Chapter 6 A portrait of Goethe in Hong Kong

A portrait of Goethe in Hong Kong There is a portrait of Goethe, said to be one of the most beloved portraits of him, depicting his Scenario of an archaeological trip in Italy, sitting on a stone bed in the open field, surrounded by many fragments Remnants of steles, and some ancient Roman buildings can be seen on the hills in the distance.Goethe, wearing a broad-brimmed felt hat, sat reclined On the stone bed, the leisurely trance, as if immersed in the nostalgia of ancient times, is indeed a good painting, and it is also a beautiful painting. Lovely portrait. Thirty years ago, I saw this painting in a German magazine in an old bookstore in Shanghai

portraits, and printed in color.I liked it very much at that time, and because the color prints at that time were not More often, after buying it, it has always been regarded as a beloved work of art, and it is carefully placed in the picture folder. Therefore, when he came to the south from Shanghai alone, thousands of Wei books were abandoned. This portrait of Goethe But it was brought out in a stack of painted leaves.When I first tore the portrait out of the German magazine, I never paid attention to whose work it was.Later, I read a few more volumes of research and biographies about Goethe, and in

I accidentally bought a book of Goethe's paintings, and only then did I know that it was a German painter of Goethe's contemporary period, Johann Wie. The work of William Hibbing. This portrait was painted in 1786 when Goethe was on an archaeological trip to Italy.when At that time, Di Hibbing had already lived in Italy. After Goethe arrived in Italy, the two formed a friendship.Hibbing Exactly one of those countless Goethe admirers.Since Goethe became his neighbor in Rome, the two not only They met each other often, and Thipping also became Goethe's guide, accompanying him to visit the Roman monuments.this one

The portraits were painted during this period. In a letter to a friend on December 9th of this year (1786), De Hibbins narrates his In addition to the joy of having the opportunity to meet Goethe, he mentioned this portrait and said that he was working on the great Make a portrait of a man of the same age, as big as his body, and draw him sitting among the ruins of ancient Rome, thinking about people. fate of class behavior. In his own letter to his friends, Goethe also mentioned that during this trip to Italy, Thipping It helped him a lot. This oak copy of Dihibbing's Goethe painting has been treasured by me.Although the replica

The size is very small, but the pages of a 32-mo book are as big, and the color has become a little dull after a long time. But it has always been cherished by me. Around 1946, Mr. Kwok came to Hong Kong and initially lived in Ledu Gong near Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Later, they moved to the first floor of Shanlin Road. Once, Lin Lin told me that it was Mr. Guo’s new residence. There is a lack of decorations on the wall, I hope I can find something for him to hang, I have an idea when I heard it.Remember This portrait of Goethe that I have treasured for many years, if I can give it to him, it is really worth it, and I will agree immediately

He told Lin Lin that he told me to think about it, and he would definitely come back in a few days. After I got home, I quickly found this portrait. Although it was a bit old, it was still a lovely portrait. Love the artwork.Guo Lao is the Chinese translator of Goethe's works, and he himself is now interested in archaeological work. It is very interesting to give him this portrait of Goethe on an archaeological trip, and there is nothing more suitable.so i took Go to the glass shop to have the frames fitted.And because this painting was too small, another copy of Migrangelo's fresco was copied.

Finished product: "God Created Adam", which is also used for frame matching and is ready to be sent together. I remember that when Mr. Guo lived in Minhou Nanli, Shanghai, there was a painting of sad Dowen hanging on the wall downstairs. and one that seems to be that of the poet Shelley, whom he wrote about in an essay, I have read the article a long time ago, and then I had the opportunity to see these two paintings hanging on the wall, as if they were visiting the saints. It's like being in the Holy Land in person, I really feel an indescribable joy. He returned to Shanghai from Japan again and lived in an alley near the French Park in the French Concession.

On the wall is a Raphael Madonna and Child portrait by Xu Lin, which was probably given to him in Japan and brought by Japan. back.The frame is very small, circular, no more than five or six inches in diameter.So I took the picture I drew I chose two of them with frames and gave them to him, which made him very happy to see them. I can say that the concern for the wall decorations in his home has a long history. After matching the frames of the two paintings, I asked Lin Lin to send them together.It happened that Mr. Guo was not at home that day, After waiting for a while and still not seeing him come back, we found two suitable places on the wall for him to put the two paintings together.

Hang up before leaving.I think he will be very surprised to find two more paintings on the wall when he comes home. It's a pity that he left Hong Kong and went north. What happened to these two paintings, especially the one I have treasured for many years? The whereabouts of Goethe's portrait is no longer easy to know.I wish he could always be with me, even to this day It still hangs in his study, and that makes me happy. I remember that one year, I accidentally saw a picture of Hugo from a foreign magazine. Expelled abroad, sitting on the top of a cliff, looking at the situation of the motherland.At that time, Mr. Guo was avoiding misfortune in Japan.

It was this kind of life that I lived, so I cut it out and sent it to him. He wrote back expressing his pleasure and emotion. It seems to have written a poem. Recently, a new translation of Goethe's Travels in Italy has been published, with many illustrations, including This portrait reminds me of these past events, so I will describe them as above.