单选题
When the British artist Paul Day unveiled his
nine-metre-high bronze statue of two lovers locked in an embrace at London's
brand new St. Pancreas International Station last year it was lambasted as
"kitsch", "overblown" and "truly horrific". Now, a brief glimpse of a new frieze
to wrap around a plinth for The Meeting Place statue has been revealed,
depicting "dream-like" scenes inspired by the railways.
Passengers arriving from the continent will be greeted with a series of images
including a Tube train driven by a skeleton as a bearded drunk sways
precariously close to the passing train. Another shows the attempted suicide of
a jilted lover under a train reflected in the sunglasses of a fellow passenger.
Another section reveals a woman in short skirt with her legs wrapped round her
lover while they wait for the next train. Other less
controversial parts of the terracotta draft frieze depicts soldiers leaving on
troop trains for the First World War and the evacuation of London's underground
network after the terror attacks of 7 July, 2005. Until the
unveiling of The Meeting Place last year, Day, who lives in France, was best
known for the Battle of Britain memorial on Embankment. His new frieze looks set
to be a return to the sort of crammed bronze montages that has made him so well
known. Day said he wanted the new plinth to act as the yin to the larger
statue's yang. "For me this sculpture has always been about how
our dreams collide with the real world," he said. "The couple kissing represent
an ideal, a perfect dream reality that ultimately we cannot obtain. The same is
true of the railways. They were a dream come true, an incredible feat of
engineering but they also brought with them mechanized warfare, Blitzkrieg and
death." Day is still working on the final bronze frieze which
will be wrapped around the bottom of the plinth in June next year but he says he
wants the 50 million passengers that pass through St. Pancras every year to be
able to get up close and personal with the final product. "The statue is like a
signpost to be seen and understood from far away," he said. "Its size is
measured in terms of the station itself. The frieze, on the other hand, is
intended to capture the gaze of passers-by and lead them on a short journey of
reflections about travel and change that echoes their presence in St. Pancras,
adding a very different experience to The Meeting Place sculpture."
Brushing aside some of the criticism leveled at his work that has
compared it to cartoons or comic strips, Day said he believed his work would
stand the test of time. "All the crap that was hurled at the sculpture was just
that, crap," he said. "The reaction from the critics was so strangely hostile
but I believe time will tell whether people, not the art press, will value the
piece." "When people criticise my reliefs for looking like
comic strips they have got the wrong end of the stick. Throughout the. ages, man
has been telling stories through a series of pictures, whether it s stained
glass windows, sculptures or photojournalism. My friezes are part of that
tradition. " Stephen Jordan, from London and Continental
Railways, which commissioned the piece, said. "The Meeting Place seeks to
challenge and has been well received by visitors who love to photograph it. In
addition, it performs an important role within the station, being visible from
pretty much anywhere on the upper level of St. Pancras International and doing
exactly what was planned, making the perfect meeting place for friends."
单选题
Which of the following is NOT true about The Meeting Place sculpture?
A. It has been completed with the rebuilding of the St. Pancras
International Station.
B. It is located at London's new St. Pancras International Station.
C. It has been designed by the British artist Paul Day.
D. It is a nine-metre-high bronze statue of two lovers locked in an
embrace.