黑非洲的呐喊-艺术宝库-休闲英语-轻松英语-洪恩在线

JOHN BIGGERS			STARRY CROWN
		黑非洲的呐喊

Introduction of the artist

　　John Biggers was born in North Carolina in 1924, the youngest of seven children. Whereas Biggers' earlier works convey[1] a sense of burden and ordeal is drawings of life in Africa and his later works exude affirmative power, balance, dignity, and position connection to the earth. In the 1980s, particularly following his retirement from nearly thirty-five years of teaching art at Texas Southern University in Houston, he developed a flattened, geometric[2] style in which pictorial space represents not physical depth but a kind of mystical dimension[3] where history and the ever-generative cosmos[4] meet. Exploring the African American experience and African heritage, his work is a testimony to the power of transformation and the triumph of the spirit.

Interpretations: Starry Crown

　　The name Starry Crown[5] comes from a traditional spiritual of the same name. While the images have many different meanings, the work is mainly about creation and the continuity of tradition through the spoken language. The three women reflect Biggers' perception of black women as the promoters of continuity and moral knowledge. Knowledge moves across generations and continents through the spoken word, the weaving of words, and the craft[6] of weaving itself which refers to the creativity of women. The string is a metaphor for life.
　　The quilt also reflects continuity because Biggers believes it is the most precious and continuous of the art experiences of person's of African descent in North America. He said, "The quilt was a prayer for poor women. They didn't have anything else to cover their children with." The cotton coming from the inner part of the quilt on the center woman is glowing with light: "God created light." The stars refer to Heaven as does the blue at the top of the painting. The pots represent the twelve months and the boat represents a journey across the seas or the journey through life. If you look closely at the original work, you can see a cow and two goats in the skirt of the figure on the right. The animals represent those present in the manger at Jesus's birth. They also refer to the way in which we are connected to other creatures.

注释：

1. convey： convey 原义是“传导、输送”，引申后可表示“传达，表达”。当你心情太激动时，往往找不到合适的话来表达心情，就是：You can't convey your feelings in words.

2. geometric ：geometric是 geometry（几何学）的形容词，数学包括了几何和代数，再来看代数的英文：algebra，它的形容词是：algebraic.

3. dimension：大家都知道3D表示“三维的”，但是你知道其中的“D” 是哪个词吗？D 就是 dimension 的缩写，dimension 的词义是“任何一种度量（长、宽、高）等”。平面画是two dimensions，而通过 3D Max 所做的形象是立体的。

4. cosmos： Universe
我们都知道是“宇宙”。但是这里，文章又给了宇宙的另一个表达方法：cosmos，, 两者有什么区别呢？通常 cosmos 强调的是一种有序的空间。它的形容词 cosmic ，“宇宙的”，“宇宙射线”就是 cosmic rays。

5. crown： crown 是“皇冠、王冕”。一个人戴上皇冠就成为了皇帝，所以短语 to wear the crown 就表示“即位，为王”的意思。

6. craft：craft 表示“手艺，工艺”，当它和一些词组成合成词时，表示各种各样的手工艺，比如： needlecraft 刺绣工艺，, woodcraft 木工艺， handicraft 手工。craftsman 是技工，工匠。

约翰·比格斯

简介：约翰·比格斯

　　约翰·比格斯于1924年出生在美国的北卡罗来那州，是七个兄弟姊妹中最小的一个。尽管比格斯的早期作品给人一种沉重而痛苦的感觉，他描绘非洲生活的素描以及他的后期作品却流露出乐观的力量、均衡、尊严以及与大地积极的联系。在80年代，特别是在他结束了在休斯敦的南得克萨斯州大学35年的教学生涯后，约翰·比格斯发展出了一种平面的几何图案式的画风，其中画面代表的不是物理的深度，而是一种神秘的空间感，历史和不断繁衍生息着的宇宙在这里相遇。通过对美国黑人的经历和非洲文化遗产的探索，他的作品成为变革力量和精神胜利的一个见证。

作品分析：《星光闪烁的皇冠》
　　
　　《星光闪烁的皇冠》的名称取自一首同名的传统黑人圣歌。虽然画中的形象有许多不同的含义，但作品的主题是关于创造和通过口头延续的传统。三个女人的形象反映了比格斯观点，即非洲女人是传统和道德知识的促进者。知识是通过口头的形式，语言的组织，以及体现女人创造性的编织本身的技巧，从而在不同的辈代，不同的大陆间相传的。而那些编织的线则暗示着生活。
　　
　　比格斯认为被子是北美黑人艺术经历中最珍贵的，最持续的东西，所以画面中的被子也表现了延续性。比格斯曾说过："被子是贫穷妇女的祈祷的东西，因为她们拿不出别的东西去给她们的孩子盖。"棉花从坐在中间的那个妇女身上的被里中翻露出来，闪烁着光芒："上帝创造了光"。星星和画面顶部的蓝色代表天堂。罐子代表十二个月，而小船是海上或生命之旅的象征。如果你仔细地观察原作，你会发现右边人物的裙子上印着一头奶牛和两只山羊。这些动物代表了在耶稣出生时马槽里出现的动物，它们也暗示了我们与其它生物的联系。