[Doodle Today]Sir John Tenniel's

" 'Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?' [said Alice].

'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to', said the Cat."🐱

-- Lewis Carroll, "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland"

Don’t be late for today’s very important date! That is, the 200th birthday of British illustrator and artist Sir John Tenniel, celebrated by today’s Doodle. Tenniel is one of the most highly-regarded Victorian illustrators and painters, and is perhaps best remembered for bringing to life the characters of Lewis Carroll’s timeless “Alice in Wonderland” series.

• illustrator: 插画师
  注: 此illustrator非Adobe Illustrator哈哈
• sb. is remembered for
• bring sth. to life/bring to life the sth.
• timeless: 永恒的 the timeless law of nature

Tenniel was born in London on this day in 1820, and his talent was clear from a young age. At just 16, the mostly self-taught artist submitted his first work, an oil painting, for exhibition at the Society of British Artists. Tenniel found his calling as an illustrator in 1850 when he became a political cartoonist with the historic weekly magazine Punch. Tenniel developed a distinctive style, due in part to his near-photographic memory.

• Ten家有一少爷, 自小天资聪颖, 自学成才, 16岁便投稿了第一幅作品, 一幅油画, 为当时英国艺术协会展出.
• sb. found his calling as...
  Ken found his calling as a software engineer in 2020 when he became a programmer with the historic tech company Apple.
  年方三十始得称之为career的东西. 俗话说三十而立. Sir Tenniel 在三十岁时确定了这份人生中重要的稳定的工作as a political cartoonist. However, 人生的精彩之处往往不存在于这些常规化的可预见的平常
• due in part to
• photographic memory 过目不忘的记忆

It was this unique approach that most likely caught the attention of writer and professor Charles Dodgson, whose pen name was Lewis Carroll. After an introduction in 1864, Tenniel agreed to illustrate Carroll’s new book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” released the following year.

• Although 人生的精彩之处往往不存在于这些常规化的可预见的平常, 但没有这些积累, 没有这些portfolio, 谁又能看到你的才能. 不是所有人都能偶遇知音然后时光正好奏一曲高山流水🤤 大部分时候我们都需要在素未谋面时向别人展示并让其convince我们就是他想要的人
  It sucks💩

Thus began a highly successful, if strained, creative partnership that continued with “Through the Looking Glass” in 1872. The result: a series of classic characters, such as Alice and the Cheshire Cat, as depicted in the Doodle artwork’s rendition of their iconic meeting—characters who, along with many others, remain beloved by readers of all ages to this day.

• remain/cherish...to this day
• beloved by sb.

"Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming the ownership of that freed self was another."

"Your are your best thing."

-- Toni Morrison, Beloved

After his work with Caroll, Tenniel never accepted another illustration job again; instead, he returned to his political cartoon work at Punch. For his considerable contributions to both the magazine and “Alice in Wonderland,” Tenniel received a knighthood in 1893.

• 爵士头衔. Sir

Tenniel’s illustrations have animated the imaginations of children and adults alike for generations. His legacy continues to thrive, as readers cherish these timeless works of art to this day.

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Behind-the-scenes photos of the Doodle creation process by Doodler Matt Cruickshank

后记:
对于这种怪诞兼具讽刺意味的艺术我一直都处于远观的状态, 有机会碰到了这种题材就去涉猎一下, 但不会去接近深入了解. 爱丽丝梦游仙境这部作品我也没看过虽然很经典, 但如同千与千寻一样, 我个人认为这不是一部适合儿童看的动画电影, 或者说家长陪同观看很有必要, 但可能事实是大家小时候看动画片都是自己看.

动画与儿童这两个概念不能划等号, 事实上这两部动画电影的评级是PG, 也就是parental guidance suggested. 我个人认为这个评级稍微有点underestimate了, 可能PG-13更合适,(也可能我内心比较脆弱🙃)

说到这里我突然有了兴趣去探究一下目前animation的评级分布. 让我们在下一篇探讨一下这个问题吧. 本篇主题还是要pay homage to 为animation作出卓越贡献的John Tenniel 爵士. Happy 200th birthday!

P.S. 什么样的人会在身后200年还在被人纪念崇敬. 看看这些人的存在和作品, 你就会发现你现在做的一切努力都不值得被自己感动.

原文