连续去了维多利亚州国家画廊两天，为了看这次的荷兰大师画展。最后几个星期，每周三开放到晚上九点。
伦勃朗，17世纪荷兰派大师中人们第一个会想到的。对他的《东方人》印象很深。画中呈坐姿的是一位戴中东式高顶帽的王子。画很有大师风度，在他希望我们注目的地方很精心，几乎都想象得出他用小号笔尖一点一点的堆叠起那些颜色与光，帽上悬挂的金链，垂下的珍珠，右眼，刚好处在袍袖明暗交界线上的绣金，而左脸就隐入暧昧不明中，画的其他部分都十分自然而几乎不令人觉察的留在了模糊中。我不知道他是在运用模糊与清晰来突出重点，不重要处轻易带过（就好象今天的小景深摄像，微距摄影和图形设计渲染，把不想突出的地方放上blur，或者失焦，以使观看的人眼神聚集在情节重点，而模糊也给画面带来了变化与和弦）；还是那时他已经太骄傲，不屑于象技术工匠一样把每一处都细细描下来，那有什么意思。他要的是通过他的处理在观者的心目中留下一个他希望你留下的印子，这样在看的人从画前离开以后，印象中就是画中人那一身古国大气，内敛的光泽还有鹰一样的眼。在一般人第一眼看来，这人就是现实中的样子，而不会因为他做过处理而使的目光不得不扭向那背景从灰蓝到棕黄调再到灰和暗影的转变，这些颜色渐变也许是背景的绒料在灯光下略有改变，我更愿意相信是因为于前景人物的色彩和明度的对比需要，不着痕迹的做了过渡和幅度更大的变色。这就是高明之处吧，在真实自然的同时，用渲染改变了观者的印象，却能让观者浑然不觉。
伦勃朗也有调皮的时候，他年轻时的自画像，使用大量的棕黄画成之后，用锥子或是画刀，在颜料上刻出一道道细卷头发，干了之后效果还满特别，大约他也觉得满好耍吧。
Rembrandt, the first you may think of, yes, impressed by his An Oriental, sitter is a prince from mid-east. Master's way, delicate in the spots he wants us to be impressed with, the golden chain, hat pear, right eye, the golden embroider right on the terminator of his gown sleeve, slightly weathered face half-fade into ambiguity; leaving the rest of picture transit into blur beautifully...is it because as a master he is too proud to put everything in frame into fine details like a skilled labour, even if he is capable of doing that, or he simplly didn't have enough time, or he just likes to render the blur with fine realistic details among them, emphasize what he wants to emphasize, hence we will be attracted by the expression in the sitter's eye after the very first glance, and when we left the painting, what stays in our mind would still be the most impressive parts set off by the blur?... The choices of contrast, luminance kept the character outstanding whilst maintaining a natural depth, and the picture still looks harmonious and lively with the changes of colors and luminosity in the background. Everything there co-operates! That's master's render...The most amazing thing is, after all, you don't feel it, at a general sight you won't feel it is a rendered or arranged frame of picture, as if everything is what everything should be if we see it in real life, but it's not... you know what i mean?
最触动我的是《祈祷中的老妇》，第一眼看到那只画角拉桌布要吃东西的小猫我莞尔，看的越久我却越不能摆脱一种哀伤。这是一幅温暖，黯淡，充满关怀和同情的作品。整洁的老妇，拮据中量力为自己安排周全的晚餐食物，那也是为什么Nicolas Maes没有吝惜笔墨，把桌上的一片鱼，一钵汤，一块硬奶酪，几只面包也画的细致入微，显出真切的光泽吧。也许我只是为人类要苦苦谋求一点食物才能维持自己的生存，而这谋求其实是颇不容易而难过，也许我只是想念老家和旧时光，或者是那老妇人的脸，她对自己能放到桌上这一些食物的态度，简单却已足够，有感激之心也淡淡的平静......我不想说自己太矫情了如果这是我唯一找得到的词来形容站在这一幅画前的感受。画画的人，选中一幅真人高度大型画布，和层次丰富，浓厚的明暗度变化-- 来画它，他心里想的是什么？他有什么要倾灌到其中呢？
Touched by the Old Woman in Prayer most. At first glance I smiled, for the little cat on the lower right corner, the further I looked at this painting the more gloomed I became. It's an old warm scene, of an earthy nature, maybe I get self-pity for human kind being so thankful to every simple meal in front of them, maybe i'm just home sick, missing older days; or maybe it's the woman's face, her attitude to the dinner she arranged for herself, simple but enough, thankful and in peace...i don't want to say it's teary if it's the only word i can find to tell what i always felt in front it. The painter, Nicolas Maes, chose a large scale canvas and rich layers of luminance for it, what was that in his mind he wanted to pour out?...
