Nature and Art，本文主要内容关键词为：Nature论文,Art论文，此文献不代表本站观点，内容供学术参考，文章仅供参考阅读下载。
(1) Nature contains the elements,in colour and form,of all pictures,as the key board contains the notes of all music.
(2) But the artist is born to pick,and choose,and group with science,these ele ments,that the result may be beautiful-as the musician gathers his notes,and forms his chords,until he brings forth from chaos glorious harmony.
(3) To say to the painter,that Nature is to be taken as she is,is to say to the player,that he may sit on the piano...
(4) The dignity of the snow-capped mountain is lost in distinctness,but the joy of the tourist is to recognize the traveller on the top.The desire to see,for the sake of seeing,is,with the mass,alone the one to be gratified（注：gratify使满足，使喜悦）,hence the delight in detail.
(5) And when the evening mist clothes the riverside with poetry,as with a veil,and the poor buildings lose themselves in the dim sky,and the tall chimneys become campanili（注：campanili(campanile的复数）钟楼）,and the warehouses are palaces in the night,and the whole city hangs in the heavens,and fairy-land is before us-then the wayfarer（注：wayfarer（徒步）旅行者）hastens home; the working man and the cultured one,the wise man and the one of pleasure,cease to understand,as they have ceased to see,and Nature,who,for once,has sung in tune,sings her exquisite（注：exquisite精巧的，优美的）song to the artist alone,her son and her master-her son in that he loves her,her master in that he knows her.
(6) To him her secrets are unfolded,to him her lessons have become gradually clear.He looks at her flower,not with the enlarging lens, that he may gather for the botanist,but with the light of the one who sees in her choice selection of brilliant tones（注：tone色调，色泽，明暗） and delicate tints（注：tint色彩，色调，底色）,suggestions of future harmonies.
(7) He does not confine himself to purposeless copying,without thought,each blade of grass,as commended（注：commend褒奖，称赞）by the inconsequent（注：the inconsequent微不足道的人）,but,in the long curve of the narrow leaf,corrected by the straight tall stem,he learns how grace is wedded to dignity,how strength enhances sweetness,that elegance shall be the result.
(8) In the citron（注：citron香橼色，柠檬色）wing of the pale butterfly,with its dainty（注：dainty优美的，雅致的）spots of orange,he sees before him the stately halls of fair gold,with their slender saffron（注：saffron深黄色的，桔黄色的）pillars, and is taught how the delicate drawing high upon the walls shall be traced in tender tones of orpiment（注：orpiment雌黄色）,and repeated by the base in notes of graver hue（注：hue色彩，色调）.
(9) In all that is dainty and lovable he finds hints for his own combinations,and thus is Nature ever his resource and always at his service,and to him is naught（注：naught（文）＝nothing,nought）refused.Through his brain,as through the last alembic（注：alembic蒸馏器）,is distilled the refined essence of that thought which began with the Gods,and which they left him to carry out.
(10)Set apart by them to complete their works;he produces that wondrous（注：wondrous=wonderful）thing called the masterpiece,which surpasses in perfection all that they have contrived in what is called Nature; and the Gods stand by and manrvel（注：marvel惊叹）,and perceive how far away more beautiful is the Venus of Melos（注：Melos（希腊）米洛斯岛）than was tneir own Eve.
评析：
关于自然和艺术的关系，古今中外不少文学家、艺术家和哲学家都从不同角度进行过有益的探讨。本文作者James Whistler(1834-1903)，作为英国十九世纪末很有影响的一位画家，在这篇散文中阐述了艺术来源于自然而又高于自然的艺术哲理。本文的独特之处在于文章处处体现了一个艺术家的审美：生动形象的比喻，优美和谐的对称，长短句搭配带来的韵律感以及用文字创造出来的丰富绚丽的色彩感。阅读这篇文章，如同欣赏一件优美精致的艺术品。
文章一开始便用了三个比喻说明艺术家和自然的关系：“自然在颜色和形式上包含了所有绘画的元素，如同键盘包含了所有音乐的音符。艺术家的天职是对这些元素进行取舍、挑选并将各种元素巧妙地结合，画出优美的图画，正如音乐家把音符组成和弦，直到从乱糟糟的音符中谱出和谐动听的音乐。如果对艺术家说他应该按照自然的原样来描画，就像对演奏家说他应该坐在钢琴键盘上一样…”通过这三组比喻，作者形象地表述了艺术家和音乐家一样，应该从自然中汲取创作的灵感，但又不能对自然照搬照抄。
在接下来的两段里，作者主要通过对比来说明艺术家和常人的不同之处。普通游客因为看见山顶的游人而感到喜悦，全然不顾“白雪皑皑的山峰因为清晰可见而失去它的尊严”。对普通大众而言，仅仅是为了满足为看而看(to see for the sake of seeing)的愿望，因此其喜悦来源于细节。这一段话暗示普通人希望看到自然清晰的模样只不过想满足“为看而看”的愿望而已。而当自然的一切变得朦胧而富有诗意时，当“夜雾像面纱一样笼罩在河边，陈旧的房屋消失在暗空中，高耸的烟囱宛如钟楼，仓库好似夜晚中的宫殿，整个城市像高悬在天堂，神话中的仙境展现在我们眼前”时，所有的人——远行者、劳作者、有教养者、智者和享乐者都不能理解这种自然的美，因为他们已经什么都看不见。只有艺术家——大自然的儿子和主人——才能听懂她美妙的歌声。在这两段里作者大量运用了拟人、比喻和排比等修辞手法揭示了艺术家与自然独特的关系。
通过前几段的铺垫，作者从第六自然段开始正面描写自然对艺术家的启示。仿佛一段音乐经过平缓的序曲之后，渐渐进入高亢激昂的华彩乐章。在这一部分中，作者充分发挥了画家观察细致人微的特长，用文字描绘了一幅色彩丰富、光影迷离的图画。在描写艺术家对花朵的观察时，作者提到了光的作用：“……而是用一种光，透过这种光，艺术家看到自然为花朵选择了绚丽的色调和微妙的用色，未来的画面保持和谐。”而通过对叶的观察，艺术家可以体会到“尊严与风度联姻，力量使妩媚增色，典雅便应运而生”。
在第八自然段，作者则淋漓尽致地发挥了他对色彩的运用。艺术家透过“素色的蝴蝶”、“香橼色的翅膀”和“翅膀上桔黄色的优雅的斑点”看到“庄严的金色大厅”和“细长的深黄色柱子”，再联想到用“柔和的雌黄色”和“庄重的底色”来临摹墙上精巧的图画。
在第九自然段，作者用一句话概括了自然对艺术家的作用：“自然一直是他创作的源泉总是为他驱使，从不对他有所保留。”
最后一段为全文的高潮，渲染艺术家如何在自然的启迪下，经过加工提炼创作出令天神们惊叹的杰作。作者在结尾处写到：“天神们伫立一旁，啧啧惊叹，感觉米洛斯岛上发现的维纳斯雕像的美丽远胜过他们自己创造的夏娃。”用维纳斯和夏娃这两个典型形象来代表艺术品和自然的作品，作者再次诠释了“艺术高于自然”的主题。