『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 19 Lec 4听力练习：What is the purpose of the discussion?原文题目答案解析，TPO/Official 19 Lec 4听力原文范文音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 19 Lec 4听力原文What is the purpose of the discussion?-新东方托福官方网校手机版

Narrator: Listen to part of a discussion in an art history class.

教授：好的，我们继续我们关于肖像艺术家和肖像画的讨论。

Professor: All right, let's continue our discussion of portrait artists and portraiture.

谁记得上次课讨论过的要点？桑德拉？

Who remembers any of the important points we made last time? Sandra?

女学生：嗯，肖像艺术家存在了好几个世纪，他们一直为社会名流和普通百姓绘制或雕刻肖像，当然大部分肖像艺术家表达的是艺术家自己的看法，比如他们自己对描绘对象的感觉、洞察等。

Female Student: Well, artists have done portraits of people for centuries, of famous people and regular people, and most portraits convey the artists' personal vision, like their feelings and insights about a person.

教授：很棒，这一点非常关键，今天我想在这一个问题上多谈几句。

Professor: Great, that's a crucial point, and I'd like to explore that a little today.

关于肖像艺术家自己的世界观的很好的例子，当属塞西莉亚·博斯。

A great example of that, that vision in portraiture, is Cecilia Beaux.

塞西莉亚·博斯生于1855年，经过一段时间在几位当时重要的画家门下学习和研究绘画之后，博斯成为当时美国最有名的肖像画家。

Cecilia Beaux was born in 1855, and after learning to paint and studying with several important artists of the time, Beaux became known as one of the best portrait painters in the United States.

甚至为还是总统的西奥多•罗斯福及其夫人和孩子绘制了肖像。

She even had portraits of the wife and children of Theodore Roosevelt, while he was president.

肖像画家们能够获得的最高荣誉，也就莫过于此了。

So it didn't get much more prestige than that.

现在的肖像画家的作品也反应出当时惯用的一些描绘对象，主要是妇女和儿童。

Now, those portraits also reflect the kind of subjects that Beaux tended to use, which were mostly women and children.

譬如，博斯的第一幅大作，她的描绘对象就是她的妹妹和侄子。

For example, in her first major work, her subjects were ..., the painting featured her sister and her nephew.

男学生：嗯，这看上去确实有趣。

Male Student: Yeah, it just seems interesting.

我想问问，是不是像博斯这种在19世纪成功的女性肖像画家非常罕见？

I was wondering if that was unusual to have a portrait artist who is a woman become so well-known and successful in the 19th century.

教授：问的不错。是的，她是在19世纪成名的。

Professor: Great question. Yeah, she really stood out back in the 1800s.

但到今天她依然被看做是那个时代最伟大的肖像画家，无论男女。

And today, she is still considered one of the greatest portrait painters of her time, male or female.

实际上，她还是宾夕法尼亚大学美术研究院的第一位全职导师，并且是国家设计院的全职研究员。

In fact, she was the first full-time female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and she was a full member of the National Academy of Design.

这些机构的地位都是很重要的，所以，嗯，她当然是女性艺术家中的先驱。

These are pretty important institutions, so, yeah, she definitely made headway for women artists.

好的，现在我们回到她的作品上来。

Ok, so let's look at one of her portraits now.

并且我认为它在博斯的作品中非常具有代表性。

And I think it is especially characteristic of Beaux's work.

你们在这幅画中看到的是博斯的一位密友。

So what you see here is a portrait of a close friend of Cecilia Beaux.

现在，你们说说这幅画最能吸引你们的地方在哪儿？

So tell me what's the first thing that draws you to this painting?

女学生：对我来说，我觉得是她的手和脸，我觉得这两个地方描绘的非常具有表现力，并且使得这位女性栩栩如生，看起来陷入了沉思，好像她在努力思考着什么。

Female Student: Well, for me, it is her face and hands, I think they are really expressive, and also, they make the woman seem very contemplative, seems like she is thinking pretty seriously about something.

