in shades of green from the forest fl ora and blue from the blue sky that glows from behind the trees. Moss-covered rocks, ferns and a few small fl owers create a sweet and wholesome scene that makes this work so identi fi able as being by Hughes. But, the part that makes this work popular is the curious red/brown squirrel that has climbed down from the top of the tree and sits on a low-hanging branch observing the sleeping girl. With a white chest and his tail in the air, the squirrel certainly adds the bit of poetic fancy to this famous painting by the English artist.

[2]《林中熟睡》（布面油画，35.5厘米×45.7厘米）一画充分体现了珀西·H.贝特在其1899年著作《英国拉斐尔前派画家：同行者和继承者》中对休斯的描述：“他的作品总是那么美好，生机盎然，呈现出精巧的外形、纯净的色彩、真实的质地，以及诗意的想象。他似乎很少追求戏剧性……画中人物甜美优雅，整幅画作洋溢令人愉悦的艺术性，所有这些都明明白白。”

[3]该画描绘了一个坐在大树脚下的少女。她的篮子放在身子一侧的树根上，她的双手紧紧攥着篮子。整个场景沐浴在森林植被深浅不一的绿色和林木背后闪烁天空的蓝色中。苔藓覆盖的岩石、蕨类植物和几朵小花营造出美好和生机盎然的氛围，让人一看便知是休斯的作品。不过，此画之所以广受欢迎，是因为那只一脸好奇的红棕色松鼠，它从树顶爬下，趴在一段低垂的树枝上，观察着已经入睡的女孩。松鼠的胸口一片白毛，尾巴上翘，无疑为休斯的这幅名画增添了些许诗意的想象。