Part I
Pro: As we have seen, the second half of the 18th century was an exciting time in Europe: it was not only an age of great invention, but social changes also led to a rise in all sorts of entertainment, from reading to museums, to travel. And finding himself in the middle of this excitement was an accomplished French painter named Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg.
Loutherbourg arrived in England in 1771, and immediately went to work as a set designer at the famous Drury Lane Theater in London. From his first shows, Loutherbourg showed a knack for imagination and stage design, all in the interest of creating illusions that allowed the audience to suspend disbelief completely. He accomplished this by giving the stage a greater feeling of depth, which he did by cutting up some of the rigid background scenery, and placing it at various angles and distances from the audience.
Another realistic touch was using three-dimensional objects on the set, like rocks and bushes as opposed to two-dimensional painted scenery. He also paid much more attention to lighting and sound than had been done before.
正如我们所知，欧洲18世纪下半叶是一个激动人心的时代：这不仅是一个大发明的时代，而且社会变革也引起了各种消遣活动的兴起，从阅读到博物馆，再到旅行。发现自己正处在这个令人兴奋的时代之中的是一位名叫Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg的才华横溢的法国画家。
1. accomplished|əˈkʌmplɪʃt|
adj. very good at a particular thing; having a lot of skills 才华高的；技艺高超的；熟练的
E.g.: She is an accomplished painter.
她是位颇有建树的画家。
2. set|set|
noun. the scenery used for a play, film/movie, etc. 布景
E.g.: We need volunteers to help build and paint the set.
我们需要一些自愿帮忙搭建和粉刷布景的人。
3. knack |næk|
noun. a special skill or ability that you have naturally or can learn （天生的或学会的）技能，本领
E.g.: He's got a real knack for making money.
他有赚钱的真本领。
4. imagination |ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃn|
noun. the ability to have new and exciting ideas 创造力；创作力
E.g.: With a little imagination , you could turn this place into a palace.
稍微动点脑筋，就能把这个地方变得富丽堂皇。
5. in the interest of
in order to help or achieve sth 为了（或符合)…的利益;有助于
E.g.: In the interest(s) of safety, smoking is forbidden.
禁止吸烟，以策安全。
6. suspend|səˈspend|
verb. to officially stop sth for a time; to prevent sth from being active, used, etc. for a time 暂停；中止；使暂停发挥作用（或使用等）
E.g.: In the theatre we willingly suspend disbelief (= temporarily believe that the characters, etc. are real) .
在剧院看戏时，我们自愿对一切暂不置疑。
7. depth|depθ|
noun. in photography and art, you say that a picture has depth or depth of field when you mean that it appears three-dimensional rather than flat. (照片、画作等的)景深
E.g.: All the paintings are startlingly dramatic as a result of their depth of field and colour.
景深和色彩的运用令所有的画作都展现出令人惊叹的戏剧性效果。
8. rigid|ˈrɪdʒɪd|
adj. very strict and difficult to change 死板的；僵硬的
E.g.: His rigid adherence to the rules made him unpopular.
他对规则的刻板坚持使得他不受欢迎。
9. scenery|ˈsi:nəri|
noun. the painted background that is used to represent natural features or buildings on a theatre stage 舞台布景
E.g.: The scenery for the play must have cost too much.
那出戏的舞台布景一定很费钱。
10. touch|tʌtʃ|
noun. a way or style of doing sth 作风；风格；手法
E.g.: He couldn't find his magic touch with the ball today (= he didn't play well).
他今天施展不出神奇的踢球技巧。
Part II
Now, these sets were so elaborate that many people attended the theater more for them than for the actors or the story. At the time, people were wild for travel and for experiencing new places; but not everyone could afford it. Loutherbourg outdid himself, however, with a show that he set up in his own home. He called it the "Eidophusikon".
"Eidophusikon" means something like representation of nature, and that's exactly what he intended to do: create realistic moving scenes that change before the audiences' eyes. In this, he synthesized all his tricks from Drury Lane: mechanical motions, sound, light, other special effects to create, if you will, an early multimedia production.
