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167 O， Christmas Tree
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168 Lasting Impressions
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O, Christmas Tree 聖誕樹的由來
Christmas is the most cherished holiday in the West. The focal point in both public and private settings is an evergreen tree, decorated from top to bottom in a riot of colors. Though Christmas trees are now commonplace all over the world, the evergreen as a winter decoration originated in Germany.
As the story goes, on a winter evening around the year 1500, the Protestant reformer Martin Luther was walking home when he caught a glimpse of the twinkling stars above an evergreen forest. The snow-dusted tree branches shimmered in the moonlight. The entire scene made him think about the sky over Bethlehem on the eve of Christ's birth. Luther went home and decorated a fir tree with candles as he told the Christmas story to his children. He then lit the candles to recreate the wintry scene he had witnessed earlier.
The tradition of decorating fir trees gained popularity in Germany over time. During the mid-19th century, the German-born Prince Albert, husband to Britain's Queen Victoria, brought the tradition to England. Albert and Victoria were popular among the people, and the tradition of decorating trees quickly spread throughout the British Empire.
In large parts of America, however, it was against the law to celebrate Christmas since many Christmas traditions were pagan in origin. Things slowly changed after large numbers of German and Irish immigrants brought with them their tree-decorating traditions. By the time electric lights became commonplace, public squares across America were displaying gigantic trees. Today, the annual lighting of the tree begins the Christmas season.
聖誕節是西方最重視的節日。公共場合及私人場所里的擺設焦點都在那棵從上到下都以五顏六色裝飾的長青樹。雖然現在聖誕樹在全世界都很常見，但長青樹成為冬季裝飾的傳統其實源自德國。
據說大約在公元1500年冬季的某個晚上，新教改革者馬丁•路德正走在回家的路上，他瞥見了閃耀的星星高掛在長青樹林上空。覆蓋著白雪的樹枝在月光下閃閃發光。整個景色使他聯想到耶穌出生前夕伯利恆天空的樣子。馬丁•路德回家後邊向孩子們敘述聖誕故事邊用蠟燭裝飾一棵樅樹，然後點燃蠟燭，重現他先前看見的冬天景象。
經過一段時間，裝飾樅樹的傳統在德國變得很流行。十九世紀中葉，英國維多利亞女王的夫婿──在德國出生的阿爾伯特親王──將這個傳統帶到英國。阿爾伯特親王和維多利亞女王深受人民愛戴，因此裝飾聖誕樹的傳統很快地傳遍整個大英帝國。
然而以前在美國大部份的地區慶祝聖誕節是違法的，因為許多聖誕節的傳統起源於異教。等到大批的德國及愛爾蘭移民帶來了他們裝飾聖誕樹的傳統後，情況才漸漸改觀。電燈泡普及後，美國各地的廣場都陳列了巨大的樹木。現今，每年聖誕樹開始閃閃發光時就代表聖誕季節的來臨。
Lasting Impressions 歷久彌新印象派
Before the late 19th century, most European artists painted portraits or religious figures in an idealistic way. Impressionism, however, was dedicated to painting subjects not as they appeared, but how the painters felt. Utilizing thick coats of paint, wide brush strokes, and startling color combinations, the artists painted simple subjects so that observers could appreciate the rough simplicity of the paintings.
Initially, impressionism was not accepted because many believed that painting an impression of something, rather than dealing in details, was crude and radical. Art exhibits, such as the famous Le Salon, refused to show impressionist works.
Eventually, with independent support and growing appreciation for this fresh approach, the artists found a solid place in the art world. Monet became known for his use of water and its surroundings illuminated by a warm glowing light. Degas captured a dark, yet dreamlike world of ballet. Van Gogh lit up a sidewalk cafe and gave movement to the night sky. Tahitians were caught in their colorful everyday life through Gauguin's paintbrush. These illustrious greats along with other artists, such as Pissaro, Renoir, Cezanne, Morisot, and Sisley, contributed their genius to this unique movement.
Impressionism changed the way people thought about art. In the past century, art has continued its tradition of spontaneity and rule-bending. Artists today exhibit a freedom in their work that would not have been accepted had the impressionists not strayed from the normal path. The colorful and stylistic doors they've opened have made a lasting impression on the world of art and how we see it.
在19世紀末之前，大部分歐洲畫家運用理想主義的手法來描繪肖像或宗教人物的畫像。然而印象派卻致力於不依循題材的外表來作畫，而是基於畫家主觀的感覺。藝術家利用厚厚的塗料、寬筆刷痕，以及令人驚艷的配色來描繪平凡的事物，令觀賞者得以欣賞他們畫中不經修飾的樸實。
起初，印象派不被接受，因為很多人相信純粹畫出事物的印象，而不著重細節描繪是粗俗激進的。當時的藝術展覽會，像是知名的沙龍展等，都拒絕展出印象派畫作。
由於獨立團體的支持及對這全新手法的讚賞與日俱增，印象派畫家終於在藝術界有了一席之地。莫奈以其對水和周圍環境的運用而聞名於世，他的作品被溫暖的光線所照亮。德加抓住了芭蕾舞世界中朦朧而夢幻般的影像。梵谷點亮了人行道上的咖啡館，並讓夜空動了起來。通過過畫筆，高更勾勒出大溪地人蓬勃朝氣的日常生活。這些傑出的大師以及其他像畢沙羅、雷諾瓦、塞尚、莫里索、西斯利等畫家，都將他們的才華貢獻在這股獨特潮流中。
印象派改變了人們對於藝術的看法。過去一個世紀，藝術不斷延續其自發性與顛覆性的傳統。今日的畫家在他們的作品中展示著一股放浪肆意，如果當時印象派畫家沒有舍正途不由的話，這一切是不會被接受的。他們開啟了多彩多姿的藝術大門，對美術世界及世人的欣賞角度都產生恆久的影響。