Level 5 Reading 9A

Reading 9A

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DECODING LEONARDO According to legend, in the year 1505 near the Tuscan town of Fiesole, a great bird rose from Monte Ceceri (Swan Mountain) and took to the air. No witness testimony remains of the event, but if anyone was present on that hillside, the most likely candidate is Leonardo da Vinci, a man whose ambition for many years had been to fly like a bird. Some 50 years later, an acquaintance, Gerolamo Cardano, wrote, "Leonardo da Vinci... attempted to fly, but failed. He was an excellent painter." To call Leonardo an excellent painter is like labeling Shakespeare a clever wordsmith. He was a true genius, recognized in his own time and idolized in ours. His paintings are as secret and seductive as himself, done with the hand of an angel, the intellect of a scientist, and the soul of a romantic. His drawings are among the most beautiful ever made; his most treasured painting, the Mona Lisa, is undoubtedly the most famous in the world. His love of painting notwithstanding, it was knowledge itself that was Leonardo's great love—knowledge, and the experience from which it may be drawn. To acquire it, Leonardo turned to a diverse array of fields: mathematics, geometry, optics, astronomy, geology, botany, zoology, hydraulics, mechanics, and anatomy, as well as painting and drawing. As an engineer, he could think in four dimensions, visualizing not only the shapes of mechanical parts but also their interrelated motions. Among his designs for flight, Leonardo imagined parachutes, landing equipment, even an aerial screw that acted like the blades of a helicopter. But, like so much else in his life, Leonardo's attempts to actually create a workable flying machine are a mystery. There remains only one enigmatic reference, in a notebook characteristically filled with phrases and sketches, in which he proclaims that his great bird "will bring eternal glory to the nest where it was born ..." Birth of a Genius Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, the illegitimate child of a peasant girl named Caterina and respected notary Piero da Vinci. Leonardo lived at first with his mother in a three-room stone house on a hill just outside the village of Vinci, some 20 kilometers west of Florence. In that idyllic Tuscan countryside began the youngster's lifelong love of nature— a love that would remain implicit in all his later works.

解码莱昂纳多 据传说，1505年，在托斯卡纳小镇菲耶索莱附近， 一只大鸟从天鹅山上飞了起来。 没有目击者的证词， 但如果有人在山坡上，最有可能的候选人是莱昂纳多·达·芬奇， 一个多年来一直渴望像鸟一样飞翔的人。 大约50年后，一位熟人Gerolamo Cardano写道：， “达…试图飞翔，但失败了。 他是一位杰出的画家。" 称莱昂纳多为优秀的画家，就像给莎士比亚贴上聪明的文字匠的标签。 他是一个真正的天才，在他自己的时代被认可，在我们的时代被崇拜。 他的画和他自己一样隐秘而诱人， 用天使的手、科学家的智慧和浪漫主义者的灵魂完成。 他的画是有史以来最美丽的画之一； 他最珍贵的画作《蒙娜丽莎》无疑是世界上最著名的。 尽管他热爱绘画， 正是知识本身是达所钟爱的——知识， 以及可以从中吸取的经验。 为了获得它，莱昂纳多转向了不同的领域： 数学、几何、光学、天文学、地质学、植物学、动物学、水力学、力学和解剖学， 以及绘画和素描。 作为一名工程师，他可以从四个维度思考， 不仅可以可视化机械部件的形状，还可以可视化它们相互关联的运动。 在他的飞行设计中，莱昂纳多想象了降落伞、着陆设备、， 甚至是一个像直升机叶片一样的空中螺旋桨。 但是，就像他生命中的许多其他事情一样， 莱昂纳多试图创造一个可行的飞行器是一个谜。 只剩下一个神秘的参考， 在一本充满短语和草图的笔记本中， 他在信中宣称，他的大鸟 “将为它出生的巢穴带来永恒的荣耀……” 天才的诞生 达生于1452年， 一个名叫卡特琳娜的农民女孩和受人尊敬的公证人皮耶罗·达·芬奇的私生子。 莱昂纳多最初和他的母亲住在一栋有三个房间的石头房子里 在佛罗伦萨以西约20公里的芬奇村外的一座小山上。 在托斯卡纳田园诗般的乡村，这位年轻人开始了对大自然的终身热爱-- 这种爱将一直隐含在他后来的所有作品中。

