小布什畫作登上暢銷榜榜首
George W Bush’s book of paintings have been praised by one of the nation’s leading art critics, describing the former president’s work as surprisingly sophisticated and warm.
美國前總統小布什的畫作受到了美國國內一位著名藝術批評家的讚賞，該批評家認爲布什的畫作“出人意料的精妙和溫暖”。The book, published on February 28, is currently top of The Washington Post’s list of best sellers.
這本於上月28日出版的畫冊已然登上《華盛頓郵報》暢銷榜榜首。And their chief art critic, Philip Kennicott, said that the 66 portraits of former soldiers, sold in aid of veterans, show the former president honing his craft.
《華盛頓郵報》的首席藝術批評家菲利普?肯尼科特稱，這66張美國退伍大兵的肖像畫顯示出小布什日益精進的畫功。小布什出售這本畫冊是爲了捐助退伍軍人。
“No matter what you think of George W. Bush, he deMonstrates in this book and in these paintings virtues that are sadly lacking at the top of the American political pyramid today: curiosity, compassion, the commitment to learn something new and the humility to learn it in public,” said Mr Kennicott.
肯尼科特說：“不論你對小布什的看法如何，他在這本畫冊和這些畫作中展示出當今美國政壇最高層所缺少的優秀品質：好奇心、同情心、學習新事物的熱誠和公開學習的謙虛。”In the book, entitled Portraits of Courage: A commander in chief’s tribute to America’s warriors, Mr Bush writes about each of the soldiers he depicted.
在這本題爲《勇氣的肖像畫：一名總司令對美國戰士的頌歌》畫冊中，小布什介紹了每一幅肖像畫所描繪的主人公。“I’m not sure how the art in this volume will hold up to critical eyes,” he writes in the introduction. “After all, I’m a novice. What I am sure of is that each painting was done with a lot of care and respect.”
“我不知道這本畫冊中的畫能不能入批評家的法眼，”小布什在引言中寫道，“畢竟，我是個新手。我所能確定的是每一幅畫都是懷着無限敬意、非常用心去完成的。”The 70-year-old says he was inspired by the work of Lucian Freud, Wayne Thiebaud, Jamie Wyeth, Ray Turner, Fairfield Porter and Joaquín Sorolla.
現年70歲的小布什說，他受了盧西恩?佛洛伊德、偉恩?第伯、詹米?韋思、雷?特納、費爾菲爾德?波特和華金?索羅拉的啓發和影響。He writes a witty account of how he first took up painting, on leaving the White House.
他還用詼諧的語調描述了自己離開白宮後初拿畫筆的經歷。“For the first time in my sixty-six years, I picked up a paintbrush that wasn’t meant for drywall,” he wrote. “I selected tube of white paint and another labeled Burnt Umber. While I wasn’t aware at the time that it was a color, I liked the name, which reminded me of Mother’s cooking.”
“活了六十六年，我第一次不是爲了刷牆而拿起一把刷子，”他寫道，“我選了一管白色的顏料，又拿起一管寫着‘燒棕土’的東西。雖然當時我還沒有意識到這是一種顏色的名稱，但我喜歡這個名字，它讓我想起了媽媽做的飯。”And for each of the subjects, he tells their story with what Mr Kennicott saw as “genuine empathy”.
在肯尼科特看來，小布什在講述畫冊中每一個士兵的故事時，都是“真正的感同身受”。
Describing Cpl. David Smith’s recovery from a suicide attempt, Mr Bush writes: “Dave sought professional counseling and got prescription medication for his anxiety, depression, and nightmares. Having confronted his trauma and learned to understand and accept it, he began building a new life.”
在講述戴維?史密斯下士自殺未遂後的康復過程時，小布什寫道：“戴維去看心理諮詢師，開了治療焦慮、抑鬱、惡夢的藥。在直面了內心的創傷，學會理解和接受它後，他開始建立起一種新生活。”Another of his subjects, Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris Goehner, suffered from PTSD.
他的另一位主人公，海軍下士克里斯?戈納，患上了創傷後精神緊張性精神障礙。Mr Bush writes: “Little by little, Chris started to recover. He got down from twelve medications to zero. He realized alcohol didn’t numb the memories but exacerbated them. He started to participate in marathons and triathlons as therapy.”
小布什寫道：“克里斯一點一點地開始慢慢康復。吃的藥也從12種慢慢減少到零。他意識到酒精不能麻痹記憶，只會加深痛苦。爲了治療疾病，他開始參加馬拉松和三項全能運動。”The profits from the book will be donated to a military and veterans’ initiative run by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
出售該畫冊所得的利潤將被捐給小布什總統中心發起的軍事服務倡議項目。