男学生：嗯，她的眼睛的确非常吸引人。

Male Student: Yeah, her eyes kind of draw you in.

但这幅画最吸引我的，是它的对比色，白色的外衣，黑色的背景。

But what strikes me is the contrasting colors, the white dress and the dark background.

它不禁让我想到了几周之前我们讨论过的一幅作品，那幅画的作者叫，嗯，叫……约翰•辛格尔•萨金特。

It kind of reminds me of that painting we discussed a few weeks ago, by ...eh... John Singer Sargent.

是的，博斯对萨金特作品的评价非常的高。

Yes, Beaux had high regard for Sargent's work.

并且，这种绘画技巧，你们可以在这两人的画作中同时找到。

And this is something, a technique that you will find in both of their work.

好的，但我们讨论的这幅作品的名字叫做“做梦的人”。

Ok, but the painting is called The Dreamer.

你们觉得这幅画到底什么地方符合这个名字的梦幻感？

学生：嗯，这幅画的背景，即女士身后的景象非常的模糊。

Student: Well, the background behind the woman is pretty vague.

似乎并不存在一个真实的背景，明确的环境，尤其是和这位女士相比，她的形象既清晰且突出改为她轮廓清晰，形象分明。

Like, maybe there is no real context, like no definite surroundings, especially compared to the woman herself, since she is so clear and well-defined.

教授：是的，正是这种模糊的背景在塑造一个梦的意境。

Professor: Yes, the unclear background definitely contributes to that dreaminess.

我认为，它是要表现一种孤独的感觉。

It is meant to show a sense of isolation I think.

这位女士沉浸在白日梦中，对周遭的一切都浑然不觉。

With the woman is deep in a daydream and not really aware of anything else.

这幅画表明了博斯作为一名肖像画家的深刻洞察力。

This painting shows how insightful Cecilia Beaux was as a portrait artist.

外加上她运笔、色彩等方面卓然不群的技法，这幅画在这两个方面非常出色。

Besides her excellent technical skills, like her use of brush strokes and color to make an impression, both perspective come through.

她的绘画反映了她对于画作对象心境的一种独家解读。

Her portraits reveal her own interpretation of her subject's state of mind.

惟妙惟肖而不只是做到了外表的神似。

This is what it is all about, not just likenesses.

同时，这幅画模棱两可的背景表明了塞西莉亚受到了法国印象派画家的影响，印象派画家尊奉画家应从个人的视角去体察绘画的对象，与传统的主张相悖。

Now, the undefined background also shows how Cecilia Beaux was influenced by the French Impressionists, who believed, like Beaux, in a personal rather than conventional approach to their subject matter.

博斯借鉴了一些印象派的技法和绘画哲学，但她的风格，却是属于她自己的独创。

Beaux used some impressionist techniques and share much of their philosophy, but her style, it was all her own.

What evidence does the professor cite to illustrate Cecilia Beaux's reputation as an artist?

What do the speakers say about Cecilia Beaux's use of contrasting colors in The Dreamer?

What point do the speakers make about the background of The Dreamer?

Based on the discussion, what is the professor's attitude toward portraiture?

Why does the professor mention the French Impressionists?