还有就是，我觉得17世纪是一个画家们开始逐渐掌握空间深度和维度的时代，其中有些画作的空间层次还有些混乱，但是可以看的出他们正在明确和掌握它。已经懂得远处的淡色和模糊，和近处的清晰和高对比可以造出深远的空间，明亮的强烈对比的东西更容易突出自身，视觉上向看画人推近，而容易把其后的暗处或深色物体往后推。看上去离我们比较远。有一幅画运用的已经很聪明和熟练。《雷雨》，Swanvelnet的作品，要是我没拼错的话。有动有静，用了非常规的颜色对比，与通常选择刚好相反-- 天空颜色近处较灰，远处较明朗，近处却因为与大树树梢上映射雷电而发亮的绿色叶子形成清晰明爽的对比显得突出，从而给观者感觉反而比较靠近，而远处虽有明亮的日光色调，却因为一层朦胧的雾气，与黄树叶不那么明显的对比，与近处被狂风劲吹的景象截然不同的另一幅宁静状态，以及模糊，与前景一衬，竟显得很遥远，视觉上很明显的告诉观者是另一处地方。而且这也很生动，乌云和狂风刚刚卷到这里，还没有追上天边的日晖，这里大树已经被吹弯，远处却还颇为宁静，只略略有一点摇曳。而路上小小的人影，显示出赶路的人知道暴风雨将至，抬头望着远远的晴朗处，有一些绝望，不知道赶不赶的上在风雨之前找到房子避一避。
And... I just feel that 17th century is the time when painters get their dimensions right and accurate, some are still out of order but you can see they are understanding it and trying to use contrast, sharpness or blurriness, scale, color's visual characteristics to describe space and dimensions accurately. The most clever one, done with perfect arrangement and choices of different color contrast and luminance contrast, created a naturally rendered moment in a huge movement- The Thunderstorm, by Swanvelnet, if I didn't spell it wrongly. The fore sky is grayish, while against this bit is the top of the tree, with greener leaves, reflecting light from the sky before a storm, usually the sky closer to viewer should be sharper and more vivid colored so as to stand out and the viewer will feel it's closer; like if you put a white fence in front of a dark room's door, you will feel the fence looks much closer than it actually is and the darkness behind it looks much more backwards; hence on normal ground, the foresky should have a brighter color to create the feel of space in picture given the far sky is blurry and grayish; but this one, chose a grayish and least outstanding color and blurry clouds in fore sky, however the vivid shinning bit of the leaves against this part of sky created a fresh and strong contrast, grayish blue against silver green (I like it), it makes the whole part outstanding whilst let us feel the fresh smell before rain... And the far sky took the normal tranquil vanilla sky look, what you can usually see from the Dutch landscape paintings, however with this bit the tree against them is in a warmer, yellowish sheer and the leaves in this part are orange and yellow, much weaker contrast though it's still vivid, which avoided a cold cruel look that might turn up in the foreground part by itself. Therefore, as it's lower contrast, more ambiguous, it became less outstanding and much more backwards or further to viewers' eye. and there're other interesting small figures in the frame, in the moment when a storm just hit the place and dark clouds hadn't got enough time to cover the whole sky yet, gotta see it, among other things.
还有太多太多了。累。如果只看这个画展，大约得留出5小时，中间可以吃点简单的午饭或晚餐。画廊其他的部分在工作日都是免费开放的，我推荐二楼和四楼，二楼的咖啡和食物比一楼要便宜一点但不知道是不是也好吃一点。不过一楼有室内弦乐队和几种葡萄酒。比起上次的印象派画展，这次真不算什么，全票20，学生票才十块。略微勤快一点，可以自带三文治。常常有人坐在门口，或者躺在石礅上吃午餐，伴着喷泉，有什么不好呢。
You may need 5 hours if you are interested in this exhibition only, the rest of the gallery you can go and see it anytime. First floor and third floor is what I'll recommend outside Dutch Masters, there're better coffee and cheaper food there on first floor anyway. Comparing to the Impressionists, this time it's nothing. 20 for adult and 10 if you are student.
没敢贴图，大部分画都来自阿姆斯特丹 Rijksmuseum,有些是NGV自己的藏品。展出的17世纪陶绘器皿有一些很有中国青花瓷味道，因为当时新婚的英国皇后很痴迷中国工艺瓷器。
Referance: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dutchmasters/