彼埃爾-奧古斯丁 雷諾阿(1841-1919)

船會午餐，作於1880-1881
帆布油畫
收藏於1923

傑作背後的故事

關於藝術家
他的父母都是裁縫。當雷諾阿3歲的時候他的全家遷到了巴黎，他在那兒成長並渡過了一生中大部份的時光。從1854年到1858年他見習於某個瓷器繪匠，同時也在晚上學習繪畫，並且自1864年起獲得在盧浮宮臨摹的資格。在1860-1861年雷諾阿開始在CHARLES GLEYRE畫室正式學習藝術並於1862年進入藝術學院。藝術學院裏雷諾阿和莫奈(1840-1926) ，巴斯雷及西斯萊結下友誼。這四位曾經在學生時代共同外出寫生的藝術家後來成為眾人皆知的印象派運動的骨幹。

 1874年，當雷諾阿參加第一次印象派展時，他也同時結識了Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) and Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) 。1870年末雷諾阿受到相當的注目並且獲得了他職業生涯中的第一份財源。他從為巴黎的時媛名流作肖像畫中獲取報酬，同時通過巴黎Paul Durand-Ruel畫廊出售作品，1883年他在那兒開了第一次個展。

1880年前後，雷諾阿遇見了Aline Charigot隨後於1890年和她結婚。他們的長子Pierre在1885年誕生，接著是1894年誕生的Jean (有名的電影大師) 和1901年誕生的Claude。19世紀90年代藝術家和他的家人開始不長住在巴黎，而是Essoyes (他妻子的故鄉) 及Cagnes。雷諾阿在90年代後的作品反映了他對古典派藝術和女性裸體的持續不斷的興趣。盡管遭受使人衰落的關節炎的折磨，雷諾阿在他的餘生裏堅持作畫，甚至於1913年開始了雕塑創作。他死於Cagnes，享年78歲。

 

先翻譯前三段，剩下的讓我慢慢來

 

[粗看了一下，後麵的好象越來越難，對當時巴黎的風土人情和藝術氣氛不了解的話根本無法譯。不過自己很喜歡這段西方藝術的流金歲月，所以我試試看罷]

Leisure Pastimes along the Seine
The upper left hand corner of Luncheon of the Boating Party, beyond the awning, Renoir included the blue-gray outline of the Chatou railroad bridge -- a visual reminder of the government's recently completed transportation projects that had made this riverside fête possible. By the 1860s, new French railroad lines changed many rural areas along the Seine surrounding Paris into suburban sites for leisure. The railroad crossed the winding path of the Seine, providing weary Parisians with many accessible weekend retreats. From his Paris studio, Renoir, for example, could walk ten minutes to the Saint-Lazare train station and catch -- on the half hour -- a train for the suburbs. One of Renoir's favorite places was the town of Chatou where, on a nearby island, he painted Luncheon of the Boating Party that depicts a group of his friends on the balcony overlooking the Seine at the Maison Fournaise.

Once the exclusive domain of the upper class, the riverside towns of Bougival, Asnières, Argenteuil, and Chatou were transformed into popular retreats for all members of society. Many amusements including guinguettes (see vocabulary list below), dance halls, bath houses, boat rentals, and sailing clubs were established to cater to the growing numbers of weekend revelers. Bougival was known for La Grenouillère, a popular spot for swimming, boating and dancing where, in 1869, Renoir and Monet first painted scenes of riverside leisure. The natural characteristics of the Seine often determined the sport of choice in certain towns. In Chatou, the popular pastime was rowing, while in Argenteuil, where the river was somewhat wider, sailing prevailed.

The Maison Fournaise
Parisians would flock to Chatou's Maison Fournaise to rent rowing skiffs, eat a good meal, or stay the night. In 1857, the entrepreneur Alphonse Fournaise bought land in Chatou to open a boat rental, restaurant, and small hotel for the new tourist trade. From the mid 1870s, Renoir often visited the Maison Fournaise to enjoy its convivial atmosphere and rural beauty. He painted scenes of the restaurant, as well as several portraits of Fournaise family members and landscapes of the surrounding area. In fact, Renoir occasionally traded paintings with the Fournaise family for food and lodging.

Renoir and Friends
Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party not only conveys the light-hearted leisurely mood of the Maison Fournaise, but also reflects the character of mid- to late-nineteenth century French social structure. The restaurant welcomed customers of many classes including bourgeois businessmen, society women, artists (Renoir and Caillebotte), actresses, writers (Guy de Maupassant), critics and, with the new, shorter work week--a result of the industrial revolution--seamstresses and shop girls. This diverse group embodied a new, modern Parisian society that accepted, as it continued to develop and advanced the French Revolution's promise of liberté, egalité, fraternité.


With a masterful use of gesture and expression, Renoir painted youthful, idealized portraits of his friends and colleagues who frequented the Maison Fournaise. In the background and wearing a top hat, the wealthy amateur art historian, collector, and editor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Charles Ephrussi (no. 8) speaks with a younger man wearing a more casual brown coat and cap who may be Jules Laforgue (no. 5), the poet, critic, and personal secretary to Ephrussi. In the center, the actress Ellen Andrée (no. 6) drinks from a glass, while seated across from her and dressed in a brown bowler hat, Baron Raoul Barbier (no. 4), a bon vivant and former mayor of colonial Saigon, faces the smiling woman leaning on the railing thought to be Alphonsine Fournaise (no. 3), the daughter of the proprietor. Wearing traditional straw boaters' hats, both she, and her brother, Alphonse Fournaise Jr. (no. 2), who was responsible for the boat rentals and stands at the far left of the composition, are placed within, but at the edge, of the party.

同時在炫耀船員帽的還有右上角的藝術家Paul Lhote (no. 12) 小官僚？？e Pierre Lestringez (no. 11). 這幾位雷諾阿的好朋友經常為他的畫當模特兒，看上去正在和穿著時髦的著名女演員Jeanne Samary (no. 13) 調情。 Lhote並不是出現在船會上的唯一的藝術家; 雷諾阿也畫了一位他的年輕同事的肖像：Gustave Caillebott(1848-1894) (no. 9),他的密友，也是個富有的教會讚助人。他深深地坐在右前方的椅子裏和女演員Ang？e (no. 7) 及意大利專欄作家Maggiolo (no. 10) 聚在一起；Caillebott既是個熱心的劃艇者和水手，也曾畫了很多這些體育運動的場麵。他被繪成穿了件白色的劃艇衫戴著平頂劃艇草帽。Caillebotte隔著桌子凝視著一位正在親熱地和小狗說話年輕女性，她就是擅長女紅的Aline Charigot (no. 1), 雷諾阿最近才遇見她，後來和她結了婚。

 

這是最後一段的翻譯

 

我再去睡會兒

[知了單調地叫著，樓下網球場裏兩個男人正在練習，球從地上彈起發出“托，托” 的回聲，陽光從遮簾的花紋中透過懶洋洋地漂浮在空氣中，屋子裏半明半暗。這時候正好睡覺，哈哈]