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

旁白：请听艺术史的部分讲座。

Professor: As you know, portrait artists often position their subjects so that their head is turned a little to one side,

教授：正如你们所知，肖像艺术家经常把他们的主题放在一边，使他们的头稍微向一边，

thereby presenting the artist with a semi-side view, a semi-profile view.

从而给艺术家一个半侧视图，一个半轮廓的视图。

And for some reason, western European artists have historically tended to show the left-side of the subject's face, more than the right.

并且由于某种原因，西欧艺术家历来倾向于显示主体面部的左侧比右侧更多。

A while back, some researchers examine about 1,500 portraits painted from the 16th to the 20th century in Western Europe.

一段时间以来，一些研究人员检查了1500幅从16世纪到20世纪绘制的肖像画。

And in the majority of them is the left- side of the face that's most prominently displayed.

并且它们中的大多数都是最突出显示脸的左侧。

Why is that?

为什么会这样呢？

And interestingly enough, this tendency to show the left side has diminished over time, especially in the 20th century.

有趣的是，这种呈现左侧的倾向随着时间的推移而减弱，特别是在20世纪。

In fact, the left-right ratio is now about 1:1. 50% left 50% right.

事实上，左右比例现在约为1：1，即50％左边，50％右边。

Why is that?

这是为什么？

We do know that for many artists, the choice of left side, right side was very important.

我们确实知道，对于许多艺术家，左侧、右侧的选择是非常重要的。

There is an image by the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh called the Potato Eaters that shows the profiles of a group of farmers.

有一幅由荷兰画家文森特·梵高作的画，叫做《吃马铃薯的人》，展示了一群农民的轮廓。

It's a lithograph, which is a print made from images drawn on a stone.

这是一幅石版画，它是由在石头上画的图画制成的。

When you print something that way, what you get is a mirror image of the original picture.

当你以这种方式印刷东西，你得到的是原始图片的镜像。

The exact same image, except that left and right are reversed, and Van Gogh was so dissatisfied with the print that he wrote to his brother, quote "the figures, I'm sorry to say, are now turned the wrong way." end quote.

除了左右颠倒之外，得到完全一样的图像。梵高对于印刷出来的东西非常不满以至于他给他的兄弟写道：“那些人物形象，非常抱歉的说，现在方向搞反了。”

Anyway, why do you think so many painters in the past chose to depict the left side of their subjects' face? Nancy.

无论如何，你认为为何这么多画家在过去选择描绘他们面部的左侧？ 南希。

Student: Could it have to do with whether the artists were left-handed or right-handed, like maybe most of them were right-handed, and maybe for some reason they feel more comfortable painting the left side?

学生：这可能与艺术家是左撇子还是右撇子有关，例如他们大多数都是右撇子，也许出于某种原因，他们感觉画左侧更加舒服？

Professor: Ok, many right-handed artists do find it easier to paint left profiles, and many art historians think that's the reason for the directional bias.

教授：对，许多右撇子艺术家确实更容易去绘制左轮廓，许多艺术历史学家认为这就是方向偏倚的原因。

But if that hypothesis, let's call it the right-handed hypothesis, was correct, you'd expect that left-handed artists would find it easier to paint right profiles.

但如果这个假设，让我们称之为右手假设，是正确的话，你会期望左手艺术家会更容易绘画右边侧面。

But the research suggests that left-handed artists find it just as easy to paint left profiles as right.

但研究表明，左撇子艺术家发现画左边和右边侧面是一样容易的。

So any other ideas?

那么还有任何其它想法吗？

Well, another theory is what's known as the parental imprinting hypothesis, which proposes that people are more used to seeing left profiles because supposedly right-handed parents are more likely to hold their babies in their left arm.

好吧，另一种理论是所谓的父母印记假说，它提出人们更习惯于看到左侧轮廓，因为据称右撇子父母更有可能把他们的婴儿抱在他们的左臂。

Student: Well, my sister just had a baby and she keeps talking about how her left arm is getting so much stronger than her right.

学生：嗯，我姐姐刚刚生了一个婴儿，她不断谈论她的左臂如何变得比她的右手强壮得多。

Professor: Ok, so there's some anecdotal evidence.

教授：好的，这有一些传闻中的证据。

Student: So, then when the baby looks up at their parent, what they see is the left profile.

学生：所以，当宝宝看到他们的父母，他们看到的是左侧的轮廓。

Professor:Right. And so the theory goes: the left side of the face becomes imprinted in our memories.

教授：对，所以理论是：面部的左侧变成在我们记忆中的印记。

Student: But the parental imprinting hypothesis doesn't explain why left profiles have decreased over time.

学生：但父母印记假说并不能解释为什么左侧的轮廓随着时间的推移逐渐减少。

I mean, parents are still carrying their babies in their left arm, right?

我的意思是，父母还在用他们的左臂带他们的婴儿，对吧？

Professor: Exactly! All right, what about the way the artists' studio is organized, specifically the light source.

没错！好的，那艺术家工作室的布置方式呢，特别是光源。正确！ 好吧，艺术工作室组织的方式如何呢，特别是光源。

Remember that the light source determines where the shadows are.

记住光源决定阴影的位置。

So, if you're a right-handed artists, you'd want to the light coming from your left because you don't want your painting hand to cast a shadow across your canvas, right?

所以，如果你是一个右撇子艺术家，你会想要光从你的左边过来，因为你不想让你的手在你的画布上投下阴影，对吧？

And if the light's coming from your left, you'd want your subject to turn to their right into the light.

如果光从你的左边来，你会想要你的画作主题转向右边进入光里。

If they do that, what do you see?

如果他们这样做，你看到了什么？

Student: The left side of their face.

学生：他们脸上的左侧。

Professor: Exactly, and well into the 20th century, many an artist's primary light source would be the sun.

教授：正是如此，进入20世纪，许多艺术家的主要光源是太阳。

And they set up their studio to take maximum advantage of it.

他们会布置他们的工作室以最大程度地利用光源。

But then what happens as other high-quality, portable, artificial light sources become available?But then what happens as other high- quality, portable, artificial light sources become available?

但是，随着其它高品质，便携的人工光源可用后，发生了什么变化呢？

Student: Well, you could position your subject in a lot more different ways and still have good lighting on your subject and on your canvas.

学生：嗯，你可以用更多不同的方式放置你的主题，并仍然有良好的光线在你的主题和你的画布上。

Professor: So...?

教授：那么……？

Student: You'd expect to see a more balanced ratio of left- and right-side portraits.

学生：你会期望看到左侧和右侧肖像的比例更加平衡。