To paint Chairman Mao exclusively

时间：2006-09-16 06:45:19

（单词翻译:单击）


“We were told not to think of ourselves as artists,” Liu Yang said. “That's a stinky idea of the bourgeoisie.” Liu's version of the Mao portrait was displayed in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1979. (Photo: LAT)
 
Sept. 15 — It happens every year, under cover of darkness, in the waning1 days of September. The giant portrait of Chairman Mao in Tiananmen Square — flushed cheeks and trademark2 gray suit — is replaced by a new Mao. So little is known about the making (or rather, remaking) of this iconic image, it might as well have materialized out of thin air.

 

At least six painters are known to have freshened up the founding father of the People's Republic of China every year for the last 57 years. Most lived in relative obscurity, and three have taken their stories to the graves.

 

Today, Wang Guodong, 76, in frail3 health and hard of hearing. He worked on the big painting every summer from 1964 to his retirement4 in 1976, the year Mao passed away. That was the only time the brightly colored painting was temporarily replaced by a somber5 black-and-white photograph more appropriate for the mourning of the great leader.

 

Wang said he rarely received visitors and didn't like to talk about the past. Nor did he tend to think of himself as a master who should be credited for the famous portrait.

 

"Nobody is allowed to put their names on that painting," Wang said in a phone interview from his home in Beijing. "It's that way before, and it's that way now."

 

The biggest alteration6 to the official image happened soon after the 1949 revolution that brought Mao to power. The portrait of Mao on display during the ceremony of China's National Day showed him in an octagonal army hat and a coarse uniform. It lasted one year. Since then, Mao has appeared basically unchanged to the average eye, except maybe slightly older.

 

Why the yearly change, then? Because the portrait is hung outside and exposed to the elements, it can easily fade and crack. Instead of retiring the old canvas to a museum or storage house, the image is covered with gesso so a new one can be painted on top. When it is removed for repainting, it is replaced by an identical portrait that has been freshened. The two portraits rotate each year.

 

The repainting takes place each August and September. The switch typically happens a few days before the Oct. 1 national holiday.

 

At nearly three stories high, its size makes it a physical challenge to paint and transport, so for years the painting was done in a temporary tent by the entrance to the Forbidden City behind the gate of Tiananmen.

 

In the early 1970s, the workplace was upgraded to a secret art studio made entirely7 of metal, apparently8 to make it fireproof. To this day, it stands in an easy-to-miss corner of the Forbidden City, unmarked and cordoned9 off to the public, with no windows or visible doors except for vents10 near the roof.
At the height of Mao's power, his face was reproduced and hung in homes, schools, factories across the nation. Demand was so great for public murals of Mao, as well as of other socialist11 icons12 such as Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, authorities asked Wang in 1975 to train a group of apprentices14.

 

Wang selected 10 Beijing high school students, most of them art enthusiasts15 active in campus propaganda brigades. The criterion at the time was not so much artistic16 talent but political reliability17. After all, the job is repetitive, and there is little room for creativity.

 

"We were told that if you were one of the chosen ones, you won't be able to paint anything else in your life but the great communist leaders," said Liu Yang, 49, who was 18 when he joined Wang's class.

 

For the next three years, the students learned the basics of portrait painting and how to never veer18 from the realm of the politically correct.

 

"Mao's face must be painted extra red to show his robust19 spirit," Liu said. "It can never be too yellow, which would seem sickly, like he hadn't eaten in days."

 

At the end of the training sessions, the best student was given the chance to show his work at Tiananmen.

 

The year was 1979, and Liu saw his canvas displayed for the first and only time before the nation. Few besides his teacher and classmates knew about it.

 

"Of course I was proud, but I couldn't brag20 about it," said Liu, who has no photograph of the crowning achievement. "We were told not to think of ourselves as artists. That's a stinky idea of the bourgeoisie. We are 'art workers.' We don't paint for ourselves. We serve the revolution."

 

"The rest of us had to leave because the country had demand for only one Mao painting a year," said Liu, who still paints portraits of Mao and other communist leaders from his tiny home studio in Beijing, where he hopes to capture a piece of the lucrative21 new market for nostalgic pop art.

 

The one apprentice13, Ge Xiaoguang, has devoted22 nearly three decades of his life to the all-important portrait, shunning23 the spotlight24 and plying25 his trade in the metal shack26 in the shadow of Tiananmen. He reportedly earns about $250 a month.

 

"I don't like to be interviewed," said Ge, a slight man with frizzy, graying hair and a loosely fitting white tank top, as he cracked open a small unmarked door at the mysterious studio.
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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 waning waning     
adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡
参考例句：
  • Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
  • The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
2 trademark Xndw8     
n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标
参考例句：
  • The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
  • The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。
3 frail yz3yD     
adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的
参考例句：
  • Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
  • She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。
4 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休，退职
参考例句：
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
5 somber dFmz7     
adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的
参考例句：
  • He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
  • His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。
6 alteration rxPzO     
n.变更，改变；蚀变
参考例句：
  • The shirt needs alteration.这件衬衣需要改一改。
  • He easily perceived there was an alteration in my countenance.他立刻看出我的脸色和往常有些不同。
7 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
8 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
9 cordoned c18271df7d7aa10081e1644a4deb2eff     
v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )
参考例句：
  • Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 vents 3fd48768f3da3e458d6b73926735d618     
（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩
参考例句：
  • He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
  • The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。
11 socialist jwcws     
n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的
参考例句：
  • China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
  • His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。
12 icons bd21190449b7e88db48fa0f580a8f666     
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像
参考例句：
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
13 apprentice 0vFzq     
n.学徒，徒弟
参考例句：
  • My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
  • The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。
14 apprentices e0646768af2b65d716a2024e19b5f15e     
学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They were mere apprentices to piracy. 他们干海盗仅仅是嫩角儿。
  • He has two good apprentices working with him. 他身边有两个好徒弟。
15 enthusiasts 7d5827a9c13ecd79a8fd94ebb2537412     
n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册
16 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的
参考例句：
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
17 reliability QVexf     
n.可靠性，确实性
参考例句：
  • We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
  • I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。
18 veer 5pQyC     
vt.转向，顺时针转，改变；n.转向
参考例句：
  • He is unlikely to veer from his boss's strongly held views.他不可能背离他老板的强硬立场。
  • If you fall asleep while driving,you'll probably veer off the road.假如你开车时打瞌睡，可能会驶离道路。
19 robust FXvx7     
adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的
参考例句：
  • She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
  • China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。
20 brag brag     
v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的
参考例句：
  • He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
  • His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。
21 lucrative dADxp     
adj.赚钱的，可获利的
参考例句：
  • He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
  • It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。
22 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
23 shunning f77a1794ffcbea6dcfeb67a3e9932661     
v.避开，回避，避免( shun的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • My flight was more a shunning of external and internal dangers. 我的出走是要避开各种外在的和内在的威胁。 来自辞典例句
  • That book Yeh-yeh gave me-"On Filial Piety and the Shunning of Lewdness"-was still on the table. 我坐下来，祖父给我的那本《刘芷唐先生教孝戒淫浅训》还在桌子上。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
24 spotlight 6hBzmk     
n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目
参考例句：
  • This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
  • The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
25 plying b2836f18a4e99062f56b2ed29640d9cf     
v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意
参考例句：
  • All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健，向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
26 shack aE3zq     
adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚
参考例句：
  • He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
  • The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。

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