第25章　美国最杰出的雕塑家

现在，我打算给你们说一说圣-戈登斯。圣-戈登斯既非基督教的殉道者，也非基督教使徒；他根本就不是一位圣徒。只是因为他姓“圣-戈登斯”，就像有的人可能姓亚当斯或者姓冯·兴登堡一样。他的名字，叫作奥古斯塔斯。

虽然我跟你们说圣-戈登斯不是一位圣徒，但我并不是要让你们觉得他这个人很坏。相反，圣-戈登斯是一个很好的人，也是一位非常杰出的雕塑家。

从一个方面来看，我们便知道，他是一位真正伟大的雕塑家，因为有如此之多不同的人都喜欢他的作品。对于奥古斯塔斯·圣-戈登斯创作的雕塑作品，年轻人和成年人可都是同样地赞不绝口呢。

圣-戈登斯第一件伟大的雕塑作品，便是海军上将法拉格特的雕像。法拉格特上将是南北战争时期美国海军的一名将领。这尊雕像坐落在纽约市的麦迪逊广场公园里，表现的是这位海军上将站在军舰甲板上时必定拥有的那种威风凛凛的模样。他的双腿微微分开，牢牢地对抗着海船的起伏。海风将他的外套吹向后方。由于海风猛烈，他的帽子紧紧地扣在头上。他的面容坚强，看上去毅然得很，似乎已经下定了决心，不管前面是什么，都要获得胜利。

of stone to hold the statue high.But Admiral Farragut’s pedestal is really part of the statue.An architect helped Saint-Gaudens design the pedestal.The ripples and the dolphins in the pedestal make you think of the ocean.And the naval sword in the front carries your eye up to the admiral.Notice that Admiral Farragut is in his uniform, which includes long pants called trousers.

This is the first statue we've looked at that shows a figure in trousers. In George Washington's time, sculptors put their bronze or marble men in knee breeches.When men began to wear long pants, the sculptors had a hard time because the pants are apt to look like stovepipes or logs instead of like cloth leg coverings.But Saint-Gaudens didn't let tree-trunk trousers spoil his statues.His statues are good even in trousers.

And there's another statue of his in trousers to prove it. Saint-Gaudens'Abraham Lincoln is one of the best-loved statues in America.It stands in Lincoln Park in Chicago.A copy of the statue was given to Great Britain by the United States and was put up near Westminster Abbey in London.Lincoln stands before a chair of state, or a president's chair.He looks as if he has just stood up to say something to the people before him.Lincoln's face is serious.It is a face that has in it both strength and gentleness, as though Lincoln knew that

现在，请大家看一看这尊雕像的基座。绝大多数雕像的基座，都只是一块块巨大的石头，好让雕像高高屹立罢了。但是，《法拉格特上将像》这尊雕塑的基座，实际上却是整座雕像的一部分。是一位建筑师，协助圣-戈登斯设计出这个基座的。基座上的波浪和海豚，令人想起茫无天际的海洋。而前部的海军之剑，则带领着我们的目光往上，去瞻仰这位海军上将。请注意，法拉格特上将身着制服，包括长裤。

这是我们见过的、其中人物身着长裤的第一尊雕塑作品。在乔治·华盛顿的那个时代，雕塑家们制作出来的青铜或大理石人物雕像，都是穿着短裤的。人们开始穿长裤之后，雕塑家们可犯了难，因为长裤雕刻出来后，看上去很容易像是大烟囱或者圆木，而不像是人们腿上所穿的裤子。但圣-戈登斯并没有让这种树干似的长裤，毁掉自己的这件雕塑作品。即便是其中的人物穿着裤子，他创作出来的雕塑也是很优秀的。

他还有一尊穿着长裤的雕塑作品，可以证明这一点。圣-戈登斯创作的《亚伯拉罕·林肯》，是美国民众最喜爱的雕塑作品之一。这件雕塑，坐落在芝加哥的林肯公园里。美国曾经把这尊雕塑的一件复制品赠送给英国，立在伦敦威斯敏斯特大

millions of anxious people were depending on him to lead them and comfort them.Do you know what the words dignity and simplicity mean?Saint-Gaudens’Abraham Lincoln has dignity.And it has simplicity.

The Farragut and Lincoln statues are of Civil War leaders. Saint-Gaudens was much too young at the time to be in the Civil War himself.But after the war, people wanted statues of the war heroes and Saint-Gaudens was chosen to make some of them.

