The stories behind The New Yorker's iconic covers | Françoise Mouly

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 易帆 余

So 24 years ago,

24 年前，

I was brought to The New Yorker

我到紐約客雜誌 （The New Yorker）

as art editor

擔任藝術編輯，

to rejuvenate

去把活力和精神帶給

what had by then become a somewhat staid institution

當時已古板不再變化的機構，

and to bring in new artists

並帶入新的藝術家，

and to try to bring the magazine from its ivory tower

試著把雜誌從它的象牙塔帶出來，

into engaging with its time.

讓它與時代結合。

And it was just the right thing for me to do

對我來說，那是一件 對的、該做的事，

because I've always been captivated by how an image can --

因為我一直都覺得，一張圖像──

a simple drawing --

一張簡單的繪畫──

can cut through the torrent of images that we see every single day.

如何在我們每日看到的圖像洪流中 開出一條路，是很讓人著迷的。

How it can capture a moment,

它如何能夠捕捉到一個時刻，

how it can crystallize a social trend or a complex event

它如何能用許多文字 都做不到的方式，

in a way that a lot of words wouldn't be able to do --

將社會趨勢或複雜事件 給具體呈現出來──

and reduce it to its essence and turn it into a cartoon.

並將之精簡後，再轉為一幅漫畫。

So I went to the library

所以，我去了圖書館，

and I looked at the first cover drawn by Rea Irvin in 1925 --

我看著這第一張封面， 它是瑞厄文在 1925 年所繪的。

a dandy looking at a butterfly through his monocle,

一個時髦男子透過 他的單片眼鏡看著一隻蝴蝶。

and we call it Eustace Tilley.

我們稱它為「 尤斯特斯．特利。」

And I realized that as the magazine had become known

我了解到，這本雜誌會出名，

for its in-depth research and long reports,

是因為它的深度研究 以及很長的報導，

some of the humor had gotten lost along the way,

在過程中，有些幽默不見了，

because now often Eustace Tilley was seen as a haughty dandy,

因為現在，尤斯特斯．特利 通常被視為是高傲的時髦男子，

but in fact, in 1925,

但事實上，在 1925 年，

when Rea Irvin first drew this image,

當瑞厄文最初畫這張圖時，

he did it as part of a humor magazine

是把它當作幽默雜誌的一部份，

to amuse the youth of the era,

用來娛樂那個時代的年輕人，

which was the flappers of the roaring twenties.

也就是咆哮的二十年代的 年輕時髦女子。

And in the library,

在圖書館中，

I found the images that really captured the zeitgeist

我找到一些圖像，它們真的捕捉到了

of the Great Depression.

經濟大蕭條的時代精神。

And it showed us not just how people dressed

它呈現的不只是人們的穿著、

or what their cars looked like,

或是他們開什麼樣的車，

but also what made them laugh,

也呈現出什麼能讓他們笑、

what their prejudices were.

他們的偏見是什麼。

And you really got a sense

你真的能夠了解

of what it felt like to be alive in the '30s.

活在三十年代是什麼樣的感覺。

So I called on contemporary artists,

所以我拜訪了當代藝術家，

such as Adrian Tomine here.

比如畫這張圖的阿德里安．突米內。

I often call on narrative artists --

我常會拜訪敘事性藝術家，

cartoonists, children's book authors --

如漫畫家、童書作者，

and I give them themes such as,

我會給他們主題，像是

you know, what it's like to be in the subway,

在地鐵是什麼感覺、

or Valentine's Day,

或情人節。

and they send me sketches.

他們會把草圖寄給我。

And once the sketches are approved by the editor,

一旦草圖被編輯大衛．瑞姆尼克

David Remnick,

審核過了，

it's a go.

就可以用了。

And I love the way

我喜歡的是，

those images are actually not telling you what to think.

那些圖像其實並不是 在告訴你要怎麼想，

But they do make you think,

但它們會讓你去思考，

because the artist is actually --

因為藝術家其實──

it's almost a puzzle;

這幾乎像是在解謎；

the artist is drawing the dots,

藝術家畫出一部份，

and you, the reader, have to complete the picture.

而身為讀者的你， 得把整幅圖給完成。

So to get this image on the left by Anita Kunz,

所以，若要了解左邊這張 安妮塔．庫恩茲設計的圖像，

or the one on right by Tomer Hanuka,

或是右邊這張 桐姆爾． 阿努卡設計的，

you have to play spot the differences.

你得要玩比比看差在哪的遊戲。

And it is something that ...

這就像是……

It's really exciting to see

能夠看見讀者的參與感，

how the engagement with the reader ...

是很讓人興奮的……

how those images really capture --

那些圖像如何描繪──

play with the stereotypes.

吐槽你的刻板印象。

But when you get it,

但當你看懂的時候，

it rearranges the stereotypes that are in your head.

它會顛覆你腦中的刻板印象。

But the images don't just have to show people,

但圖像並不見得一定要 呈現什麼給人看，

sometimes it can be a feeling.

有時，它可以是一種感覺。

Right after September 11,

在 911 事件之後，

I was at a point,

我處在一個狀況，

like everybody else,

和其他人一樣，

where I really didn't know how to deal with what we were going through,

我不知道要如何呈現我們所經歷的，

and I felt that no image could capture this moment,

我覺得沒有任何圖像 能夠描繪出我們當時的感受，

and I wanted to just do a black cover,

我想要做一個黑白的封面，

like no cover.

