美术与人生Fine Art and Life

形状和色彩有一种奇妙的力，能在默默之中支配大众的心。例如春花的美能使人心兴奋，秋月的美能使人心沉静；人在晴天格外高兴，在阴天就大家懒洋洋地。山乡的居民大都忠厚，水乡的居民大都活泼，也是因为常见山或水，其心暗中受其力的支配，便养成了特殊的性情。
 
Shapes and colors seem to be quietly extending a mythical grip on us. For example, spring flowers bring delightfulness; autumn moon radiates tranquility; and sunshine imparts enthusiasm while gloomy weather dampens our spirit. The fact that honesty is seen as a defining character among mountain dwellers and vivacity a hallmark of waterside inhabitants can also be explained by the incremental influence of mountains or water on their temperament.
用人工巧妙地配合形状、色彩的，叫做美术。配合在平面上的是绘画，配合在立体上的是雕塑，配合在实用上的是建筑。因为是用人工巧妙地配合的，故其支配人心的力更大。
 
Creatively-arranged shapes and colors are works of fine art. They are called paintings or drawings if presented on a two-dimensional plane; they fall into the category of sculpture when they are three-dimensional; and they become architecture when put to practical use. These art works have a stronger hold on us simply because they reflect human creativity.

这叫做美术的亲和力。
 
That is where the affinity between fine art and man asserts itself.
 
例如许多人共看画图，所看的倘是墨绘的山水图，诸人心中共起壮美之感；倘是金碧的花蝶图，诸人心中共起优美之感。故厅堂上挂山水图，满堂的人愈感庄敬；房室中挂花鸟图，一室的人倍觉和乐。优良的电影开映时，满院的客座阒然无声，但闻机器转动的微音。因为数千百观众的心，都被这些映画（电影）的亲和力所统御了。
 
Thus, we would all be overwhelmed by the grandeur of mighty mountains and dashing rivers in an ink painting, or enchanted by the exquisiteness of a gold-colored picture of flowers and butterflies, or struck with awe by a breathtaking landscape masterpiece, or mesmerized by the gentle touches of an artistic presentation of plants and birds When an engaging movie starts, as the cine projector clicks along, the audience would be thrust into complete silence, because they are in the grip of the unfolding scenes.

 
雕塑是立体的，故其亲和力更大，伟人的铜像矗立在都市的广场中，其英姿每天印象于往来的万众的心头，默默中施行着普遍的教育。又如入大寺院，仰望金身的大佛像，其人虽非宗教信徒，一时也会肃然起敬，缓步低声。埃及的专制帝王建造七十呎高的人面狮身大石雕，名之曰“斯芬克司”。埃及人民的绝对服从的精神，半是这大石雕的暗示力所养成的。
 
Sculpture, as a three-dimensional art form, holds a more potent appeal. A bronze statue of a great man in an urban public square greets thousands of passers-by as if he were reiterating his teachings on a rostrum all the time. Stepping into a Buddhist temple, we would be met with a giant golden statue of Buddha. Even if we ae not believers, we would slow down our pace and hush our voices in awe. The ancient Egyptian monarchy built a limestone statue of a reclining creature with a lion’s body and a human head, more than 20 meters in height, called the Sphinx, whose imposing presence might have been partly responsible for the complete submission of the Egyptian populace.
建筑在美术中形体最大，其亲和力也最大；又因我们的生活大部分在建筑物中度过，故建筑及于人心的影响也最深。
 
Among all types of fine art, architecture is presented on the grandest scale, and has the greatest bearing on our life, because we spend most of our time inside works of architecture.
例如端庄雅洁的校舍建筑，能使学生听讲时精神集中，研究时心情安定，暗中对于教育有不少的助力。古来帝王的宫殿，必极富丽堂皇，使臣民瞻望九重城阙，自然心生惶恐。宗教的寺院，必极高大雄壮，使僧众参诣大雄宝殿，自然稽首归心。这便是利用建筑的亲和力以镇服人心的。饮食店的座位与旅馆的房间，布置精美，可以推广营业。商人也会利用建筑的亲和力以支配顾客的心。
 
Elegant college buildings contribute in no small way to the purposes of education by helping improve the attention span of students, whether in a lecture room or in a research building. From antiquity onward, kings ruled from palaces unrivaled in majestic splendor in their kingdoms,leaving their subjects in awe looking up at rows upon rows of towering structures. For their part, religious sites, such as halls of Mahavira, have no less share of grandiosity, which seems capable of casting a humbling spell on monks and laymen alike and keeping them in the fold. This is how the power of architecture is used to condition the inclinations of individuals. Likewise, exquisitely-appointed restaurants and hotels are better positioned to boost revenues; businesses are not slow in taking any architectural advantage to appeal to customers.
建筑与人生的关系最切，故凡建筑隆盛的时代，其国民文化必然繁荣。希腊黄金时代有极精美的神殿建筑，意大利文艺复兴时代有极伟大的寺院建筑，便是其例。现代欧美的热中于都市建筑，也可说是现代人的文化的表象。
 
Architecture is most intimately intertwined with our life. A building boom is inevitably accompanied by cultural prosperity. Thus, the Greek Golden Age witnessed the erection of temples that demonstrate superb craftsmanship, and the Italian Renaissance landscape is dotted with architectural jewels, especially in the form of cathedrals and basilicas. Modern Europe and North America are embracing new urban architecture, which is, so to speak, representative of modern European and North American culture.