The next statue is also of a Civil War leader. Saint-Gaudens made a statue in memory of Colonel Shaw, who commanded the first African American regiment from Massachusetts.The statue stands in Boston on the spot from which Colonel Shaw and his soldiers started out for the war.

The Shaw Memorial is in relief. It shows the young colonel mounted on a horse and riding beside the marching African American men in his regiment.Above in the sky flies the angel of death.Saint-Gaudens put the angel of death there because Colonel Shaw was killed in battle with many of his soldiers.

The sculptor worked on this relief for fourteen years. Again and again he made

教堂附近呢。作品中，林肯站在国家元首宝座前，或者说总统宝座之前。他似乎是刚刚站起身来，要向面前的民众说点儿什么。林肯的面容非常严肃。这张面庞，既饱含力量，又充满了亲切和善之情，仿佛林肯明白，千百万忧心如焚的民众正在倚赖着他，需要他的率领，需要他的鼓舞。你们知不知道，“庄严”和“朴素”这两个词的意思呢？圣-戈登斯的《亚伯拉罕·林肯像》，就显得既庄严，又朴素。

法拉格特上将像和林肯像，描绘的都是美国内战中的领导人。当时，圣-戈登斯还太小，没法参加这场内战。可战争过后，美国民众希望为战争中的这些英雄人物雕刻塑像，便选定圣-戈登斯来为其中的一些领袖制作雕塑了。

下一尊雕像，刻画的也是美国内战中的一位领导人。圣-戈登斯制作了一尊雕像，来纪念那位曾经指挥过马萨诸塞州第一支美籍非裔军团的肖上校。这件雕塑，坐落在波士顿，就在肖上校曾经率军开始出征的那个地方。

《肖上校纪念碑》是一件浮雕作品。它描绘了这位年轻的上校骑在马上，在手下那个美籍非裔军团进军时驰骋一旁的情形。天空中，飞翔着死亡天使。圣-戈登斯之所以雕上死亡天使，是因为后来肖上校与手下许多的士兵全都英勇阵亡了。

圣-戈登斯花了十四年的时间，才完成了这尊浮雕。他一遍又一遍地修改，直

changes until he felt that every part of the statue was right.In fact, he was so careful to make it a good memorial that he spent more money making it than he was paid for doing it.The marching soldiers, the slanting rifles, the spirited horse, the forward look of the rider, and the drawn sword give such swing and movement to the whole statue that you can almost hear the tramp of the feet and the beat of the drums.

Do you still remember the equestrian statue that is called the best in all the world?And the equestrian statue called the second best?Now we come to the equestrian statue that has been called the third best equestrian statue. The sculptor was Saint-Gaudens.The statue is of General Sherman.General Sherman was a Union leader in the Civil War.The statue shows General Sherman riding forward behind the angel of victory.

The Sherman statue is made of bronze but it is painted with gold paint, or gilt, so it isn't the same color as other bronze statues. It stands near the entrance to Central Park in New York City for all to see.It was made by one of the best American sculptors of all.

到自己觉得雕塑的每个部分都没有问题才罢手。事实上，他太过谨慎，想要让这件作品成为一座优秀的纪念碑，因此花出去的钱比创作这件雕塑赚到的工钱还要多哩。行进中的士兵、他们斜斜扛着的步枪、那匹精神饱满的战马、骑马者急切的面容，以及他拔出来的那把利剑，给整座雕像赋予了强烈的节奏感和运动感，以至于你们几乎都可以听得到进军步伐的声音，听得见战鼓的轰鸣。

你们还记不记得那件被称为世界上最杰出的骑马雕塑作品呢？还记不记得那尊号称世界第二杰出的骑马雕塑呢？如今，我们碰到的，则是被称为世界第三的骑马雕塑作品了。雕刻出这件作品的，就是圣-戈登斯。而这件雕塑作品，就是谢尔曼将军像。谢尔曼将军是美国内战中的一位领导人。这尊雕塑，描绘的就是谢尔曼将军骑着战马，跟在胜利天使之后前进的情形。

谢尔曼将军纪念像由青铜浇铸而成，但上面涂成了金色；也就是说，它是一尊镀金青铜像，因此它的颜色与其他青铜雕塑作品并不一样。它屹立在纽约市中央公园的入口，供万人瞻仰。它也是由美国历史上这位最杰出的雕刻家雕制出来的。