英国国家美术馆 典型的罗马式建筑
不喜欢《蒙娜丽莎》算不算不懂艺术？当然不算，因为美迪奇家族也不喜欢。历史记载美第奇家族的教皇利奥十世将个人肖像的订单给到拉斐尔，酬金是12000金币，而达芬奇在美第奇家族却从来未得到过任何订单，每月拿着33金币的固定工资，这当然也是不菲的收入，但是对于达芬奇这样的艺术家，且相比于拉斐尔，这无异于羞辱。
Does disliking the 《Mona Lisa》count as ignorance of art? Of course not, because the Medici family did not like it either. History states that Pope Leo X of the Medici family sent Raphael an order for his personal portraits for 12,000 ducats. At the same time, Da Vinci never received any orders from the Medici family. He was paid 33 ducats as a fixed monthly salary, which was, of course, much money back then, but for an artist like Da Vinci, and also compared to Raphael, it was nothing short of humiliating.
当然，达芬奇最后得到了法国国王弗朗索瓦一世的青睐，他最终是在国王的怀里去世的，这也是为什么达芬奇很多名作都在卢浮宫的原因。
Of course, Da Vinci eventually won the favor of King Francois I of France, in whose arms he died, which is why many of his masterpieces reside in the Louvre.
但是，即使享有了这份殊荣也没法掩藏一个事实，达芬奇去法国的时候随身带着《蒙娜丽莎》，原因是委托人对这幅画根本不满意而拒绝收货，由此法国人才能幸运的将它收藏在卢浮宫中。
However, even that honor does not hide the fact that Da Vinci took the 《Mona Lisa》to France since the consignor refused to accept it because he was not happy with it. The French were lucky enough to keep it in the Louvre.
写这一段是为了告诉大家，参观任何美术馆都不需要感到任何压力。即使是享誉全世界的艺术品也不能驾驭在人之上。不喜欢某件艺术品，而不是人云亦云的膜拜，反倒是对它最大的敬意。
I wrote this paragraph to show you that you do not need to feel pressured to visit any art gallery. Even the world's most famous works of art cannot control people. Not liking a piece of art, rather than following the crowd to worship it, is a tremendous respect for the piece.
参观英国国家美术馆之前，我就是这么告诉自己的。我并没有事先了解它最珍贵的馆藏是什么。我不希望任何所谓的艺术评论家的个人好恶和评价凌驾于我的眼睛和情绪之上，我希望在自己的探索中发现惊喜。
That is what I told myself before I visited the National Gallery. I did not know in advance what its most valuable collection was. I do not want the personal likes, dislikes, and evaluations of any so-called art critic to override my eyes and emotions. I want to find surprises in my exploration.
于是我真的发现了。《简·格雷的处刑》，美丽的少女、惋惜的牧师、痛哭的侍女，还有静静的等待行刑的刽子手，一切不和谐的元素汇集在一起，让我们看到艺术家想要呈现给我们的一出历史的悲剧。
Thus, I did find out. In 《The Execution of Jane Grey》, the beautiful maiden, the lamenting priest, the weeping maid, and the executioner waiting to perform his execution, all the discordant elements combine to help us view what the artist wants to present to us-a historical tragedy.
这幅画作背后的故事是这样的：和自己的父亲亨利八世将宗教看作政治工具不同，爱德华六世是一位虔诚的新教徒。所以在他16岁重病行将离世之际，他将王位继承权指定给了他的表外甥女简·格雷。
The story behind the painting is the following: Unlike his father, Henry VIII, who saw religion as a political tool, Edward VI was a devout Protestant. So, at the age of 16, when he was fatally ill and dying, he designated the succession to his cousin Jane Grey.
简的外婆和爱德华的父亲亨利八世是亲兄妹，她的父亲是诺福克公爵，这是贵族中最为崇高的爵位。简从小聪明好学，热爱阅读，并且有虔诚新教信仰。不幸的是，简的王族血统和显赫的身世让她不得不成为政治联姻的最佳的筹码，这不但剥夺了她的花季时光也残酷的改变了她的命运。
Jane's grandmother was related to Edward's father, Henry VIII. Her father was the Duke of Norfolk, the highest rank in the aristocracy. Jane grew up bright and studious, fond of reading, and had a devout Protestant faith. Unfortunately, Jane's royal blood and prominent background made her the best bargaining chip for a political marriage, depriving her of her blooming time and cruelly changing her fate.
