Mount Rushmore: The Biggest Work of Art in the World 拉什莫尔山 ——世界上最大的艺术作品

侯冬意

There couldnt be a better way to pay a mark of respect to those who changed the course of history than by building a monument1 that was to become a hallmark2 for the country. On the Black Hills of South Dakota， Mount Rushmore is certainly one such feat3 that stands out in terms of design and skillfulness involved in its construction4. Whats more， the presence of extremely well known figures makes it even more attractive for the visitors. That is why nearly three million people flock toward this very site every year. The mastermind behind its making was Doane Robinson， a state historian. But the one who gave real life to his plan was a sculptor5 named Gutzon Borglum who built something with no precedent6 in its making. During the first 150 years of the countrys history， four US Presidents demand higher respect than others are Washington， Jefferson， Lincoln and Roosevelt. Borglum rightly picked out these four for his carving.

对于那些改变历史进程的人来说，没有比建造一座成为整个国家标志的纪念碑更好的方式来表达敬意了。拉什莫尔山位于南达科他州的黑山地区，尤其从建筑设计和技巧上来说，它无疑是这样一个壮举。更重要的是，杰出人物的存在使它更吸引游客，这就是为什么每年有近300万人涌向这个地方的原因。它的幕后策划者是历史学家多恩·罗宾逊，但真正赋予该计划生命力的是一位名叫格曾·博格勒姆的雕塑家，他建造了一座史无前例的作品。在美国历史的前150年里，有四位美国总统比其他人更受人尊重，他们分别是：华盛顿、杰斐逊、林肯和罗斯福。博格勒姆挑选了这四位来雕刻是正确的。

A Brief History

It all began in 1923 when Robinson came up with an idea of turning one of the South Dakotas hills into something that has never been attempted before. He therefore sought the help of Peter Norbeck （a US senator7） who liked his idea so much that he told him to find a sculptor that would turn his dream into reality. In 1924， Robinson sent a proposal8 to Gutzon Borglum. Borglum agreed to his proposal right away. After passing through few bumpy9 rides on its way due to lack of money as well as environmentalists fear， the plan was eventually passed. However， the arrival of President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 put the project on a somewhat faster track. He formally announced Mount Rushmore as a “National Shrine10”.

簡要历史  ☉☉☉☉

这一切始于1923年，当时罗宾逊提出了一个想法，要对南达科他州的一座山进行以前从未尝试过的改造。因此，他寻求彼得·诺贝克（一位美国参议员）的帮助，诺贝克非常喜欢他的想法，他告诉罗宾逊要找一位能把他的梦想变成现实的雕塑家。1924年，罗宾逊向格曾·博格勒姆送去了一份提议。博格勒姆立刻同意了他的提议。由于缺乏资金以及环境保护主义者的担心，该计划几经波折，终于获得通过。不过，1927年卡尔文·柯立芝总统的到来加快了这项计划的进程。他正式宣布拉什莫尔山为“国家圣地”。

Fascinating Mount Rushmore Facts

The carving of this mountain is indeed the biggest artistic11 work across the globe so far.

The mountain was named in 1885 after Charles E. Rushmore， a New York attorney12.

The four Presidents on Mount Rushmore are George Washington， Thomas Jefferson， Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

The project took 14 long years to complete.

Nearly 400 workers were involved in its making.

Luckily， no worker passed away during construction.

Borglum was 60 years old when he started carving Mount Rushmore.

450，000 tons of hard rocks were actually taken out from the hill.

关于拉什莫尔山的有趣事实 ☉☉☉☉

这座山的雕刻确实是迄今为止全球最大的艺术作品。

这座山是1885年以纽约的律师查尔斯·E·拉什莫尔的名字命名的。

拉什莫尔山上的四位总统是：乔治·华盛顿、托马斯·杰斐逊、亚伯拉罕·林肯和西奥多·罗斯福。

整个项目花了14年时间才完成。

将近400名工人参与了这项工程。

幸运的是，没有工人在建筑过程中死亡。

开始雕刻拉什莫尔山时，博格勒姆已经60岁了。

实际上从山上挖去了45万吨坚硬的岩石。

Other Mount Rushmore Facts

One of the reasons why Borglum chose Mount Rushmore is the fact that the hill is positioned in such a way that it receives maximum13 sunlight and thus the sunlight shines Presidents faces for most of the daytime.