The "Eidophusikon" was Loutherbourg's attempt to release painting from the constraints of the picture frame. After all, even the most action-filled exciting painting can represent only one moment in time; and any illusion of movement is gone after the first glance. But Loutherbourg, like other contemporary painters, wanted to add the dimension of time to his paintings.
这些布景如此精美，以至于很多人为了这些布景才去的剧院，而不是为了演员或故事。
毕竟，即使是最充满动感刺激的画作也只能描绘某一时刻；第一眼过后，任何运动的幻象都消失了。
1. elaborate |ɪˈlæbərət|
adj. very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized 复杂的；详尽的；精心制作的
E.g.: She had prepared a very elaborate meal.
她做了一顿精美的饭菜。
2. wild |mʌŋk|
adj. very enthusiastic about sb/sth 热衷于…；狂热
E.g.: She's totally wild about him.
她对他简直是着了迷。
3.outdo |ˌaʊtˈdu:|
verb. to do more or better than sb else 胜过；优于
E.g.: Sometimes small firms can outdo big business when it comes to customer care.
在顾客服务方面，有时小企业可能优于大企业。
4. representation|ˌreprɪzenˈteɪʃn|
noun. the act of presenting sb/sth in a particular way; something that shows or describes sth 表现；描述；描绘；表现形式
E.g.: The snake swallowing its tail is a representation of infinity.
蛇含其尾表示无穷无尽。
5. synthesize|ˈsɪnθəsaɪz|
verb. to combine separate ideas, beliefs, styles, etc. 综合;把…合为一体
E.g.: The movement synthesised elements of modern art that hadn't been brought together before, such as Cubism and Surrealism.
该运动综合了立体派和超现实主义等以前从未同时出现过的现代艺术元素。
6. will|wɪl|
verb. to want or like 想要；希望；愿意；喜欢
E.g.: You can say what you will [=you can say whatever you want to say], but I will always love her.
你愿意怎么说都行，我就是爱她。
7. constraint|kənˈstreɪnt|
noun. a thing that limits or restricts sth, or your freedom to do sth 限制;束缚;约束
E.g.: Water shortages in the area will be the main constraint on development.
水资源匮乏将是制约该地区发展的一个主要因素。
8. illusion|ɪˈlu:ʒn|
noun. something that seems to exist but in fact does not, or seems to be sth that it is not 假象;幻象
E.g.: Mirrors in a room often give an illusion of space.
房间里的镜子常给人一种空间增大的错觉。
Part III
You know, the popular thinking is that Loutherbourg was influenced by landscape painting. But why can't we say that the "Eidophusikon" actually influenced the painters? At the very least we have to consider that it was more...it was more of a mutual thing. We know, for example, that the important English landscape painter, Thomas Gainsborough, attended almost all of the early performances, and his later paintings are notable for their increased color and dynamic use of light.
Loutherbourg's influence on the theater though, he was incredibly influential. The way he brought together design and lighting and sound as a unified feature of the stage can easily be seen in English theater's subsequent emphasis on lighting and motion.
Now, the "Eidophusikon" stage was actually a box: a few meters wide, a couple meters tall and a couple meters deep. That is, the action took place within this box. This was much smaller of course than the usual stage. But, it also allowed Loutherbourg to concentrate the lighting to better effect.
他把设计、灯光和声音作为舞台的统一特征结合在一起的方式可以很轻易地从英国剧院之后对灯光和运动的强调中看出。
1. landscape painting
a genre of art dealing with the depiction of natural scenery 风景画;山水画
E.g.: He attained perfection in landscape painting.
他画山水的技巧达到了炉火纯青的地步。
2. mutual |ˈmju:tʃuəl|
adj. used to describe feelings that two or more people have for each other equally, or actions that affect two or more people equally 相互的；彼此的
E.g.: I don't like her, and I think the feeling is mutual (=she doesn't like me either).
我不喜欢她，我觉得她也不喜欢我。
3. notable |ˈnəʊtəbl|
adj. deserving to be noticed or to receive attention; important 值得注意的；显著的；重要的
E.g.: With a few notable exceptions , everyone gave something.
