of us will never lead. Our heroes have made outsized fortunes, appeared on gigantic screens

我們的人永遠不會上司。我們的英雄們已經做出了 鉅額財富，出現在巨大的螢幕上。

and demonstrated unique virtue and talent. Their achievements are both dazzling and continuously,

並表現出獨特的德才兼備。 他們的成就既耀眼又不斷。

in the background, humiliating. In the late 1650s, the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer painted

的背景下，屈辱的。在後期 1650年代，荷蘭藝術家約翰內斯-維米爾（Johannes Vermeer）畫出了

a picture called The Little Street. Doing so was a quiet but momentous and revolutionary

一幅畫叫《小街》。做 悄無聲息，但卻具有革命性的意義。

act, with an impact that challenges our values to this day. Johannes Vermeer - Gezicht op

行動，其影響是對我們價值觀的挑戰 直到今天。約翰內斯-維米爾 - Gezicht op.

huizen in Delft, bekend als 'Het straatje' - Google Art Project.jpg It showed nothing

代爾夫特的房屋，被稱為 "Het straatje"。 - 谷歌藝術項目.jpg它什麼也沒顯示

more outwardly impressive than an ordinary street in Vermeer's home town of Delft.

貌不驚人 在維米爾的家鄉代爾夫特的街道上。

Someone was doing a little sewing; some kids were playing on the stoop, a woman was busy

有人在做一些縫紉工作；有的小孩 凳子上玩耍的時候，一個女人正在忙碌著

in the yard. It is one of the greatest paintings in the world. Up to this point, the most prestigious

在院子裡。它是最偉大的畫作之一 在世界上。到目前為止，最負盛名的

cultural works had emphasised the merits and value of aristocratic, military and religious

文化作品強調了其優點和優點。 貴族、軍事和宗教價值

lives, that is, of lives filled with extraordinary moments and advantages. The great epic poets,

的生活，也就是充滿了不平凡的生活。 的時刻和優勢。偉大的史詩詩人。

Homer and Virgil, had written of heroic warriors; Renaissance artists had produced magnificent

荷馬和維吉爾，曾寫過英雄的戰士。 文藝復興時期的藝術家們創造了宏偉的

visions of saints and angels. And the routines of kings, queens and aristocrats were constantly

聖人和天使的幻象。還有那些例行公事 國王、王后和貴族們不斷地...。

celebrated and held up for admiration on the most prestigious canvases. But Johannes Vermeer

慶祝，並舉著欣賞上的 最負盛名的油畫作品。但約翰內斯-維梅爾

went in another direction. He wanted to show us what could be appealing and honourable

走向了另一個方向。他想表明 何樂而不為

about very different sorts of activities: keeping a house tidy, sweeping the yard, babysitting,

關於非常不同類型的活動。 保持房子整潔，掃院子，看孩子。

sewing or – as in his equally significant painting of a kitchen maid – preparing lunch.

縫紉或--在他同樣重要的 畫的廚房女傭 - 準備午餐。

Several younger Dutch contemporaries joined Vermeer's quiet revolution. One of them,

幾位年輕的荷蘭同齡人加入了 維米爾的悄然革命。其中之一。

Pieter de Hooch, focused on almost random moments of the day, when nothing particular

皮特-德-胡奇，專注於幾乎隨機的 平時

is going on: a routine afternoon at home, coming back from the shops, perhaps with a

正在進行：一個例行的下午，在家裡。 從商店回來，也許帶著

bag of vegetables. Maybe the people will be hanging out the washing later. Someone's

一袋蔬菜。也許人們會 晾晒後再洗。有人的

rigged up a little arbour by the back door; it could do with some mending at the weekend.