就像沒有封面一樣。

And I talked to my husband, cartoonist Art Spiegelman,

我先生亞特．史匹格爾曼 是個漫畫家，我跟他談了這事，

and mentioned to him that I was going to propose that,

跟他提到我的封面提案，

and he said, "Oh, if you're going to do a black cover,

他說：「喔，如果你要 做黑白的封面，

then why don't you do the silhouette of the Twin Towers,

那你為什麼不做 世貿雙子星大樓的輪廓，

black on black?"

黑色加在黑色上面？」

And I sat down to draw this,

我坐下來，畫了這個，

and as soon as I saw it,

當我看到它的那一刻，

a shiver ran down my spine

我的脊椎起了一陣涼意，

and I realized

我了解到，

that in this refusal to make an image,

在百般不願意中，

we had found a way to capture loss

我們找到了一種方式來 回憶我們的失去、

and mourning

悲痛、

and absence.

與離別。

And it's been a profound thing that I learned in the process --

我在過程中學到的是 很深奧的東西──

that sometimes some of the images that say the most

有時，含有最多意涵的圖像，

do it with the most spare means.

往往卻是用最簡單的方式表達。

And a simple image can speak volumes.

一張簡單的圖像 可以訴說出一大堆的道理。

So this is the image that we published by Bob Staake

我們出版的這個圖像是 巴伯．史達克的作品，

right after the election of Barack Obama,

在歐巴馬的選舉之後出版的，

and captured a historic moment.

捕捉到了這個歷史性的時刻。

But we can't really plan for this,

但我們無去計畫這些，

because in order to do this,

因為為了做到這樣，

we have to let the artist experience the emotions that we all feel

我們得要讓藝術家體驗到 事件發生時我們所有人

when that is happening.

感受到的情緒。

So back in November 2016,

所以，回到 2016 年 11 月，

during the election last year,

去年，在選舉時，

the only image that we could publish was this,

我們唯一能出版的圖像就是這個，

which was on the stand on the week that everybody voted.

在大家投票的那週，擺在報攤上。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Because we knew somebody would feel this --

因為我們知道有些人的 感受就是這樣──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

when the result of the election was announced.

當選舉結果公佈時。

And when we found out the result,

當我們得知結果時，

we really were at a loss,

我們真的不知如何是好，

and this is the image that was sent by Bob Staake again,

這張圖像同樣也是 巴伯．史達克寄來的，

and that really hit a chord.

它真的有打中人心。

And again,

同樣的，

we can't really figure out what's going to come next,

我們真的無法知道 接下來會發生什麼事，

but here it felt like we didn't know how to move forward,

當下感覺到，似乎 我們不知道如何向前進，

but we did move forward,

但我們確實向前進了，

and this is the image that we published after Donald Trump's election

這張圖像是我們在 川普選舉之後出版的，

and at the time of the Women's March

那時正值全美各地的

all over the US.

女權大遊行。

So over those 24 years,

所以在這 24 年間，

I have seen over 1,000 images come to life week after week,

一週又一週，我看過了 一千多張活生生的圖像，

and I'm often asked which one is my favorite,

我常被問，哪張是我的最愛，

but I can't pick one

但我無法選出一張，

because what I'm most proud of is how different every image is,

因為我最驕傲的就是每張圖像

都有自己的獨特性，

one from the other.

And that's due to the talent and the diversity

原因是所有的藝術家們都貢獻出了

of all of the artists that contribute.

他們的才華和多樣性。

And now, well,

而現在，

now, we're owned by Russia,

現在我們是歸俄國所有，

so --

所以──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

In a rendering by Barry Blitt here,

在巴瑞．比李特所設計的表現中，

Eustace has become Eustace Vladimirovich Tilley.

尤斯特斯變成了俄式名字 尤斯特斯．弗拉基米洛維奇．特利，

And the butterfly is none other than a flabbergasted Donald Trump

而蝴蝶不是別人， 正是啞然失色的川普，

flapping his wings,

拍著他的翅膀，

trying to figure out how to control the butterfly effect,

試著想出要如何控制蝴蝶效應，

and the famed logo that was drawn by Rae Irvin in 1925

而瑞厄文在 1925 年 設計的著名商標，

is now in Cyrillic.

現在改用西里爾字母來寫。

So, what makes me really excited about this moment

對於這個時刻，讓我感到很興奮的

is the way that ...

是那方式……

You know, free press is essential to our democracy.

你知道的，自由媒體對於 我們的民主而言是很重要的，

And we can see from the sublime to the ridiculous

從崇高的到可笑的，我們可以看見

that artists can capture what is going on

藝術家能夠捕捉到發生的事情，

in a way that an artist

這種方式是一個藝術家

armed with just India ink and watercolor

即使只有墨水和水彩顏料，

can capture and enter into the cultural dialogue.

也能捕捉並進入文化對話。

It puts those artists at the center of that culture,

這會把藝術家放在那文化的中心，

and that's exactly where I think they should be.

那也是我認為他們該身處的地方。

Because the main thing we need right now is a good cartoon.

因為現在我們最需要的 就是好的漫畫。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）