人人都给了些东西，只有几个人例外，很是显眼。
4. dynamic|ˈtaɪmlaɪn|
adj. if you describe something as dynamic, you approve of it because it is very active and energetic. 活跃的;充满活力的
E.g.: South Asia continues to be the most dynamic economic region in the world.
南亚仍然是世界上经济最活跃的地区。
5. unify |ˈju:nɪfaɪ|
verb. to join people, things, parts of a country, etc. together so that they form a single unit 统一；使成一体；使一元化
E.g.: The new leader hopes to unify the country.
新领袖希望把国家统一起来。
6. that is (to say)
used to say what sth means or to give more information 也就是说；即；换句话说
E.g.: I am a disappointing, though generally dutiful, student. That is, I do as I'm told...
我虽然总的来说循规蹈矩，但依然是个令人失望的学生，就是说，叫我做什么我就做什么。
Part IV
Also, the audience was in the dark, which wouldn't be a common feature of the theater until a hundred years later. The show consisted of a series of scenes. For example, a view of London from sunrise that changes as the day moves on; mechanical figures, such as cattle, moved across the scene, and ships sailed along the river.
But what really got people was the attention to detail, much like his work at Drury Lane. So, for example, he painted very realistic ships, and varied their size depending on their distance from the audience. Small boats moved more quickly across the foreground than larger ones did that were closer to the horizon. Other effects, like waves, were also very convincing. They reflected sunlight or moonlight depending on the time of day or night. Even the colors changed as they would in nature.
例如，他画了非常逼真的船，并根据它们与观众的距离来画船的大小。并且与靠近地平线的大船相比，小船在前景中移动得更快。
1. scene |si:n|
noun. one of the small sections that a play or an opera is divided into （戏剧或歌剧的）场
E.g.: Act I, Scene 2 of ‘Macbeth ’
《麦克白》第1幕第2场
2. figure |ˈfɪgjər|
noun. a person or an animal in a drawing, painting, etc., or in a story （绘画或故事中的）人，动物
E.g.: The central figure in the painting is the artist's daughter.
画中间那个人是画家的女儿。
3. attention to detail
the ability to accomplish/complete a task while demonstrating a through concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small 细心周到；注意细节
E.g.: Attention to detail is the hallmark of a fine craftsman.
能工巧匠的特点是一丝不苟。
4. foreground |ˈfɔ:graʊnd|
noun. the part of a view, picture, etc. that is nearest to you when you look at it （景物、图画等的）前景
E.g.: The figure in the foreground is the artist's mother.
图画前景中的人是画家的母亲。
5. convincing |kənˈvɪnsɪŋ|
adj. that makes sb believe that sth is true 令人信服的；有说服力的
E.g.: She sounded very convincing to me (= I believed what she said) .
我觉得她的话很有说服力。
Part V
Sound and light were important in making his productions realistic. He used a great number of lamps, and he was able to change colors of light by using variously colored pieces of glass, to create effects like passing clouds that suddenly change in color. Furthermore, he used effects to make patterns of shadow and light, rather than using the uniform lighting that was common at the time. And many of the sound effects he pioneered are still in use today, like creating thunder by pulling on one of the corners of a thin copper sheet.
One of his most popular scenes was of a storm. And there is a story that on one occasion, an actual storm passed overhead during the show. And some people went outside, and they claimed Loutherbourg's thunder was actually better than the real thunder.
此外，他用特效来制作出阴影和光线的图案，而不是使用当时常见的统一打光。
1. uniform|ˈju:nɪfɔ:m|
adj. not varying; the same in all parts and at all times 一致的；统一的；一律的
E.g.: Growth has not been uniform across the country.
全国各地的发展程度不一。
2. pioneer |ˌpaɪəˈnɪə(r)|
verb. when sb pioneers sth, they are one of the first people to do, discover or use sth new 当开拓者；做先锋；倡导
E.g.: a new technique pioneered by surgeons in a London hospital
由伦敦一家医院外科医生开发使用的新技术
3. occasion|əˈkeɪʒn|
noun. a particular time when sth happens 某次；…的时候
E.g.: On one occasion, she called me in the middle of the night.
有一次她深更半夜打电话给我。
10个月宝宝每天需要喝多少奶粉？
