VOA标准英语2014--Technology Helps Restore Paintings by Old Masters 科技帮助修复大师早期画作
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2014年(三月)
Technology Helps Restore Paintings by Old Masters 科技帮助修复大师早期画作
WASHINGTON — In the late 16th century, the Spanish artist El Greco created a huge painting, 1 meter by 2 meters, titled Saint Martin and the Beggar. In the first half of the 20th century, the canvas was covered with protective varnish 1 that over the course of decades caused discoloration. Conservators at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C., are now restoring the painting in preparation for a series of exhibitions marking the 400th anniversary of the famous painter’s death.
Often changing the cotton tip on her wooden pick, the National Gallery of Art's senior conservator of paintings, Ann Hoenigswald, patiently cleans the canvas, millimeter by millimeter.
She said the painting by the famous Renaissance 2 artist, best known by his nickname El Greco, needed conservation treatment because the aged 3 varnish started turning yellow, altering the colors.
“The whites turn yellow, the blues 4 turn green. It really dulls down the vibrancy 5 of the tones the artist intended,” said Hoenigswald.
Before starting the conservation, the scientists closely examined the painting, looking for possible damage and alterations 6 to the original. Imaging tools such as microscopes, infrared 7 cameras and x-rays allowed them to penetrate 8 the outer layer of paint.
This analysis clearly showed how El Greco altered certain parts of his work.
“Initially you can see the bridle 9 was a little bit higher and most likely because some of the paints become more transparent 10 as they age that’s why we’re seeing this line under here," said Hoenigswald.
Technology helps analyze 11 the artwork, but the actual restoration must be done by hand. Hoenigswald said she has been working on Saint Martin and the Beggar for about a year, slowly revealing its original beauty.
“All of a sudden the depth of the painting, the background seems to recede 12 even more and the foreground comes forward and, as you can see in this picture, the whites become so dramatic, and so dominant 13, and the contrast between this gorgeous blue and the white becomes much more forceful than it was before,” said Hoenigswald.
After cleaning the painting, the conservators applied 14 another product of modern technology - synthetic 15 varnish that mimics 16 the natural resin 17 but will not alter with age.
The canvas is now about to be packed up and sent off to Toledo, Spain, the city from which it came, to be part of an exhibition marking the 400th anniversary of El Greco’s death.
- He tried to varnish over the facts,but it was useless.他想粉饰事实，但那是徒劳的。
- He applied varnish to the table.他给那张桌子涂上清漆。
- The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
- The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。
- He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
- He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。
- She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
- He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
- I like the vibrancy of her character.我喜欢她的活泼性格。
- Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality. 汤姆感觉自己被她充满朝气的个性所吸引。
- Any alterations should be written in neatly to the left side. 改动部分应书写清晰，插在正文的左侧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. 基因突变是指DNA 密码的改变。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
- Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。
- Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
- The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。
- He learned to bridle his temper.他学会了控制脾气。
- I told my wife to put a bridle on her tongue.我告诉妻子说话要谨慎。
- The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
- The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。
- We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
- The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。
- The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
- He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。
- The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
- She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。
- She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
- This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
- We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
- It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。
- Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
- Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句