Michelangelo's 'Secret Room' to Open for Visitors

Michelangelo's 'Secret Room' to Open for Visitors

米开朗基罗的“密室”向游客开放

【原文听力】

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　　By John Russell

　　03 November 2023

　　Visitors will soon be able to see a long-hidden space inside the Medici Chapel in the Italian city of Florence. The walls of the small space contain drawings that some experts believe may have been created by the famous artist Michelangelo.

　　The secret room is small – 10 meters by 3 meters. Officials discovered the room in 1975 when searching for a way to make a new exit from Medici Chapel.

　　The museum's then-director Paolo Dal Poggetto strongly believed that the drawings were by Michelangelo, said the current director, Paola D'Agostino. A debate over the issue began then and continues to this day.

　　D'Agostino suggested that experts of Michelangelo's drawings did not believe he created the works at the time of their discovery 50 years ago. She added, "Others had a more moderate view, in the sense they thought that some could be by Michelangelo and others could be by followers. So the debate is ongoing."

　　The room was used to store coal until 1955. Then it was closed and forgotten for years below a special kind of opening known as a trapdoor. The trapdoor was hidden beneath furniture. The drawings themselves were discovered under two layers of plaster – a substance used to make walls and ceilings smooth.

　　Dal Poggetto believed Michelangelo hid in the space to escape the anger of Pope Clement VII. The artist had supported a short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis.

　　In the room, the artist drew for some of his projects. They include drawings believed to be the legs of Giuliano de' Medici.

　　Starting on November 15, small groups of four people will be able to visit the room for about 15 minutes. Visitors will have to pay an additional $20 on top of the $10 charged for entry to the main museum.

　　The museum said it limits the number of visitors because of the need to reduce exposure of the artworks to light. At most, 100 visitors will be able to go to the room each week.

　　I'm John Russell.

　　John Russell adapted this story from AP and Reuters reports.

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　　作者:约翰·拉塞尔

　　2023年11月3日

　　游客们很快就能看到意大利佛罗伦萨市美第奇教堂内隐藏已久的空间。这个小空间的墙上有一些绘画，一些专家认为这些绘画可能是著名艺术家米开朗基罗创作的。

　　密室很小——10米乘3米。1975年，官员们在寻找美第奇教堂的新出口时发现了这个房间。

　　现任馆长Paola D'Agostino说，当时的馆长Paolo Dal Poggetto坚信这些画是米开朗基罗的作品。关于这个问题的辩论从那时开始，一直持续到今天。

　　达戈斯蒂诺表示，在50年前发现米开朗基罗画作的时候，专家们并不相信这些作品是他创作的。她补充道，“其他人的观点更加温和，他们认为有些可能是米开朗基罗的作品，有些可能是其追随者的作品。所以争论还在继续。”

　　这个房间在1955年以前是用来储存煤的。然后它被关闭，并被遗忘在一种特殊的开口下多年，这种开口被称为活板门。活板门藏在下面设备。这些画本身是在两层灰泥下面发现的，灰泥是一种用来使墙壁和天花板光滑的物质。

　　达尔·波格托认为米开朗基罗藏在这个地方是为了逃避教皇克拉门特七世的愤怒。这位艺术家曾支持一个推翻美第奇家族的短命共和国。

　　在房间里，艺术家为他的一些项目画画。其中包括被认为是朱利亚诺·德·梅第奇腿的图画。

　　从11月15日开始，四人小组将能够参观房间约15分钟。除了主博物馆10英镑的门票费之外，参观者还得再付20英镑。

　　博物馆表示，它限制游客数量是因为需要减少暴露艺术品的光。每周最多有100名游客可以进入这个房间。

　　我是约翰·拉塞尔。

　　约翰·拉塞尔改编自美联社和路透社的报道。

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　　这个故事中的词语

　　furniture – n.椅子、桌子、床等。

　　exposure – n.受某事影响或经历某事的事实或状态