每日艺术 | Plantation in Suriname: 苏

德克-法肯伯格，布面油画，1707年，荷兰国立博物馆藏，52.5x45.5cm

The plantation in Suriname we present today was at one point inherited by the man called Jonas Witsen. Jonas was a great art lover and had no plans to ever visit his plantations. As he was on good terms with the painter Dirk Valkenburg, Jonas commissioned Valkenburg to travel to Suriname and document his property so he could find out more about the nature and condition of his inheritance. Valkenburg was to go to Suriname for four years to take charge of their bookkeeping and to paint "all three plantations from life, as well as other rare birds and crops," and that he "agrees not to sell any paintings, watercolours or drawings or other art he makes during the stipulated time, or to paint for anyone else than for Mr Witsen." For the first two years Valkenburg was to earn 500 guilders a year, and thereafter 600, with the prospect of a bonus at the end of the contract’s term. He was to be given a good room and may dine at the manager’s table. Also, a "boy was assigned to serve him, to be treated not as a slave."

今天介绍的苏里南种植园曾一度被一个叫乔纳斯-维特森的男人继承。乔纳斯是一位热忱的艺术爱好者，但他并没有计划亲自参观他的种植园。由于他与画家德克-法肯伯格（Dirk Valkenburg）关系很好，乔纳斯委托法肯伯格前往苏里南，负责记录他名下的财产，以便他能更多地了解他所继承遗产的状况和自然风光。法肯伯格要在苏里南待四年，担任簿记工作，并为所有三个种植园以及其他珍稀鸟类和农作物写生作画，并且他同意不出售任何绘画、水彩、素描或在规定时间内创作的其他艺术作品，也不为维特森先生以外的任何人作画。法肯伯格前两年的年薪为五百荷兰盾，之后为六百荷兰盾，并在合同期满后可能会获得奖金。他还得到一个很好的房间，可以在种植园经理的餐桌上用餐。此外，还有一个“男孩被指派为他服务，不是作为奴隶。”

The private lives of the slaves on the plantation were very circumscribed;  everything was predicated on the work on the plantation, and they had scarcely any time or space for themselves. The people in slavery were usually given permission to celebrate once a year, most commonly after the harvest. They came together to make music, to dance, and to practice their own religious rituals. Valkenburg recorded one such rare moment of togetherness and relaxation in one of the paintings he produced for Witsen. It is a unique representation of people in slavery, with portraits that display a variety of expressions and emotions. 

种植园奴隶的私生活非常局限，一切都以种植园工作为前提，他们几乎没有自己的时间和空间。这些奴隶通常被允许每年庆祝一次，最常见的是在收获之后。他们聚在一起唱歌、奏乐、跳舞，并举行他们自己的宗教仪式。瓦尔肯伯格在他为维森创作的一幅画中记录了这样一个难得的团聚和放松的时刻。这幅画独特地表现了奴隶制下的人们，画中人物表现出各种表情和情绪。

Only on the weekends was there time for contact with family and the cultivation of their own subsistence crops. Witsen, however, had stipulated in his letter that even the free Saturday, specified in his benefactor's will, was to be rescinded. The owner felt the regular free Sunday provided more than enough opportunity for the enslaved people to work their small fields and visit friends and family on nearby plantations.

这些奴隶只有周末才有时间与家人相聚，并忙于种植维持自己生计的农作物。但维特森在信中规定，即使是他的捐赠人遗嘱中指定奴隶可以拥有自由的星期六也要取消。他认为定期的自由星期天已经为奴隶们提供了足够的机会让他们在自己的小田地里耕作，并探访附近种植园的亲友。

We present today's painting thanks to the Rijksmuseum. : )

感谢荷兰国立博物馆与我们分享今天的画作。:)