标签 雕塑 下的文章

哥本哈根市政厅广场Richshuset大楼顶部的“Vejrpigerne”（“天气女孩”）雕塑, 丹麦 'Vejrpigerne' ('The Weather Girls') sculpture on top of the Richshuset building in City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark (© Stig Alenas/Shutterstock)

Perfect day for a ride 完美的骑行日

The Weather Girls

Presiding over City Hall Square on the Richshuset building in Copenhagen, 'The Weather Girls' sculpture will help launch this year's Tour de France, which will see riders in Stage 1 today cycling past iconic landmarks of the Danish capital like Tivoli Gardens and the Little Mermaid statue. From here, the racers will ride through other parts of Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and of course France before ending with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 24.

Copenhagen seems a fitting starting point for the world's most famous bike race, since it's so well known for being heavily invested in cycling for transportation, healthy living, and a commitment to green energy. That love affair with bikes is reflected in the cyclist figure of today's homepage image. Created by painter-turned-sculptor Einar Utzon-Franck in 1936, 'The Weather Girls' used to provide a quick forecast for folks on the square. Situated atop a rotating disc, the girl on the bike that we see here would spin out if fair weather was in the forecast. But if rain was expected, she would emerge with an umbrella.

The sculpture is no longer functional as a barometer, but the cycling figure mirrors the Danes in general—always out biking, rain or shine. The country makes cycling as convenient and enjoyable as possible, with separate traffic lights, dedicated bike lanes, cyclist-friendly traffic laws, and thousands of miles of segregated bike paths. Even the world-class competitors in the Tour de France would appreciate that.

天气女孩

“天气女孩”雕塑位于哥本哈根Richshuset大楼的市政厅广场，将有助于启动今年的环法自行车赛。今天，第一阶段的骑手将骑自行车经过丹麦首都的标志性地标，如蒂沃利花园和小美人鱼雕像。从这里开始，参赛者将穿越丹麦、比利时、瑞士，当然还有法国的其他地区，然后于7月24日在巴黎的香榭丽舍（Champs-Éysées）进行最后阶段的比赛。

哥本哈根似乎是世界上最著名的自行车比赛的合适起点，因为它以在自行车交通、健康生活和绿色能源方面的大量投资而闻名。这种对自行车的热爱反映在今天的主页图片中的骑自行车者形象中。《天气女孩》由画家兼雕塑家埃纳·乌特松·弗兰克于1936年创作，曾为广场上的人们提供快速预报。如果天气预报说天气晴朗的话，我们在这里看到的骑自行车的女孩会在旋转的圆盘上旋转。但如果预计会下雨，她就会带着雨伞出现。

雕塑不再具有晴雨表的功能，但骑自行车的人像反映了丹麦人无论晴雨总是外出骑自行车。该国通过独立的红绿灯、专用自行车道、对骑自行车者友好的交通法规以及数千英里的独立自行车道，使自行车尽可能方便和愉快。即使环法自行车赛的世界级选手也会对此表示感谢。

国家誓言圣殿上怪诞的厄瓜多尔本土海鸟，厄瓜多尔基多 Grotesques of native Ecuadorian seabirds on the Basílica del Voto Nacional in Quito, Ecuador (© Henri Leduc/Getty Images)

A 'grotesque' scene

'Goofy' might be a better descriptor, but these seabird statues lining an outer wall of an Ecuadoran cathedral are called 'grotesques'—the architectural term for a statue ornamenting the side of a building. But hang on…don't we call those 'gargoyles'? Not exactly. Gargoyles are a type of grotesque that boast a specific, practical feature: spouts that convey water from rain gutters away from the building.

Grotesques often live up to their off-putting name, depicting demons or monsters (the word 'gargoyle' comes from 'garguille,' an evil creature from French legend). But the Basílica del Voto Nacional's grotesques celebrate the beautiful fauna of Ecuador: not only seabirds but iguanas, crocodiles, armadillos, and more. Though the Basílica is one of Quito's premier tourist attractions, it's been under construction since 1892 and technically remains unfinished—but legend has it the world will end when it's complete, so no one's really been rushing the job.