Around 1469, Leonardo's father took him to Florence, where the statesman Lorenzode Medici had established a society that actively encouraged all forms of artistic expression. For years, art had been an instrument of religious expression, and the parameters of what was ideologically acceptable had been decided by the Church. But in the more tolerant atmosphere of Florence, painters represented things as they saw them, rather than as the Church said they must be. It was a society well suited to the ever-questioning country boy. Leonardo commenced an apprenticeship at the academy of Andrea del Verrocchio, with whom he studied for at least six years. The boy mastered every medium and continued his studies of nature, discovering so much so fast that it seemed to him that everything must eventually be revealed to his searching. In painting, he not only outshone his more mature colleagues but also his teacher. Assigned to paint the figure of an angel, he gave it a whole new dimension that drew the viewer directly into the painting, in a way that Verrocchio's inhibited style could never do. Some say that Verrocchio never painted again. Early Master works Leonardo left Florence in 1482 at the age of 30, and he stayed away for 18 years. The young Florentine hoped to find the glory he sought in the court of Ludovico Siorza, ruler of Milan. A practical city, Milan cared more for knowledge than for the arts. Leonardo came as a musician but presented himself as an engineer, describing in a long boastful letter his inventiveness in the field of weapons. He assured Sforza that, "...also I can do in painting whatever may be done, as well as any other, whoever he may be." It was as an artist that Leonardo was accepted. He established an art factory much like Verrocchio's shop in Florence and at once accepted assignments. These included a portrait of Sforza's beautiful and learned mistress Cecilia Gallerani, a portrait of a musician that some scholars believe is really a self-portrait, and a brilliant early version of Virgin of the Rocks, begun in 1483 and now in the Louvre. Around 1485 he began his notebooks. These are detailed, cryptic compilations of material on a seemingly arbitrary range of topics, from geology and geometry to anatomy and astronomy, all interwoven as one burning interest gave way to the next. His notes are written left-handed from right to left, and there are sketches everywhere that complement his text. His discussions were addressed to himself, leaving an extraordinary record of the movements of his mind. Bronze Horse and Last Supper Two great works mark Leonardo's years with Sforza: One was to be a bronze statue of the duke's late father as a conquering hero riding a horse. The other, ordered by Sforza for his favorite church, was a "Last Supper." The themes were not unlike other commissions of the time, but if the subjects lacked originality, their treatment did not. The horse was to be colossal, in a pose full of motion and life, and the concept was so bold, so ambitious, that it finally brought the artist the praise he sought. His contemporaries thought it could not be created, but Leonardo devised workable plans. Sadly, he was denied the chance to complete his project; war broke out, and the bronze was used for cannons instead. The Last Supper, too, was presented as never before. Leonardo arranged the 13 figures in a brilliant composition reflecting the terrible moment following Christ's words, "One of you shall betray me." He gave the figures deep emotions, varying according to their natures, perfectly illustrating the intention of each subject's soul. Unfortunately, Leonardo's brilliance was not matched by his planning. He hated deadlines and fixed schedules; painting fresco (that is, on freshly prepared plaster) imposed both. So he worked with oil mixtures, which could be applied whenever the mood struck him. The technique suited the artist, but not the wall; the paintsoon blistered and began to peel away from the damp surface. With his doomed masterworks behind him, Leonardo left Milan, and in the spring of 1500, he was back in Florence. Battle of the Giants Leonardo came home a famous man. No one knew or cared much about his science and his inventions, but everyone had heard of his horse and his Last Supper. Many of his competitors had either died or gone to Rome. His most serious rival was Michelangelo Buonarroti, 23 years his junior, surly, ambitious, and a great painter. The two Florentines hated each other wholeheartedly. Once again, two great works drew Leonardo's artistic effort: One was a huge mural for the Council Chamber depicting the Battle of Anghiari, an important political victory for Florence. The other was a life-size portrait of a middle-class woman.

