Day and Night《昼与夜》

爱艺

Dutch artist M.C. Escher （1878-1972） created Day and Night （Woodcut in black and gray， printed from two blocks， 67.7 cm × 39.1 cm） in 1938. This stimulating， yet intriguing work of art is a masterful demonstration of symmetrical opposites， resulting in an artistic puzzle that captivates the viewer.

The left side of the painting shows a daytime setting within which a long， winding canal running through a small city is bright white， lit up by the daylight sky. The right side of the painting displays the exact opposite： a night scene of the same angle， wherein the canal and sky are black， including the miniature city. Beginning at the centre of the landscape， white birds from the daylight emerge into the fold of the night sky， while the dark birds of night flock to the daytime sky. The whole creates a bewildering pattern of black and white tiles in the center of the image， a composition that delivers a unique positive-negative geometric aspect to Day and Night.

Day and Night is one of M.C. Escher’s first pieces to show the influence of Moorish tile work.

荷蘭画家M. C.埃舍尔于1938年创作了《昼与夜》（黑灰木刻，两块木板印刷，67.7厘米×39.1厘米）。这幅画作令人兴奋又新奇有趣，画技精湛，很好地展示了对称对立。画面制造了一个艺术谜题，观者会被深深吸引。

画面左边展示的是日景，日光映照下，一条亮白色的长长的运河蜿蜒流经一座小城。右边展示的正好相反，是从同一个角度呈现的夜景，运河和天空——包括那座微型城市——皆为黑色。从画面中心开始，从白天飞来的白鸟出现在对折的夜空中，而来自夜晚的黑鸟则成群飞向白昼的天空。两群鸟在画面中心构建了一幅令人迷惑的黑白瓷砖拼图，这样的构图赋予《昼与夜》一种独特的正负几何性。

埃舍尔的创作深受摩尔瓷砖装饰图案的影响，《昼与夜》是反映这种影响的早期画作之一。                                           □