lebensdurstige oder lebensverträumte Frauengestalten

English translation: female figures, hungry for life or lost in a dreamworld / an imaginary realm

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:lebensdurstige oder lebensverträumte Frauengestalten
English translation:female figures, hungry for life or lost in a dreamworld / an imaginary realm
Entered by: Helen Shiner

10:24 Feb 10, 2012
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / Book on Klimt
German term or phrase: lebensdurstige oder lebensverträumte Frauengestalten
This is a quote from Berta Zuckerkandl on Klimt's paintings of women. I can understand "thirsty for life", but I'm not sure whether "lebensverträumt" means "dreaming of life" or "dreaming life away". I'd also like to keep the repetition in the translation if possible! I'm feeling a bit stumped at the moment.

Thanks for any suggestions.


„Klimt malt die Frau seiner Zeit. Die Struktur ihres Gerüstes, die Kontur ihrer Formen, die Modellierung ihres Fleisches, die Maschinerie ihrer Bewegungen hat er bis in die geheimsten Wesensfasern verfolgt und seinem Gedächtnis für immer eingeprägt. Auf diesem sicheren, festen Boden stehend, variiert er das Thema des Weibes in all seinen Beziehungen zur Schöpfung, zur Natur. Bald grausam wollüstig, bald heiter sinnlich, malt er Frauen voll rätselhaftem Reiz. Der schillernde Fleischton ihres schlanken Körpers, der phosphoreszierende Glanz der Haut, der quadratische Schnitt des breitgewölbten Schädels und die sündhaft rötliche Mähne geben ein Ganzes
von tiefster psychologischer und malerischer Wirkung. Im Portrait schafft er nervige, rassige, **lebensdurstige
oder lebensverträumte Frauengestalten**, die alle trotz ihrer charakteristischen Verschiedenheiten von Klimts
Gnaden sind. Als Idealfigur aber löst er den Frauenkörper in herrliche, dekorative Linien auf. Alles Zufällige,
alles Individuell-Charakteristische fällt ab, nur das rein Typische, der sublimierte Extrakt des modernen Frauentypus, wie der Künstler ihn ausgelöst hat, bleibt in vollster Stilreinheit zurück.“

Thank you!
Rachel Ward
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:08
female figures, hungry for life or lost in an imaginary realm
Explanation:
Bit of a stretch, and it depends on how far you want to go from a literal translation

or lost in the realm of dreams
or lost in a dreamworld
or lost in the world of dreams

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2012-02-10 14:40:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Easier to construct the sentence in this way than to try and find adjectives.
Selected response from:

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:08
Grading comment
Went with the "Dreamworld" in the end. Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2female figures, hungry for life or lost in an imaginary realm
Helen Shiner
4female figures parched for and dreaming of life...
Parrot


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
female figures parched for and dreaming of life...


Explanation:
a suggestion (did you watch the New Year's concert? That interpretation occurred to me...)

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 08:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stephen Reader: craving and musing on life?
1 hr
  -> really hard to say for nondescript ages, but the whole oeuvre borders on Freudian.

neutral  oa_xxx (X): its a hard one and I might be wrong but to me the two words are opposites describing 2 different types which this doesnt quite get-eager/lust for life/vigour versus dreamy, far away, languorous...??
4 hrs

neutral  Helen Shiner: 'parched for life' just sounds wrinkly to me. Not a phrase I know, but others might be familiar with it.
4 hrs

disagree  thefastshow: think parched is a little over the top http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parch it expresses a craving due to lack of something. Do Klimts women look like that? I'd say they are quite confident enjoying life and to some extend being marked by the
2 days 46 mins
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
female figures, hungry for life or lost in an imaginary realm


Explanation:
Bit of a stretch, and it depends on how far you want to go from a literal translation

or lost in the realm of dreams
or lost in a dreamworld
or lost in the world of dreams

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2012-02-10 14:40:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Easier to construct the sentence in this way than to try and find adjectives.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 275
Grading comment
Went with the "Dreamworld" in the end. Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  oa_xxx (X): and also like hungry rather than thirsty for life
22 mins
  -> Thanks, orla

agree  Bernhard Sulzer: with your first suggestion.
12 hrs
  -> Thanks
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