評論
打印
Some people find it hard to believe Chauvet is so much older than Altamira and Lascaux,
一些人發現很難相信夏維特的年代比阿爾塔米拉及拉斯科還要久遠，
and they noted that only one lab did the dating for Chauvet, without independent confirmation from any other lab.
他們指出,只有一個實驗室做為夏維特做了確認,而任何其他實驗室沒有獨立的確認。
But be that as it may, whatever the exact date, whether it's 15,000, 20,000 or 30,000 years ago,
但盡管如此,無論確切日期是15000年、20000年或30000年前,
the Chauvet paintings are from the dawn of art.
夏維特巖畫是藝術的黎明時期。
So they are a good place to start our discussion of cave painting.
所以它們是我們討論巖畫一個很好的開始。
Now, one thing you've got to remember is the context of these paintings.
現在, 你們要記住的一件事是這些畫的背景。
Paleolithic humans-that's the period we are talking about here,
舊石器時代的人類—這是我們在此討論的時期,
the Paleolithic, the early stone age, not too long after humans first arrived in Europe.
舊石器時代,早期的石器時代，人類第一次出現在歐洲之后不久。
the climate was significantly colder then and so rock shelters, shallow caves were valued as homes protected from the wind and rain.
那時的氣候異常寒冷，而且石窟,淺洞穴作為免受風雨的房屋存在。
And in some cases at least, artists drew on the walls of their homes.
至少,在某些情況下,藝術家們是在自己家中的墻上作畫。
But many of the truly great cave art sites like Chauvet were never inhabited.
但像是夏維特這樣許多真正偉大的洞穴藝術地點則是人類居住之地。
These paintings were made deep inside a dark cave, where no natural light can penetrate.
這些畫是在一個黑暗的洞穴深處所作,那里沒有自然光線可以穿透。
There's no evidence of people ever living here.
而且沒有證據表明人類曾在這里居住。
Cave bears, yes, but not humans.
曾經有過洞穴里的熊,是的,但不是人類。
You would have had to make a special trip into the cave to make the paintings, and a special trip to go see it.
你將不得不進行一次特殊的旅行進入這個洞穴作畫,并且專程去看它。
And each time you'd have to bring along torches to light your way.
而且每一次你不得不帶上火把照亮你的前進道路。
And people did go see the art.
人們確實是這樣去欣賞這一藝術品。
There are charcoal marks from their torches on the cave walls clearly dating from thousands of years after the paintings were made.
洞穴墻壁上來自他們火把的木炭標記顯然可以追溯到繪畫的幾千年后。
So we can tell people went there. They came but they didn't stay.
所以我們可以說的是人們曾去過那里。他們來過,但沒有停留。
Deep inside a cave like that is not really a place you'd want to stay, so, why?
來到洞穴身處,卻并不是一個你想留下來的地方,所以,為什么?
What inspired the Paleolithic artists to make such beautiful art in such inaccessible places?
是什么啟發了舊石器時代的藝術家們在這樣難以進入的地方繪制這樣漂亮的藝術品?
We'll never really know of course, though it's interesting to speculate.
盡管進行這樣的推測會很有趣，但當然我們永遠不會真正知曉。
But, um, getting to the paintings themselves,
但是,嗯,他們是自己去畫,
virtually all Paleolithic cave art represents animals, and Chauvet is no exception.
幾乎所有的舊石器時代的洞穴藝術呈現的是動物們,夏維特也不例外。
The artists were highly skilled at using, or even enhancing, the natural shape of the cave walls to give depth and perspectives to their drawings,
藝術家純熟的使用,甚至提高,自然形狀的洞壁賦予他們繪畫深度及透視感，
the sense of motion and vitality in these animals.
讓這些動物看起來活靈活現，充滿了生機。
Well, wait till I show you the slides.
嗯,等我展現給你們幻燈片。
Anyway, most Paleolithic cave art depicts large herbivores.
無論如何,大多數舊石器時代的巖畫描繪的是大型食草動物。
Horses are most common overall with deer and bison pretty common too, probably animals they hunted.
馬是最常見的，鹿,野牛也是,可能這是他們捕獵的動物。
But earlier at Chauvet, there is a significant interest in large dangerous animals, lots of rhinoceros, lions, mammoth, bears.
但早在夏維特巖洞中,有人則明顯對于大型危險動物感興趣,所以這里出現了大量的犀牛，獅子、猛犸,熊。
Remember that the ranges of many animal species were different back then so all these animals actually lived in the region at that time.
需要記住的是,那時候許多動物物種的活動范圍是不同的,所以所有這些動物當時實際上生活在這一地區。
But the Chauvet artists didn't paint people.
但是夏維特的藝術家們卻沒有畫人。
There is a half-man-half-bison creature and there is outline of human hands but no depiction of a full human.
有一種半人半野牛的生物，而且有人類手的輪廓,但沒有對于一個完整人類的描述。
So, why these precise animals?
那么,為什么這些動物被如此細致的畫出?
Why not birds, fish, snakes?
為什么不是鳥、魚、蛇呢?
Was it for their religion, magic or sheer beauty?
這是他們的宗教、魔法或純粹之美嗎?
We don't know.
我們并不知曉。
But whatever it was, it was worth it to them to spend hours deep inside a cave with just a torch between them and utter darkness.
但是不管它是什么,這值得他們花幾個小時來到山洞深處，而他們只拿著火炬和黑暗作伴。
So, on that note, let's dim the lights, so we can see these slides and actually look at the techniques they used.
所以,在這點上,讓我們把燈光調暗,我們可以看看這些幻燈片,真正看看他們使用的技術。