她最终嫁给了诺森伯兰公爵的儿子。野心勃勃的公爵一直密谋让简成为爱德华六世的继承人，并以此将自己的儿子也推上王位。出于对新教的虔诚，爱德华六世不希望王位落在天主教徒之手，于是他力排众议，当然也借助了诺森伯兰公爵的武力，将王位传给了简，一位十六岁的妙龄少女。
She eventually married the son of the Duke of Northumberland. The ambitious Duke had been plotting to make Jane the heir to Edward VI and, in doing so, put his son on the throne. Because of his Protestant piety, Edward VI did not want the throne to go to a Catholic, so he resisted the opposition and, of course, with the help of the Duke of Northumberland, handed the throne to Jane, a 16-year-old girl.
简在王位继承权上原本排名第四，在玛丽、伊丽莎白和自己的母亲之后。虽然，事实上她是英格兰历史上第一位女王，但是她从未渴望过这个宝座。因此在她莫名的被推上这个位置时，她对大家说，这个王位是玛丽的。不过，诺森勃兰公爵的野心并未完全得到满足，虽然简在他的帮助下继承了王位，但她并没有授予公爵的儿子、自己的丈夫、国王的头衔，只封他为公爵。此举挫败了诺森柏兰家族对王位的觊觎。
Jane was originally fourth in the line of succession, behind Mary, Elizabeth, and her mother. Even though she was the first queen in English history, she never aspired to be the Queen. When she was put in this position, Jane said to everyone that the throne was rightfully Mary's. However, the Duke of Northumberland's ambitions were not fully satisfied, and although Jane succeeded to the throne with his help, she did not grant the title of King to the Duke's son, her husband, yet only made him Duke. This thwarted the Northumberland family's bid for the throne.
简登基十三天之后，玛丽在天主教徒的拥护下击败了诺森伯兰公爵，议会随后废除了简的王位，承认了玛丽的继承权。简的女王生涯只持续了十三天，她被关进了伦敦塔。玛丽给了他两个选择，要么放弃新教皈依天主教，要么死。简毫不犹豫的选择了后者。
Thirteen days after Jane's accession, Mary defeated the Duke of Northumberland with the support of Catholics, and Parliament subsequently annulled Jane and recognized Mary's right to the throne. Jane's reign as Queen lasted only thirteen days. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Before Jane's execution, Mary gave her the choice of abandoning Protestantism and converting to Catholicism or death. Jane chose death without hesitation.
《简·格雷的处刑》藏于国家美术馆，作者是保罗·德拉罗什。画的是简临刑前的一刻。少女蒙着双眼，在神父的引导下摸到了断头台，她的脸上充满了哀伤，但并没有一丝恐惧，她妆容整齐，身着洁白的长裙，披风已经脱下，拿在满脸悲痛的侍女手里。简刚刚拒绝了同样将要被砍头的丈夫的求见，她认为，见面会扰乱他们为死亡而准备好的神圣的宁静。此言出自一位十六岁少女之口，更显得惊世骇俗。简最后如愿平静的走向死亡，遗言是耶稣在十字架上的话，“主啊，我将我的灵魂交在你手里。”这个场景让我想起法王路易十六的王后玛丽·安托瓦内特在临上断头台时踩到了刽子手的脚，她的教养和尊严让她在最后的时刻仍然不忘向刽子手说一声：对不起。
《The Execution of Jane Gray》is in the National Gallery of Art. Paul de La Roche drew it. It is a painting of Jane just before her execution. The priest led the blindfolded girl to touch the guillotine. Her face was full of sadness, but there was no hint of fear. She was neatly made up, dressed in a long white dress, and her cloak had been removed. Jane had refused to see her husband, who was also about to be beheaded, believing that it would disturb the sacred Peace in which they prepared for death. Coming from a 16-year-old girl, this is all the more shocking. Jane died peacefully as she wished, with the words of Jesus on the cross, "Lord, into your hands I commit my soul." This scene reminds me of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Louis XVI, who stepped on the executioner's foot before going to the guillotine. Her upbringing and dignity allowed her to say to the executioner at the last moment: I'm sorry.
在通常的艺术评价里，这幅画在英国国家美术馆的馆藏中绝非极品，它的作者德拉罗什同样也被掩盖在国家美术馆藏品背后星光熠熠的艺术家之中，但是这并不妨碍它像闪电一样击中信步参观的我，让我长时间伫立在画作前再也卖不开脚步。和它带给我的冲击相比，同样收藏在馆中的文艺复兴三杰的作品，达芬奇的《岩窟圣母》、米开朗基罗的《埋葬》、拉斐尔的《康乃馨圣母》，甚至梵高的《向日葵》都黯然失色。
This painting is by no means the best in the National Gallery's collection. Its author, De La Roche, is also overshadowed by the star-studded artists behind the National Gallery's collection. However, that does not stop it from striking me like a lightning bolt as I wander around, standing in front of it for a long time, unable to move. Compared with the impact it brought to me, the works of the three Renaissance masters also collected in the museum, such as Leonardo Da Vinci's "Madonna of the Grotto," Michelangelo's "Burial," Raphael's "Madonna of the Carnation," and even Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," all pale in comparison.
