Name: 你看得出這些畫有什麼問題嗎?（Can you guess what's wrong with these paintings? - Noah Charney）
Uploaded: 2022-10-15T21:01:20.000Z
Duration: 5 min 25 s

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island

「藝術讓人在尋找自我時，也迷失自我。」 ——托馬斯·默頓，《無人是座孤島》

進階被動語態

some in ways that are almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

有些污損的地方是肉眼看不見的，

When a museum curator inspected this portrait, attributed to the 16th century Italian painter Bronzino,

一位博物館策展人檢視這幅被認為是 16 世紀意大利畫家布龍齊諾所畫的肖像畫時，

However, closely examining the cracks on its surface, an art conservator discovered that it was from that era—

然而，仔細觀察其表面裂紋後，一名藝術作品修復員發現，這的確是那時代的畫作——

It had just undergone drastic changes in recent centuries.

但它在之後幾個世紀中慘遭塗改。

Using x-ray technology, they peered under the outer surface of paint,

透過 X 光技術，他們窺探畫底，

and saw the countenance of a completely different woman.

發現了另一個截然不同的女性面容。

Essential parts of the painting had been modified during a 19th century restoration.

在 19 世紀一次畫作修復中，其主要部份遭到塗改。

art restorers took a more heavy-handed approach, often believing they were improving art.

藝術作品修復員都抱著專橫的態度來「修復」藝術作品， 認為他們是在「改善」作品。

Nowadays, they focus on keeping the original work intact with minimal intervention.

現今的藝術品修復員更重保留作品原貌，極少干預繪畫手法。

they usually make their markings visually and chemically distinct from the original,

他們會以化學方式把修補的地方與原作在視覺上區分出來，

這樣把需要移除時，也不會影響原作。

But the work of past restorers is a threat they regularly contend with— as was the case with this portrait.

但過去修復員留下的痕跡是他們經常面對的威脅—— 就如這幅肖像畫一樣。

To recover the original, the conservator began removing the outer varnish coat.

為還原畫作，修復員刮掉畫表層的上光油。

Varnish is commonly used to protect paintings from debris and make their colors pop.

上光油一般是用來保護畫作免遭損害，並使其顏色更加亮麗。

But the natural varnishes past restorers applied eventually darkened,

但過往修復員使用的上光油最終會變得暗啞，

which is what gives older paintings  that aged, yellowy look.

導致流傳下來的畫作看來發黃陳舊。

Slowly dissolving the varnish, the conservator uncovered crisp colors below.

修復員慢慢溶解畫的上光油，再現底下光亮的色彩。

Taking small samples from the added and original paint layers, they analyzed the compositions of each.

取出少量原作及塗改之處的顏料作樣品，他們研究出了各顏料層所屬的構圖。

Then, they decided which solvents could dissolve the overpainting while minimally affecting the original.

然後，他們便能決定使用哪種溶解劑來溶解塗改之處的顏料，從而對原作帶來最小的影響。

Carefully dabbing the canvas with them, they removed the overpainting's  dainty hands and idealized face.

經過仔細輕擦畫布，修復員抹去畫面上矯小的手和理想化的面容，

The true painting underneath revealed Isabella of the Italian Medici dynasty.

揭示了美第奇家族伊沙貝拉的肖像。

The portrait isn't Bronzino's, but it is from around 1570, and may have been painted by one of his students.

這幅肖像畫並非出自布龍齊諾之手，但的確繪於 1570 年間，可能為他的門生所畫。

Its Victorian makeover was likely done to boost sales because the original subject wasn't considered attractive.

畫作於維多利亞時期經修改，很可能是為了促進銷售，因為他們認為原作上的人物並不好看。

But now, Isabella is back,  meeting her viewer's gaze directly.

但現在，伊沙貝拉重現世人眼前，直面觀眾。

This painting, "An Allegory with Venus and Cupid," is actually Bronzino's, and it was completed around 1545.

這幅名畫《維納斯，丘比特，放蕩與時間》的確出自布龍齊諾之手，約於 1545 年間完成。

It centers on a kiss between Venus and her son Cupid– but it's been subtly altered.

畫中的維納斯親吻兒子丘比特，但畫作被細微地塗改過。

When London's National Gallery acquired it in 1860,

當倫敦國家畫廊於 1860 年購得此畫時，

the Gallery's director deemed it too risqué for Victorian England.

畫廊主管認為，此畫題材對維多利亞時期的英國來說太過傷風敗俗，

So, he commissioned a restorer to obscure Venus's tongue and nipple.

因此聘請修復員遮蓋畫中維納斯的舌頭及乳頭，

art conservators analyzed and removed the overpainting with select solvents.

修復員分析後，再使用精選的溶解劑抹去當年蓋上去的塗層。

In the process, they also realized  that the veil covering Venus's crotch and the branch hiding Cupid's posterior were other add-ons.

過程中，他們發現遮蓋維納斯胯部的薄紗，及丘比特臀部的樹技都是後期加上去的。

Removing two layers of censorship from the painting, it was finally free to boast its provocative original details.

抹去這兩層以內容審查為名的塗改後，這幅作品終於能以原作中「有傷風化」的細節而自矜。

This massive painting called "The Night Watch" was completed by Rembrandt in 1642.

這幅巨大的名作《夜巡》，是林布蘭 1642 年完成的。

Since then, it's endured one dramatic amputation, two stabbings, an acid attack, and centuries of grime.

自此，它經過一次駭人的裁切、兩次戳刺，一次硫酸破壞及幾個世紀以來的污垢。

A museum guard immediately neutralized the acid with water.

博物館守衛馬上用水稀釋了硫酸，

revealing that the painting was not set at night,

使人們得知原來畫中的場景不是設於夜間，

and healed the slashes using adhesive and extra canvas backing.

並使用粘合劑和新的畫布來修補戳刺的地方。

但此畫面對著一個更大的難題。

In 1715, strips were removed from all sides of the canvas,

1715 年，為了符合阿姆斯特丹市政廳的畫框，

including two whole feet from the left, to fit it inside Amsterdam's Town Hall.

畫作的四邊均被裁切，甚至原作左邊被裁掉了足足 60 公分。

But a multi-year conservation project that began in 2019 replaced the missing pieces.

2019 年開始的一個橫跨多年的藝術作品修復項目，卻把缺失的部份補上了。

They managed this by training an artificial intelligence to digitally paint in Rembrandt's style.

他們訓練一個 AI，透過數碼方法模仿林布蘭的畫風，

Then, using another artist's rendering of the original,

然後，再使用另一位藝術家對原作的描繪，

the program recreated and printed the painting's lost sections.

AI 程式便能重新創造這幅畫作缺失的部份。

Finally, the team returned "The Night Watch" to its full size, with AI-generated best guesses to fill in the blanks.

最後，透過 AI 補齊這些缺失的部份，《夜巡》完整地重現人間。

All of these paintings had been altered, but none of them were irrevocably ruined.

這些畫作都曾被修改，但所遭受的損壞都不是無法補救的。

With painstaking scientific analysis and technical skill, art conservators immortalize priceless artifacts.

透過一絲不苟的科學分析和技術，藝術修復員讓這些無價藝術作品能夠永垂不朽。

They counteract sudden damage and creeping threats— and sometimes, they perform near miracles.

他們對抗突如其來的損壞和潛在威脅—— 有時，他們更創造奇蹟。

字幕列表影片播放

你看得出這些畫有什麼問題嗎?（Can you guess what's wrong with these paintings? - Noah Charney）

reveal

journey

improve

immediately