The rocks on Mount Rushmore are really smooth and also hard so that even after 10，000 years it may wear away by only one inch. Thats why Borglum chose this very site.

George Washington rightly earned the first place in Mount Rushmore （he was the first to be carved out） as he represents14 the birth of the nation.

Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941 and his son， Lincoln Borglum took over the ongoing work of his father.

Lincoln spent only seven months on the project and ended it on October 31， 1941.

Had the project was carried out according to the original plan （which included the face as well as body and down to the toes）， the height of each President wouldve been 465 feet high.

其他有趣的事實 ☉☉☉☉

博格勒姆选择拉什莫尔山的原因之一是山的位置。它能最大限度地接收到阳光的照射，白天的大部分时间里，太阳光都照射在总统们的脸上。

拉什莫尔山的岩石真的很光滑，也很坚硬，因此即使在一万年后，估计也只会磨损一英寸（2.54厘米）。这就是博格勒姆选择这个地方的原因。

乔治·华盛顿在拉什莫尔山赢得了第一名（他是第一个被雕刻出来的），因为他代表了美国的诞生。

格曾·博格勒姆于1941年3月去世，他的儿子林肯·博格勒姆接手了他父亲正在进行的工作。

林肯·博格勒姆在这个项目上只工作了7个月，并于1941年10月31日结束了这个项目。

如果这个项目是按照最初的计划进行的（雕塑包括面部、身体到脚趾头），每一位总统的身高将达到465英尺（141.7米）。

Quick Guide to Mount Rushmore Facts

Name of sculptor： Gutzon Borglum

Person who conceived the idea： Doane Robinson

Starting date of construction： October 4， 1927

Ending date of construction： October 31， 1941

Total cost of project： nearly $1 million

Height of Mount Rushmore： 5，725 feet

Height of each face： 60 feet

Length of each nose： 20 feet

Width of each mouth： 18 feet

Span of each eye： 11 feet

Completion years of four Presidents：

George Washington： 1930

Thomas Jefferson： 1936

Abraham Lincoln： 1937

Theodore Roosevelt： 1939

拉什莫尔山快速指南 ☉☉☉☉

雕塑家姓名：格曾·博格勒姆

构思这个想法的人：多恩·罗宾逊

开工日期：1927年10月4日

竣工日期：1941年10月31日

项目总成本：近100万美元

拉什莫尔山高度：5725英尺（约1745米）

每张脸的高度：60英尺（约18米）

每个鼻子的长度：20英尺（约6米）

每张嘴的宽度：18英尺（约5.5米）

每只眼睛的跨度：11英尺（约3.4米）

四位总统雕像的建成时间：

乔治·华盛顿：1930年

托马斯·杰斐逊：1936年

亚伯拉罕·林肯：1937年

西奥多·罗斯福：1939年

【Notes】

1. monument [     ] n. 纪念碑;历史遗迹;不朽的作品

2. hallmark [     ] n. 标志;特征

3. feat [     ] n. 功绩，壮举

4. construction [     ] n. 建设;建筑物

5. sculptor [     ] n. 雕刻家

6. precedent [      ] n. 先例;前例

7. senator [     ] n. 參议员

8. proposal [     ] n. 提议，建议

9. bumpy [     ] adj. 颠簸的;崎岖不平的

10. shrine [     ] n. 圣地;神殿

11. artistic [    ] adj. 艺术的

12. attorney [     ] n. 律师

13. maximum [     ] adj. 最高的;最多的;最大极限的

14. represent [      ] vt. 代表;表现