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The two really bad ideas that are hovering in the modern world
在当代世界有两个特别糟糕的想法
that inhibit our capacity to draw strength from art:
他们抑制了我们在艺术里获得力量的本领
The first idea is that art should be for art's sake -- a ridiculous idea --
第一，艺术就为了艺术而存在 --说起来很荒谬 --
an idea that art should live in a hermetic bubble and should not try to do anything with this troubled world.
艺术应该在一个封闭的世界里存在，不应该去打扰我们世俗的纠纷
I couldn't disagree more.
我十分十分不赞同这个想法
The other thing that we believe is that art shouldn't explain itself, that artists shouldn't say what they're up to,
另外，我们还相信艺术不应该被诠释，艺术家们不应该解释他们到底在干什么
because if they said it, it might destroy the spell and we might find it too easy.
因为如果他们说了，艺术就没有任何魔力了，而且我们还觉得艺术没什么深度
That's why a very common feeling when you're in a museum -- let's admit it -- is, "I don't know what this is about."
这就是为什么在艺术馆我们通常会感受到的--承认吧--我们会想 "我完全不知道这作品是什么东西"
But if we're serious people, we don't admit to that.
但如果我们是严肃的人，我们是不会承认的
But that feeling of puzzlement is structural to contemporary art.
但正是那样的感觉构造了当代艺术
Now religions have a much saner attitude to art.
现在宗教对艺术有了很多理智的态度
They have no trouble telling us what art is about.
他们可以很简单告诉我们什么是艺术
Art is about two things in all the major faiths.
在主流的信仰中，艺术无非关于两种东西
Firstly, it's trying to remind you of what there is to love.
第一，艺术告诉你这世界有爱
And secondly, it's trying to remind you of what there is to fear and to hate.
第二，艺术提醒你这世界也有恐惧和憎恨
And that's what art is.
而这就是艺术
Art is a visceral encounter with the most important ideas of your faith.
艺术表达了你内心最重要的信仰
So as you walk around a church, or a mosque or a cathedral,
所以当你走进教堂，或者走进清真寺的时候
what you're trying to imbibe, what you're imbibing is, through your eyes, through your senses,
通过你的五官，你最想感受的是那些真理
truths that have otherwise come to you through your mind.
那些掠过你思想中的真理
Essentially it's propaganda. Rembrandt is a propagandist in the Christian view.
本质上那是宗教的宣传。在基督教看来，伦勃朗是个宣传者
Now the word "propaganda" sets off alarm bells.
现在 "宣传"一词让人们警觉
We think of Hitler, we think of Stalin. Don't, necessarily.
我们想到希特勒和斯大林，但其实没有这个必要
Propaganda is a manner of being didactic in honor of something.
这只是一个宣扬某种东西的手段
And if that thing is good, there's no problem with it at all.
如果宣扬的东西是有益处的，那这手段也没什么问题
