Two Sisters 《两姐妹》

爱艺/译

The two sisters and the sewing basket form a pyramid in the time-honored usage of generations of earlier painters. Also traditional is the balustrade， which sets off the figures from the background and lends a degree of architectural firmness to the otherwise complex irregularities of form. It was Renoirs gift， however， to be able to sustain his originality despite his respect for the accepted usage. That balance between tradition and invention is here masterfully exploited.

The figures seem immediate， caught in a particular moment. Their informality is brought out not only in the pose but in the extreme forward placement of the little girl; almost as a fragment， she appears to peek over the bottom limits of the frame. So too the basket of yarn and the green plant bucket to the extreme left. All seem crowded—almost prodigally—into an overflowing foreground. Though the terrace rail marks off a private corner in the shady park along the Seine， its thin and penetrable forms also provide a transition to the open tapestry of landscape behind the two girls. Trailing vines interlace with the rail and its metal supports， while at the right， the balustrade1 and potted plant become as one. In ways like these， we can observe how the artist retained a sense of disarming simplicity in his canvas despite the complexity of his forms and color.

“I arrange my subject as I want it，” the artist said， “then I go ahead and paint it like a child. I want a red to be sonorous2， to sound like a bell; if it doesnt turn out that way， I put in more reds or other colors till I get it. I am no cleverer than that.” What is missing from this or any other “explanation” is the intuition that directs the selection and emphasis. Nowhere else has the painter found a red more “sonorous.” But is it the red of the hats and yarn that is the directing force， or is it the opalescent3 tints of the flesh or the gleaming white of the girls dress as it is contrasted with the deep blues of the other dress， or the filmy greens of the trees that stand open to the sky？ No， it is not any one of these but all in their harmonious ensemble that have been the artists tools in accomplishing his final aim： to conjure a blossoming glade， where two girls are discovered quite by chance in a moment of quiet contentment.

兩姐妹和针线篮形成了一个金字塔结构，这种构图历史悠久，从早期历代画家流传至今。栏杆也体现了传统，从背景中衬托出人物，并为多少有些复杂的不规则形状提供了一定程度的建筑坚固感。然而，尽管雷诺阿尊重公认的传统画法，但他的天赋让他得以保持自己的独创性。传统和创新之间的平衡就在这幅画中得到巧妙的展现。

两个女孩呼之欲出，定格在了那一刻。两人的姿态显现出轻松随意，而小女孩特别靠前的位置也体现了这一点;小女孩的形象几乎并不完整，她似乎望向画框的底部。纱线篮和绿植桶在画面最左边，摆放得也很随意。所有的东西似乎都几近铺张地挤在前景中。露台的栏杆在塞纳河畔的绿荫庭院中隔出了一个私密的角落，但细长而通透的造型也提供了一种过渡，人们可由此看到两个女孩身后那片织锦般的开阔风景。藤蔓缠绕在栏杆及其金属支架上，右边的栏杆和盆栽植物则融为了一体。通过这种种表现方式，观画者可以注意到雷诺阿如何在画中保持了一种令人放松的简单，尽管他的构图和颜色相当复杂。

“我会按照自己的想法安排主题，”雷诺阿说，“安排好后，就像个孩子那样开始画。我想要一种浓烈的红色，看着它就像听到雄浑的钟声;如果画出来不对，我就加入更多的红色或其他颜色，直到得到想要的效果。我只会这种笨办法。”这样或那样的“解释”中没有提到的是那种直觉，引导画家选择什么和突出什么的直觉。雷诺阿再没找到比这幅画里更“浓烈”的红色了。不过，具有引导力的是帽子和纱线的红吗？还是女孩们肌肤焕发的乳白或小女孩衣服与大女孩深蓝连衣裙形成鲜明对比的亮白？抑或是直立的棵棵树木那种朦胧的绿？不，不是单个的任何一种，而是所有这些的和谐组合，帮助画家达成了最终目的：描绘一片鲜花盛开的林间空地，那里碰巧有两个女孩，那一刻静谧而满足。