2007年VOA标准英语-Master Sculptor Selected For Martin Luther King

By Liu Enming
Washington, DC
27 February 2007
 
watch MLK Sculptor¹ report

A master sculptor was recently selected to carve the image of Martin Luther King, Jr. for a memorial to the slain² civil rights leader in Washington DC.  VOA's Elaine Lu introduces us to Mr. Lei Yixin, master sculptor.

Master sculptor Lei Yixen

Lei Yixin is one of the most prominent sculptors³ in China.  Some of his past works are in China's National Art Gallery collection.  Touted⁴ as a national treasure in China, he feels very fortunate to be chosen to work on the monument.

"I am familiar with Martin Luther King,” he said. “I think it will be an extraordinary work.  I have carved sculptures for many famous people in China.  But when he [the executive architect of the project] talked about the location and showed me the drawings of the sculpture, I was overwhelmed -- this is such a great and important project!"

Architects with the memorial foundation sought out Lei after he was recommended by several of his peers. Before him, the foundation had conducted an extensive search in Italy, but few had Lei's experience with granite⁵. 

Dr. Ed Jackson, the executive architect at the foundation said, "We found a litany of individuals.  We talked to many while we were there.  They are great in those soft stones like limestone⁶.  We knew from the outset that we want this particular memorial to be in granite." 

Dr. King's "Stone of Hope" statue will be carved out of granite from China's Fujian Province

Lei Yixin describes the material, "The stone is granite, it is very hard.  The color is light beige, close to skin color.  With the hardness of six-seven degrees, carving⁷ is very difficult, but once it is carved, it will be an artwork forever."

Lei's sculpture will be the centerpiece of the 1.6 hectare memorial, the first monument to an African-American to be built on the Washington Mall.  Lei has put a lot of thought into the piece.  "The most important element is the firmness.  In organizing the civil rights movement, he [Dr. King] was arrested more than 30 times.  Incarcerated⁸, he did not give up his firm beliefs.  So the sculpture has to capture that spirit.  In addition, he empowers people; so when people look at the sculpture, it should symbolize⁹ Dr. King's inner strength."

The memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

1 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

2 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

3 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

6 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

7 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

8 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

9 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。