1469年左右，达·芬奇的父亲将他带到佛罗伦萨，政治家洛伦佐德·美第奇在那里 建立了一个积极鼓励各种艺术表现形式的社会。 多年来，艺术一直是宗教表达的工具， 意识形态上可接受的参数是由教会决定的。 但在佛罗伦萨更宽容的氛围中， 画家描绘的是他们所看到的事物，而不是教会所说的事物。 这是一个非常适合这个不断质疑的乡下男孩的社会。 莱昂纳多在安德里亚·德尔·维罗基奥学院开始了学徒生涯， 他和他一起学习了至少六年。 男孩掌握了每一种媒介，继续研究自然，发现得如此之快 在他看来，一切最终都必须向他揭示。 在绘画方面，他不仅超越了更成熟的同事，也超越了他的老师。 被指派画一个天使的形象， 他赋予了它一个全新的维度，将观众直接吸引到画中， 这是维罗基奥那种拘谨的风格永远无法做到的。 有人说维罗基奥再也没有画画过。 早期大师作品 1482年，30岁的莱昂纳多离开佛罗伦萨，在那里呆了18年。 这位年轻的佛罗伦萨人希望在米兰统治者Ludovico Siorza的宫廷中找到他所追求的荣耀。 米兰是一个务实的城市，它更关心知识而不是艺术。 莱昂纳多以音乐家的身份来到这里，但以工程师的身份出现， 在一封自夸的长信中描述了他在武器领域的创造力。 他向斯福尔扎保证， “……我也可以在绘画中做任何可以做的事情，以及任何其他事情，无论他是谁。” 正是作为一名艺术家，莱昂纳多被接受了。 他建立了一家艺术工厂，就像维罗基奥在佛罗伦萨的商店一样，并立即接受了任务。 其中包括斯福尔扎美丽而博学的情妇Cecilia Gallerani的肖像， 一些学者认为音乐家的肖像实际上是自画像， 还有一部辉煌的早期版本的《岩间圣母》，始于1483年，现藏于卢浮宫。 1485年左右，他开始写笔记本。 这些是关于看似任意主题范围的详细、神秘的材料汇编， 从地质学和几何学到解剖学和天文学，所有这些都交织在一起，因为一个强烈的兴趣让位给了另一个。 他的笔记是从右到左用左手写的，到处都有草图来补充他的文字。 他的讨论是针对他自己的，留下了他思想运动的非凡记录。 青铜马和最后的晚餐 两件伟大的作品标志着莱昂纳多在斯福尔扎的岁月： 其中之一是公爵已故父亲的青铜雕像，他是一位骑马的征服英雄。 另一道是斯福尔扎为他最喜欢的教堂点的“最后的晚餐” 这些主题与当时的其他委员会没有什么不同，但如果这些主题缺乏原创性，那么它们的处理方式就没有。 这匹马将是巨大的，摆出充满动感和活力的姿势， 这个概念如此大胆，如此雄心勃勃，最终为艺术家带来了他所寻求的赞誉。 他的同时代人认为它无法被创造出来，但莱昂纳多设计了可行的计划。 遗憾的是，他被剥夺了完成项目的机会； 战争爆发了，青铜被用来制作大炮。 《最后的晚餐》也以前所未有的方式呈现。 莱昂纳多将这13个数字排列成一幅精彩的作品，反映了基督话语后的可怕时刻， “你们中的一个会背叛我。” 他给了这些人物深刻的情感，根据他们的性格而有所不同， 完美地说明了每个主体灵魂的意图。 不幸的是，莱昂纳多的才华与他的计划并不相称。 他讨厌截止日期和固定的时间表； 壁画（即在新制备的灰泥上）将两者结合在一起。 因此，他使用混合油，只要心情好，就可以使用。 这种技巧适合艺术家，但不适合墙壁； 油漆很快起泡，开始从潮湿的表面剥落。 带着他注定要失败的杰作，莱昂纳多离开了米兰， 1500年春天，他回到了佛罗伦萨。 巨人之战 莱昂纳多回家时是个名人。 没有人知道或关心他的科学和发明， 但每个人都听说过他的马和他的最后的晚餐。 他的许多竞争对手要么死了，要么去了罗马。 他最强劲的对手是比他小23岁的米开朗琪罗·博纳罗蒂， 脾气暴躁，野心勃勃，是一位伟大的画家。 这两个佛罗伦萨人彼此深恶痛绝。 两件伟大的作品再次吸引了达·芬奇的艺术努力： 其中一幅是议会会议厅的巨大壁画，描绘了佛罗伦萨的一场重要政治胜利——安吉亚里战役。 另一幅是一位中产阶级女性的真人大小的肖像。