Now, the undefined background also shows how Cecilia Beaux was influenced by the French Impressionists, who believed, like Beaux, in a personal rather than conventional approach to their subject matter. Beaux used some impressionist techniques and share much of their philosophy, but her style, it was al 
Narrator: Listen to part of a discussion in an art history class. 
Professor: All right, let’s continue our discussion of portrait artists(portraitist) and portraiture. Who remembers any of the important points we made last time? Sandra? 
Student: Well, artists have done portraits of people for centuries, of famous people and regular people, and most portraits convey the artists’ personal vision, like their feelings and insights about a person. 
Professor: Great, that’s a crucial point, and I’d like to explore that a little today. A great example of that, that vision in portraiture, is Cecilia Beaux. Cecilia Beaux was born in 1854, and after learning to paint and studying with several important artists of the time, Beaux became known as one of the best portrait painters in the United States. She was very successful. She even had portraits of the wife and children of Theodore Roosevelt, while he was president. Some did not get 
much more prestige than that. Now, those portraits also reflect the kind of subjects that Beaux tended to use, which were mostly women and children. For example, in her first major work, her subjects were ..., the painting featured her sister and her nephew. Yes, Mark? 
Student 
Yeah, it just seems interesting. I was wondering if that was unusual to have a portrait artist who is a woman become so well-known and successful in the 19th century. 
Professor 
Great question. Yeah, she really stood out back in the 1800s. And today, she is still considered one of the greatest portrait painters of her time, male or female. In fact, she was the first full-time female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and she was a full member of the National Academy of Design. These are pretty important institutions, so, yeah, she definitely made headway for women artists. Ok, so let’s look at one of her portraits now, this painting is called The Dreamer. It is one of my favorites. And I think it is especially characteristic of Beaux’s work. So what you see here is a portrait of a close friend of Cecilia Beaux. So tell me what’s the first thing that draws you to this painting? What catches your eye first. 
Professor: Great, that’s a crucial point, and I’d like to explore that a little today. A great example of that, that vision in portraiture, is Cecilia Beaux. Cecilia Beaux was born in 1854, and after learning to paint and studying with several important artists of the time, Beaux became known as one of the best portrait painters in the United States. She was very successful. She even had portraits of the wife and children of Theodore Roosevelt, while he was president. Some did not get much more prestige than that. Now, those portraits also reflect the kind of subjects that Beaux tended to use, which were mostly women and children. For example, in her first major work, her subjects were ..., the painting featured her sister and her nephew. Yes, Mark? 
Student 
Yeah, it just seems interesting. I was wondering if that was unusual to have a portrait artist who is a woman become so well-known and successful in the 19th century. 
Professor 
Great question. Yeah, she really stood out back in the 1800s. And today, she is still considered one of the greatest portrait painters of her time, male or female. In fact, she was the first full-time female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and she was a full member of the National Academy of Design. These are pretty important institutions, so, yeah, she definitely made headway for women artists. Ok, so let’s look at one of her portraits now, this painting is called The Dreamer. It is one of my favorites. And I think it is especially characteristic of Beaux’s work. So what you see here is a portrait of a close friend of Cecilia Beaux. So tell me what’s the first thing that draws you to this painting? What catches your eye first. 
Student 
Well, for me, it is her face and hands, I think they are really expressive, and also, they make the woman seem very contemplative, seems like she is thinking pretty seriously about something. 
Student 
Yeah, her eyes kind of draw you in. But what strikes me is the contrasting colors, the white dress and the dark background. It kind of reminds me of that painting we discussed a few weeks ago, by ...eh... John Singer Sargent. I think it was called MadameX? 
Professor 
I agree, good point. Yes, Beaux had high regard for Sargent’s work. And this is something, a technique you will find in both of their work. Ok, but the painting is called The Dreamer. What do you see is dreamlike about it? 
Student 
Yeah, her eyes kind of draw you in. But what strikes me is the contrasting colors, the white dress and the dark background. It kind of reminds me of that painting we discussed a few weeks ago, by ...eh... John Singer Sargent. I think it was called MadameX? 
Professor 
I agree, good point. Yes, Beaux had high regard for Sargent’s work. And this is something, a technique you will find in both of their work. Ok, but the painting is called The Dreamer. What do you see is dreamlike about it? 
Student 
Well, the background behind the woman is pretty vague. Like, maybe there is no real context, like no definite surroundings, especially compared to the woman herself, since she is so clear and well-defined. 
Professor 
Yes, the unclear background definitely contributes to that dreaminess. It is meant to show a sense of isolation I think. 
With the woman is deep in a daydream and not really aware of anything else. This painting shows how insightful Cecilia Beaux was as a portrait artist. Besides her excellent technical skills, like her use of brush strokes and color to make an impression, both respectives come through. Her portraits reveal her own interpretation of her subject’s state of mind. This is what it is all about, not just likenesses.