Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Apr 18, 2007 20:43
17 yrs ago
German term
Antiken
German to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
1880 memoir
The writer is in a trade school in Hamburg learning to draw. Here is the context:
Schon nach einem Vierteljahr gestattete mir der Lehrer in
Anbetracht meines Fleißes und meiner Fortschritte Antiken zu zeichnen; die letzteren waren zwar schon einige zehn, zwölf Male mit Gipsfarbe angestrichen, das schadete aber nicht.
What, exactly, was he sketching? Surely not what we would call antiques. Does this term also apply to old objects of no particular value, just interesting subjects for drawing practice?
Schon nach einem Vierteljahr gestattete mir der Lehrer in
Anbetracht meines Fleißes und meiner Fortschritte Antiken zu zeichnen; die letzteren waren zwar schon einige zehn, zwölf Male mit Gipsfarbe angestrichen, das schadete aber nicht.
What, exactly, was he sketching? Surely not what we would call antiques. Does this term also apply to old objects of no particular value, just interesting subjects for drawing practice?
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
1 hr
Katarina Peters
Canada
Canada
Native in English
Specializes in field
Canada
Accuracy and A1 presentation
Native in: Hungarian 
, English (Variant: US)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, Hungarian to English, and 13 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Antiquities
Why not? He was perhaps painting "objets d'art" , or any object or image from ancient times
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "The entire discussion was interesting. But in the end, regardless of whether they were originals or reproductions (the sculptures themselves had indeed been painted over many times), I decided on this term because it is closest to the author's word choice. If SL readers are left to speculate, I think it's OK to let TL readers do the same in this context. Thanks to you and to all who participated."
23 mins
period pieces or reproductions
... to start the discussion or provide an idea.
Some dictionaries (including one of the Langenscheidt dictionaries) talk about period pieces or reproductions, mainly with regard to furniture, though.
Possibly what is meant is a reproduction of a classic work or the like. Note, though, that my confidence level is low.
Some dictionaries (including one of the Langenscheidt dictionaries) talk about period pieces or reproductions, mainly with regard to furniture, though.
Possibly what is meant is a reproduction of a classic work or the like. Note, though, that my confidence level is low.
+1
8 hrs
Henry Schroeder
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
20 years of experience, certified, ATA
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English, Russian to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
60
sculptures from antiquity
Here are some pictures of what "Antiken" seem to be, i.e. sculptures:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=de&lr=&q=An...
Consequently, I would call them "sculptures from antiquity", as they do here:
The drawings impress with both their large scale and expressive line. In some drawings the layers of charcoal are so densely erased and reworked they resemble ash left from some kind of immolation, an elegaic residue of intense emotional combustion. This is particularly apparent in Dine’s self-portrait series Looking in the Dark and his 1996 portrait Nancy. These darkened faces have eyes that are full of hard intensity, frozen into expressions of accusation, anger, or wild anxiety. This same mood is reflected in drawings of ***sculptures from antiquity*** such as Homer and Socrates (1989). The face of Socrates on the top of the drawing is a mask of hard black stone, open-eyed, impenetrable and defiant. The portrait of Homer just below reflects the opposite mood: the blind poet’s eyes are closed while his face is rendered with a smoky softness that is inward, ghostly, and vulnerable...
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:AswP-9m_BTgJ:www.artcriti...
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=de&lr=&q=An...
Consequently, I would call them "sculptures from antiquity", as they do here:
The drawings impress with both their large scale and expressive line. In some drawings the layers of charcoal are so densely erased and reworked they resemble ash left from some kind of immolation, an elegaic residue of intense emotional combustion. This is particularly apparent in Dine’s self-portrait series Looking in the Dark and his 1996 portrait Nancy. These darkened faces have eyes that are full of hard intensity, frozen into expressions of accusation, anger, or wild anxiety. This same mood is reflected in drawings of ***sculptures from antiquity*** such as Homer and Socrates (1989). The face of Socrates on the top of the drawing is a mask of hard black stone, open-eyed, impenetrable and defiant. The portrait of Homer just below reflects the opposite mood: the blind poet’s eyes are closed while his face is rendered with a smoky softness that is inward, ghostly, and vulnerable...
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:AswP-9m_BTgJ:www.artcriti...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Stephen Reader
: Yes it must've been these. But possibly a period term if not yours, even "Antiquities", for this (presumably) period setting - of classical art training, drawing the plaster-casts.
8 hrs
|
|
Hello, Stephen, thanks, your "agree" broke a string of at least 5 "neutrals" in a row, I guess practice makes perfect and there hasn't been much practice in the art/lit department for the last few months.
|
+1
27 mins
Subjects from antiquity
They could be anything from "Diane", "David" to "Venus" and from the Gibsfarbe I would assume they are statues or paintings of same
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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-04-19 12:20:11 GMT)
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Note to Katarina Peters: die letzteren waren zwar schon einigen zehn, zwoelf Male mit Gipsfarbe angestrichen...
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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-04-19 12:20:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Note to Katarina Peters: die letzteren waren zwar schon einigen zehn, zwoelf Male mit Gipsfarbe angestrichen...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Stephen Reader
: Yes, but definitely statues - plaster casts of Classical origs (and so, conceivably painted over with plaster-paint, whatever that was; I dread to think of paintings covered in 12 layers of it!)
16 hrs
|
18 hrs
Rebecca Garber
Native in English
Works in field
fluency in engineering
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, Latin to English, German Middle High (ca.1050-1500) to English, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
11
Classical subjects/sculptures/models/forms
Art students learn to draw based on Classical forms, which do not have the same proportions as actual biological people. Painting the piece of sculpture makes the lines easier to spot for beginners.
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