Chapter 19 people who like a bit of culture

Revisiting England, it’s midsummer again, the roses in front of houses in the suburbs are still quite interesting, and the flowers and plants on the windowsills of houses in the city are also very gratifying.There are bookstores, taverns, theaters, concert halls, libraries, and museums.There is culture.The political comments in newspapers and magazines also have new ideas, and they all have the ability to play old tunes again.Politics is full of old tunes, and the new ones can still be played pleasantly, so it can't be done without some cultural background.The British know nothing but decorating politics with culture.When Prime Minister Macmillan delivered an important speech at the United Nations, Khrushchev took off his shoes and knocked on the table to protest. Macmillan said calmly, "I ask the interpreter to interpret this too." When she became Prime Minister once, a columnist of the "Guardian" said: "Let's admit it, women who can give birth to twins are obviously more capable than us!" The charm of London is these small decorations; The paintings of the British Pre-Raphaelite painters in the 19th century are as charming, regardless of whether the artistic value is high or low.It's a pity that the "Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition" at the Tate Gallery is no longer available; the exhibition held by Londoners to commemorate the 150th birthday of William Moms is also missed; The gallery is full of books and paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites and Curris.

London has a lot to see.Curlis didn't like London at first, saying that London was big and ugly, like a monster. "Every time I came with my family when I was a child, I always felt that London was a terrible place." Later, he moved to live in the country and said: "I'd rather Living in London: Living in the country, time seems to be wasted, and you can’t do much.” In fact, people can’t do many things in London; just because there are cultural decorations everywhere, you have to look at it if you like it or not. Listen to it, so it's rare to be free in my heart, and the time doesn't seem to be wasted.After all, it is the capital city; when Jiang Menglin wrote about Beijing, he also said: "I lived in Beijing for fifteen years, and I didn't leave Beijing until the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937. Looking back on the past days, even the dust flying in Beijing is full of joy. I miss the dust of Beijing, and I hope to see these dusts again one day. The sun rises in the morning, and the sunlight shines on the paper window, while the shadow of climbing vines outside the window swings with the wind on the paper window. On the mahogany desk, A thin layer of light sand has been laid overnight. Pick up a feather duster and gently brush off the dust on the table, you will feel an indescribable pleasure. Then you brush off the dust on the pen holder and inkstone Dust; pen holder, engraved with landscapes, you can enjoy it by the way, the inkstone may have been used by many literati and scholars for hundreds of years, and they have wiped it carefully like you. The oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, which were used for divination thousands of years ago, also need to be wiped carefully. There are also thread-bound books lying quietly on the shelves. When you touch the covers of these books, you will find that the flying dust has patronized these ancient books without discrimination."

People who like to get some culture feel so helpless.It’s fine to be content with that helplessness, but people like William Morris always want to cast political, economic, and social issues into the cultural mold in his mind. silence.First, he went to Oxford to study theology in 1848, and met Edward Burne-Jones. They were fascinated by medieval culture and art, and became close friends.At that time, the Pre-Raphaelite movement of the Rossetti group had risen. Morris worshiped these artists, the critic Ruskin and even the poet Nevison as heroes, so he also began to write poetry.After traveling around Belgium and northern France, I saw a lot of famous church buildings. I was greatly inspired. I decided to give up theology and focus on art. I went to study architecture with an architect in London, and I opened my business in Oxford.A few months later, he met Rossetti, and he actually began to draw pictures, and wrote a lot of poems. In 1858, he published his first collection of poems.In the following year, he married Jane Burden (Jane Burden), who was as beautiful as London roses; in 1861, he opened a design workshop, a joint venture between Labone-Jones and Rossetti.In 1865, the whole family moved to London. They continued to write and publish books in their spare time. The design workshop also expanded its business, manufacturing furniture, textiles, carpets, and tapestries, and trained several handicraft artists.During this period, the marriage became more and more unhappy, and Jenny had an affair with Rossetti, so he had to immerse himself in the study of philosophy and participate in political activities.In 1877, he initiated the establishment of the Association for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, joined the Socialist Alliance, and organized socialist publications.In the 1880s, those socialist comrades were fighting among themselves. Disappointed, Morris turned to work for the Arts and Crafs movement and became a member of The ArtWorkers Guild. .This "movement" and "guild" opposed the industrial revolution, defended the dignity of craftsmen, refused to use machine products, and dreamed of creating a society that combined medieval culture and socialist characteristics.Morris designed many utensils that are both practical and ancient; his architectural theory is also based on "practical" and "archaic".In his later years, he suddenly felt that he could no longer waste time, so he founded a publishing house and published some books with beautiful fonts and exquisite designs; in 1896, the folio collection of Chaucer's works, which was illustrated by Burne-Jones, was published Afterwards, Morris also died, very lonely.

It was getting colder at night, and I was flipping through the magazine "William Morris's London" and several new editions of his old books in the inn. I thought that socialism should really be decorated with more culture, and I was surprised. The shadows on the paper windows sway in the wind"--those who like a little culture!