在後門旁搭了個小棚子。 週末的時候，它可以做一些修補。

De Hooch was the first artist in the history of humanity to point out the charms of organising

德胡奇是歷史上第一位藝術家。 人道的魅力，以指出組織的魅力。

a cupboard. He did one picture that depicted a rather well-off merchant's house, but

一個櫥櫃。他畫了一幅畫，描繪了 雖說是富商之家，但...

the thing that really interested him was the laundry basket and how the owner of the house

他真正感興趣的是 洗衣籃子和房子的主人如何

and her assistant are folding and putting away towels and bed sheets. This, de Hooch

和她的助手正在摺疊和放置 走毛巾和床單。這個，德胡奇

seems to be telling us, is also the meaning of life, properly understood. Another of Vermeer's

似乎要告訴我們的，也是這個意思。 的生命，正確理解。維米爾的另一幅

follower, Caspar Netscher, admired people doing jobs that were often considered rather

追隨者，卡斯帕-奈舍爾，欽佩的人。 做的工作往往被認為是相當

boring and lowly: like lace-making, which was fiddly and not very well-paid. Netscher

枯燥而低級：如花邊製作，它 是費事的，而且工資也不高。Netscher

couldn't himself alter what people earnt, but he was intent on changing how we might

自己不能改變人們的收入。 但他卻打算改變我們的生活方式

feel about those on a modest salary. Although these artists are famous – their works are

對那些工資不高的人的感覺。雖然 這些藝術家是著名的 - 他們的作品是

in the greatest galleries and fetch enormous prices if they come up at auction – their

在最偉大的畫廊裡，賣出了巨大的 價格，如果他們在拍賣會上出現 - 他們的

tentative revolution hasn't as yet properly succeeded. Today – in modern versions of

革命未成氣候 成功了。今天--在現代版本的

epic, aristocratic, or divine art – adverts and movies continually explain to us the appeal

史詩、貴族或神聖的藝術----------------------------------------------------------------------------------廣告 和電影不斷向我們解釋吸引力

of things like sports cars, tropical island holidays, fame, first-class air travel and

諸如跑車、熱帶島嶼 假期、名氣、頭等艙旅行和。

expansive limestone kitchens. The attractions are often perfectly real. But the cumulative

寬敞的石灰石廚房。景點 往往是完全真實的。但累積的

effect is to instill in us the idea that a good life is built around elements that almost

效果是向我們灌輸這樣的思想：一個人的生命是有限的。 美好生活是圍繞著幾乎

no one can afford. The conclusion we too easily draw is that our lives are close to worthless.

沒有人能夠負擔得起。我們很容易得出的結論是 抽到的是，我們的生命接近於毫無價值。

Vermeer, for his part, was insisting that ordinary life is heroic in its own way, because

維米爾則是堅持認為 平凡的生活也有其英雄的一面，因為

ordinary-sounding things are very far from easy to manage. There is immense skill and

聽起來很普通的事情，但卻離 易於管理。有巨大的技術和

true nobility involved in bringing up a child to be reasonably independent and balanced;

養兒防老 合理的獨立和平衡。

maintaining a good-enough relationship with a partner over many years despite areas of

保持良好的關係 多年的合作伙伴，儘管在某些方面

extreme difficulty; keeping a home in reasonable order; getting an early night; doing a not

居安思危 秩序；得到一個早起的夜晚；做一個不

very exciting or well-paid job responsibly and cheerfully; listening properly to another

高薪厚職 愉快的心情；好好的聽另一個

person and, in general, not succumbing to madness or rage at the paradox and compromises

人，並且，一般來說，不屈服於。 悖逆與妥協的憤怒

involved in being alive. Vermeer was not claiming that everything ordinary was invariably impressive.

涉及到活著。維梅爾並不是在宣稱 一切平凡的東西都令人印象深刻。

He was merely directing us with grace to the idea that there are a host of things that

他只是用優雅的方式引導我們去找。 思想，有一系列的事情

we too often ignore and that happen to be both ordinary and good. With extraordinary

我們經常忽略的，而這恰恰是 既平凡又優秀。以非凡的

talent, Vermeer was convincing us of an idea we should dare to hold on to in the face of

維梅爾是在讓我們相信一個想法。 我們要敢於面對

immense pressures to imagine that we should be living in more exalted ways: that there

巨大的壓力，想象我們應該 崇高的生活方式：有

is already much to appreciate and venerate in our lives when we learn to see them without

可喜可賀 在我們的生活中，當我們學會了不看他們

prejudice or self-hatred. If you liked this film, please subscribe to our channel and

偏見或自怨自艾。如果你喜歡這個 請訂閱我們的頻道並

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點擊鈴鐺圖標開啟通知。