He worked on the paintings concurrently, the portrait offering him pleasant relief from the subject of the battle. Some say the subject of the portrait is Lisa, wife of Forentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, while others suggest different identities. Known today as Mona Lisa , it hangs in the Louvre, glass shrouded and guarded. Its colors have suffered a strange change, as if bathed in undersea light, but the lady still glows with an inner radiance, both troubling and serene. The battle scene thrust Leonardo into an artistic rivalry with Michelangelo, who was to paint another wall of the same chamber. The rivals did their preliminary sketches in separate quarters. Both sketches were magnificent in their own way: The younger man's picture of male bathers interrupted by a call to arms was as dynamic as Leonardo's cavalry confrontation. Benvenuto Cellini, who saw them both while they were still intact, wrote that "they were the school of the world." Michelangelo never transferred his draft to the Council Chamber wall. Leonardo did, or at least, he began to. Forgetting the fate of The Last Supper (or perhaps not yet aware of it), he again used an oil paint for greater freedom and brighter colors. The paint, however, soon began to flake and run. The work was doomed, another masterpiece lost—at least until its traces were rediscovered in the 1970s. A Life Unfinished Leonardo now tuned from art to his old love: flight. By this time, his knowledge went far beyond the limits of his age and was approaching the understanding that much later gave men wings. But his efforts, including his legendary attempt on Monte Ceceri, brought him no satisfaction, only the certainty that he himself would never fly or witness manned flight. In 1513, Leonardo journeyed south to Rome to work for the new pope, Leo X; three years later, he set out once again, this time for France, on the last journey of his life. Frances young new king, Francis I, regarded Leonardo as the wisest of men and wanted him nearby, whether he painted or not. Thus, he lived the three remaining years of his life in a small chateau in the peaceful landscape near Amboise. In his heart, Leonardo felt defeat. His greatest works crumbling, his great knowledge undisclosed, Leonardo grieved for what might have been, for all the wondrous, unfinished projects that forever filled his extraordinary mind. He had no way to know that the few magnificent works he did complete would alone make his name immortal. And so the universal man—symbol of his time and anticipator of ours—passed into eternal fame.

他同时在画这些画，肖像画让他从战斗的主题中解脱出来。 有人说，这幅肖像画的主题是利萨，她是弗朗廷商人弗朗切斯科·德尔·吉奥康多的妻子， 而另一些则暗示了不同的身份。 今天被称为蒙娜丽莎，它挂在卢浮宫，被玻璃覆盖和保护。 它的颜色发生了奇怪的变化，仿佛沐浴在海底的光线中， 但这位女士仍然散发着内心的光芒，既令人不安又平静。 这一战斗场面使莱昂纳多与米开朗基罗展开了艺术竞争， 他将粉刷同一房间的另一面墙。 竞争对手在不同的季度做了初步草图。 这两幅素描都以自己的方式精彩绝伦： 这位年轻人拍摄的男性游泳者被一声呐喊打断的照片，和莱昂纳多的骑兵对抗一样充满活力。 Benvenuto Cellini在它们完好无损时看到了它们， 他写道：“他们是世界的学校。” 米开朗基罗从未将他的草稿移到会议厅墙上。 莱昂纳多做到了，或者至少他开始了。 忘记了《最后的晚餐》的命运（也许还没有意识到）， 他再次使用油画，以获得更大的自由和更明亮的色彩。 然而，油漆很快就开始剥落和流走了。 这件作品注定要失败，又一件杰作丢失了——至少直到20世纪70年代它的痕迹被重新发现。 未完成的人生 莱昂纳多现在从艺术转向了他的旧爱：飞行。 到那时，他的知识已经远远超出了他的年龄限制 并且正在接近很久以后赋予人类翅膀的理解。 但他的努力，包括他对蒙特·切塞里的传奇尝试，并没有让他满意， 只有他自己永远不会飞行或见证载人飞行的确定性。 1513年，莱昂纳多南下罗马，为新教皇利奥十世工作； 三年后，他再次出发，这次是去法国，踏上他生命中的最后一段旅程。 弗朗西斯年轻的新国王，弗朗西斯一世， 认为莱昂纳多是最聪明的人，无论他是否画画，都希望他在附近。 因此，他在安布瓦兹附近宁静的风景中的一座小城堡里度过了余生的三年。 在他的心里，达感到失败。 他最伟大的作品摇摇欲坠，他的伟大知识不为人知， 莱昂纳多为可能发生的事情感到悲伤， 因为那些奇妙的、未完成的项目永远充满了他非凡的头脑。 他不知道，他完成的少数几部宏伟的作品会让他的名字不朽。 于是，宇宙人——他那个时代的象征和我们这个时代的先驱者——进入了永恒的名声。

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