abgerissener Künstler

English translation: unkempt artist

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	abgerissener Künstler
English translation:	unkempt artist
Entered by:	monbuckland

12:06 Aug 20, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

German term or phrase: abgerissener Künstler

This is from a text describing a theatre piece:
"Sieben Figuren sind unterwegs. Die rigorose Frau im Morgenrock, der schüchterne Totengräber, das schusslige Mädchen, der abgerissene Künstler, die einsame Lehrerin, der tollpatschige Kofferträger und der Reiseleiter werfen sich aufeinander und rütteln sich durcheinander, bis sie sich endlich finden."

monbuckland KudoZ activity Questions: 216 (1 open) (6 without valid answers) (20 closed without grading) Answers: 55 United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23

unkempt artist

Explanation:
HTH

Selected response from:

Stephen Gobin
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23

Grading comment

Thanks folks - I wish I could award points to you *all*!
This is the one I went with, though it was a close run with "ragamuffin", which I think is a great word. And in other contexts I may well have used any of the other suggestions.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

tattered or scruffy artist

babli

3 +2

dishevelled artist

Dave 72

4 +1

unkempt artist

Stephen Gobin

shabby artist

Nicholas Krivenko

3 +1

ragged artist

Helen Shiner

washed out artist

Olaf (X)

ragamuffin artist

Paul Cohen

Answers

7 mins confidence:

abgerissene Künstler shabby artist

Explanation:
This comes to mind very quickly. :-)

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Note added at 11 mins (2008-08-20 12:18:11 GMT)
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Here is a better one I think:

SHAGGY-LOOKING ARTISTS

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Note added at 15 mins (2008-08-20 12:22:30 GMT)
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Have a look under: www.starving-artists.net/sa2/showphoto. php?photo=6452&sort=1&cat=all --> STARVING ARTISTS presented by Mike Sibley Fine art Caricature of Mike ... dog13 years old and was a shaggy looking mess Not a good candidate foradoption But ...
OR
... but Charleston ’s Clay Center has drawn its share of legendary artists. ... When their set was finished, two shaggy looking dudes (one of which was ...
whoopingllama.com/?cat=11&paged=2

Nicholas Krivenko
Ireland
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of:

German,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

abgerissene Künstler tattered or scruffy artist

Explanation:

Artist who is down and out.

Reference: http://leo.dict.cc
Reference: http://dictionary.reverso.net

babli
Local time: 06:53
Native speaker of:

Hindi

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

abgerissene Künstler dishevelled artist

Explanation:
Just an idea

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Note added at 11 mins (2008-08-20 12:18:34 GMT)
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Or thinking about it, maybe it is more to do with the artist themselves, rather than simply their appearance- meaning something like "incoherent" (in that nobody else understands what they are on about!)

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Note added at 24 mins (2008-08-20 12:30:59 GMT)
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There does seem to be quite a few google references to "dishevelled artist"

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Note added at 33 mins (2008-08-20 12:40:21 GMT)
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http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1B_sNG-umxgC&pg=PA254&dq=...

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Note added at 36 mins (2008-08-20 12:43:31 GMT)
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Sorry- that link might not be much help (just clicked it, and it doesn't have the same quote from the book as when I pasted it).

Dave 72
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

57 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

abgerissene Künstler ragged artist

Explanation:
Another suggestion. Some instances of its usage:

"The Central City Opera House Association hired me to do a series of paintings and sketches of the famous mining town, which they were then rejuvenating as an opera center and tourist attraction. I stayed at the Teller House while working up there, and the whim struck me to paint a face on the floor of the old Teller House barroom. In its mining boom heyday it was just such a floor as the ragged artist used in d’Arcy's famous old poem."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Face_on_the_Barroom_Floor_(...

As used in a quiz:

"2. How was Athena "born"?

A ragged artist chiseled her from stone and breathed life into her.
She materialized from a rainbow.
She sprung, fully-grown out of her father's head.
She was born of sea foam."
http://www.queendom.com/tests/quiz/index.htm?idRegTest=839

"First, it has a one of the only distinguishable guitar riffs on the album. Paired with Billy's voice singing about "My Old Heart," it is comforting. Second, Mina Loy is the Modernist, Feminist author of the novel Insel, a book about a ragged artist with crooked teeth who is indescribably mesmerizing to everyone that comes into contact with him. I have always thought that Insel was written about Billy in a past life."
http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/billycorgan_thefu...

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Note added at 58 mins (2008-08-20 13:05:05 GMT)
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Or even 'artist in rags'.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 74

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

abgerissene Künstler

unkempt artist

Explanation:
HTH

Stephen Gobin
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Grading comment

3 hrs confidence:

washed out artist

Explanation:
Another possibility.

Olaf (X)
Local time: 03:23
Native speaker of:

German

10 mins confidence:

abgerissene Künstler ragamuffin artist

Explanation:
Another idea.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2008-08-20 20:29:50 GMT)
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I have to admit that I love the word "ragamuffin" - and I'm not the only one:

Carl Hiner is a self-described ragamuffin artist, using unique old windows to frame his original photographs. Comparing the art to his own life, Carl says, "I've been beaten up, dirty and discarded and God has resurrected me from the dumpster."
"http://www.tgnn.com/updates.html"

Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 00:23
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 32

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English translation: unkempt artist

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English translation: unkempt artist

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