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German to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / Book on Klimt
German term or phrase:frauenumflort
This is from a section on the women in Klimt's life. It seems such an extraordinary word that I wonder if it's meant to say something else:
Auch in dem Bildnis von Remigius Geyling (1878-1974), auf dem freundliche Nackte Klimt mit Speis und Trank verwöhnen, tritt die illusorische Vorstellung vom **frauenumflorten** Künstlergenie zutage.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2012-02-09 16:16:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I should have added that if you click on Lot Notes on the above webpage, you'll find a long discussion about women and flowers in Klimt's work.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2012-02-10 13:08:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Maybe one could rewrite this a little in order to unpack the GER: 'illusory imaginings about the artist-as-genius, his studio adorned by (a bevy) of lovely women.' This avoids the alliteration and the irony, if you wish to avoid them.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2012-02-10 13:13:00 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Adorned, bedecked, graced? But it has to be the studio, not him, unless we were to be describing a specific image where his portrait were wreathed or encompassed by images of women (more Renaissance than this!), which we are not.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day34 mins (2012-02-10 14:48:19 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
'No worries', Helen, & my thoughts - all guesswork of course, it's that sort of question (getting us fixated on garlands/ the floral), even after seeing the very helpful image. The message is plain, & yes, bevy. Best/ S.
Unfortunately, I can only see a very small number of the discussion entries, so apologies if I'm repeating what you've already said. Just wanted to recap after having seen the image. Your thoughts all good, as ever, I'm sure.
Yes, that was precisely my own reservation (though I suggested the term). All in all, with your conclusion here re. art about art (or about public perceptions of).
Thank you, that one worked for me. This is obviously intended to be rather cartoon-like and jokey. It doesn't represent Klimt's actual working practices of course, but as the German says makes humorous reference to Klimt's status as an artist. The illusory imaginings seem to be widely-held, perhaps by the public less au fait with how an artist worked then. I don't read them as belonging to Klimt or Geyling. So I will stick with my suggestion, all things considered. I hope that helps.
I can't see the pic unfortunately - won't download on my phone - but I can't support 'basking'. One basks in the glow of something, generally sunlight, or more figuratively the admiration of someone, but that would require adding something into the mix that is not there in the source text. @Johanna - there would have been plenty of nudes in Klimt's studio, not just in his imagination. He worked from the model - one just needs to look at the extensive numbers of drawings and sketches he prepared in advance of any painting to see that, but it is well documented enough. I agree his paintings are flights of fantasy, of course, rather than depictions of found reality, but the women were there in the flesh in his studio all right.
hazmatgerman (X)
Even with
08:55 Feb 10, 2012
the pic (courtesy of R. Ward) showing only 2 women, Ward's further background to me support the use of "basking in ..." or "surrounded by a bevy of beauties". Cause the source sentence relates, not directly to the pic but generally (for "Auch in ...") to the artist's imagination (J. Timm). Regards.
Well, the Remigius Geyling picture (which isn't reproduced in the book) is the 11th one if you scroll down here. http://weimarart.blogspot.com/2010/12/art-history-for-dummie... It only shows 2 naked women who aren't particularly wafty and are not draped around him at all.
In the text though, it comes after a (possibly fanciful) description of Klimt's studio being full of naked women lounging or strolling around, always ready to hold still and be drawn if they happen to strike a particularly fetching pose...
hear, hear! @ hazmatgerman, Wel, dyna ni. Seems to be an erosive process that began about 1984, the privatisations/closures and resignation to one of *various*, shapeable realities - onedimensional vision. But this is griping & deviating from ProZ themes so I'll stop. Hwyl / S.
Think we need a pic or description of the pic before can go much further with this. How are the women actually interacting with this artist as genius? Nothing like guessing about images when one is translating for making faux pas often of a hilarious kind. And there is so much potential for that here. Just how wafty are these women, are they draped around or over him, or are they swaying in an imaginary space around or above him? Are they represented as or as beoming flowers? We need to know.
hazmatgerman (X)
@Stephen Reader
21:46 Feb 9, 2012
just read your profile with "UoW"; well, hello then from this "UWIST" alumnus, class of '87. Sadly, both are gone now.
@ Johanna, Grüß' Dich! - now that's a new aspect - would fit with the morbidity of the era... so - '*swathed* in a ((courtesy Helen)) bevy of admiring women' etc.? Thx, Helen & hazmatgerman - well, going by *your* n.s. hearing of "umflort", then I'd feel "basking" might fit; & thx, Helen, for the coffee-table-book reminder (I haven't been tracking the questions too thoroughly). Maybe Rachel (at least) does have access to the image? Best, S.
hazmatgerman (X)
@Stephen Reader
21:28 Feb 9, 2012
I quite enjoy your short discussion. For me "umflort" has the women as a decoration rather than willing companions, much as Caesar wore his laurel wreath. Your "basking in a ..." also appears to hit the right tone, or does it to a n.s.'s ear? Regards.
Rachel has told us elsewhere that this is a coffee table book. So far I haven't had the impression that it is overly poetic. Often though studio portraits by close fellow artists have a slightly teasing tone to them. One would need to see the image, too, to catch the right mood.
Something in the order of 'girthed'? What do thesauruses come up with at 'garland' ( -- > adjs. /vbs.?) My mind's playing Tabula Rasa just now, but the orig. tone says 'poetic but not overly' to me. I can see the reasoning behind 'bathed'/bathing in... too, but its (honni soit... or, OK, sois... ) connotations seem to go in an unfortunate direction. Would 'enswarmed' be too recherché a variant coinage on 'surrounded' etc.? Yes on 2nd thoughts of c'se it would. Basking amidst a flurry of.... (but 'basking' implies more about Klimt's supposed attitude than the orig. which refers only to what he is amidst) - Simply 'the artist genius amidst'? (- 'amidst a flurry of admiring women'..., risking the non-authorial 'admiring'). @ Helen, something tells me 'care' with the alliteration, re. tone of orig., it might or might not fit? Sorry to be so vague/mugwumping once again.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2012-02-09 16:16:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I should have added that if you click on Lot Notes on the above webpage, you'll find a long discussion about women and flowers in Klimt's work.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2012-02-10 13:08:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Maybe one could rewrite this a little in order to unpack the GER: 'illusory imaginings about the artist-as-genius, his studio adorned by (a bevy) of lovely women.' This avoids the alliteration and the irony, if you wish to avoid them.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2012-02-10 13:13:00 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Adorned, bedecked, graced? But it has to be the studio, not him, unless we were to be describing a specific image where his portrait were wreathed or encompassed by images of women (more Renaissance than this!), which we are not.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day34 mins (2012-02-10 14:48:19 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Hope it helps!
Helen Shiner United Kingdom Local time: 10:46 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 275
Grading comment
Thanks once again Helen. There's a lot to work with here!