艺术是艺术家和观众的共同创造，对于酷爱英国历史的我来讲，这位少女女王的故事曾经让我在读到这段历史时扼腕叹息不已。因此，彼时彼刻，对历史和人物命运的感叹与这幅作品完美的契合在一起，产生了巨大的心灵的共鸣。这不正是欣赏艺术品最大的愉悦吗？
Art is the co-creation by the artist and the audience. For me, a person who loves British history, the story of the teenage Queen made me sigh when I read her history. Thus, at that moment, the exclamation of the history and the fate of the characters fit perfectly with this work, which produced a vast spiritual resonance. Isn't this the greatest pleasure in appreciating artwork?
由此我还喜欢上了德拉罗什，这位自然主义创始人，消极浪漫主义的代表人物。当我去查阅他的资料时，我发现了他的这幅《拿破仑翻越阿尔卑斯山》，大家可以比较下大卫的同名作品，不仅让人哑然失笑。想象一下这个画面，假如拿破仑能看到这两幅作品，并陶醉于大卫笔下描绘的那个英明神武的自己时，突然德拉罗什走过来拍拍他说，醒醒吧，哥们儿，你其实是这样的。我真想知道，此情此景，这位矮个子伟人是什么表情。
I also became like De la Roche, the founder of naturalism and the epitome of negative romanticism. Moreover, when I looked him up, I found this painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps, which you can compare to David's work of the same name, which is not just hilarious. Imagine if Napoleon could look at these two paintings, reveling in the brilliance of David's depiction of himself, and all of a sudden, de la Roche came and patted him and said, wake up, man, this is what you are. I should like to know the expression of the great short man in this situation.
德拉罗什的《拿破仑翻越阿尔卑斯山》
大卫的《拿破仑翻越阿尔卑斯山》
假使那天参观国家美术馆，我只看到了《简·格雷的处刑》这一副作品，我也不会有任何的遗憾。艺术是个绝对自由和自我的东西，你一定要深知，当今所有享有盛誉的艺术作品，无非来自于几个有话语权的艺术评论家个人的喜好，他们多数并不会画画，以及公众的盲从和资本的追捧而已，所以和他们的认知不一样，你丝毫不用怀疑自己的艺术鉴赏力。被什么样的艺术作品打动只与你的个人的喜好相关，当然，如果你不被任何艺术品打动，也只于你个人的无知相关。
If I had visited the National Gallery that day and seen only 《The Execution of Jane Grey》, I would not have had any regrets. Art is a thing of absolute freedom and self. You must be well aware that all the famous works of art today come from the personal preferences of a few art critics who have the right to speak. Most of them do not know how to paint and take the blind following of the public as the pursuit of profit. What works of art you are impressed by is only a matter of your personal preference, and of course, if you are not impressed by any works of art, it is only a matter of your ignorance.
以上就是我参观英国国家美术馆的经历。
That was my experience visiting the National Gallery.
如果你还是希望得到一份攻略，我也可以拟一份最好不要错过的画作名单给你，当然这也是非常个人化的。
If you still want a guide, I can draw up a list of paintings you should take advantage of, which is also very personal.
梵高《向日葵》
The Sunflowers, by Van Gogh
莫奈《睡莲》
Water Lilies, by Monet
杨凡艾克《阿诺菲尼夫妇像》
The Portrait of Mr. And Mrs. Arnolfini, by Jan van Eyck
波提切利《维纳斯与战神》
Venus and the God of War by Botticelli
米开朗基罗《埋葬》
Buried, by Michelangelo
达芬奇《岩窟圣母》
Our Lady of the Grotto, by Da Vinci
拉菲尔《康乃馨圣母》
Our Lady of the Carnation by Raphael
提香《酒神与阿里阿德涅》
Dionysus and Ariadne, by Titian
委拉斯凯兹《镜前的维纳斯》
Venus in Front of the Mirror, by Velasquez
小荷尔拜因《两个使节》
The Two Envoys, by Holbein the Younger
卡拉瓦乔《在以马忤斯的晚餐》
The Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio
鲁本斯《参孙与达丽拉》
Samson and Dalilah, by Rubens
特纳《泰米艾尔号》
The Tamil, by Turner
