Reptiles《爬行動物》

愛藝

Reptiles is a lithograph print （33.4 cm × 38.5 cm） by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher first printed in March 1943.

It depicts a desk upon which is a 2D drawing of a tessellated pattern of reptiles and hexagons. The reptiles at one edge of the drawing emerge into three dimensional reality， come to life and appear to crawl over a series of symbolic objects （a book on nature， a geometers triangle， a three dimensional/pentagonal dodecahedron， a pewter bowl containing a box of matches and a box of cigarettes） to eventually re-enter the drawing at its opposite edge. Other objects on the desk that may also be symbolic are a potted cactus and yucca， a ceramic flask with a cork stopper next to a small glass of liquid， a book of JOB cigarette rolling papers， and an open handwritten note book of many pages. Although only the size of small lizards， the reptiles have protruding crocodile-like fangs， and the one atop the dodecahedron has a dragon-like puff of smoke billowing from its nostrils.

Like many of Escher’s works， the meaning of the imagery is enigmatic. There are， however， a number of scholarly interpretations of the work. One is that the lizard represents man， emerging from pure concept in two dimensions， becoming a three dimensional being， groping through life acquiring knowledge and wisdom， arriving at deep understanding of science and sacred geometric principals and the alchemical/spiritual nature of reality and existence， and finally descending to reunion with the realm of pure concept. In this theory the objects around the edge of the drawing are signals of the stages of emergence （cactus， biological life）， the beginning of the fire-quest for knowledge （rolling papers）， contemplation and distillation （a jug and partially consumed glass of spirits）， deep study， understanding and wisdom （the open well-used notebook）， and re-integration （matches and cigarettes symbolizing controlled/civilized fire that nonetheless consumes and returns the physical to the abstract）.

《爬行動物》是荷蘭畫家M. C.埃舍爾創作的一幅平版印刷畫（33.4厘米×38.5厘米），首印于1943年。

該畫描繪了一張桌子，桌上有一張二維草圖，圖上畫的是爬行動物和六邊形組成的鑲嵌圖案。草圖某條邊緣上的爬行動物一一現身三維現實，它們不僅活了過來，似乎還在爬過一系列象征性物體（一本關于自然的書、一塊幾何三角板、一個三維五角十二面體、一只錫碗——碗里有一盒火柴和一包香煙），最終通過初始邊緣的對邊重新進入草圖。桌上的其他物品或許也具有象征意義：一盆仙人掌和絲蘭;一個帶軟木塞的陶瓷水瓶，旁邊的小玻璃杯里盛著少許液體;一小本“喬布”卷煙紙;還有一本打開的手寫筆記本，本子的頁數非常多。盡管那些爬行動物只有小蜥蜴大小，卻有著鱷魚般的突出尖牙，趴在十二面體頂端的那只還像龍似的從鼻孔中噴出煙霧。

像埃舍爾的許多作品一樣，這幅畫的意義也神秘難解。不過，有不少學者對這部作品做出了解讀。一種解讀是：蜥蜴類的爬行動物代表人，出現時是二維的純概念，逐漸變成三維的存在，在生活中摸索前行，獲得知識和智慧，深刻理解科學和神圣的幾何原理以及現實與存在的精神本質，最終統一回落至純概念領域。這種說法認為，草圖周邊的那些物體是進化不同階段的信號（仙人掌，生命），最開始是尋求火種般地對知識的探求（卷煙紙），接著是思考和提煉（一個酒罐和杯中殘留的烈酒），然后獲得深層學習、理解與智慧（善加利用的打開的筆記本），最后進行重新整合（火柴和香煙象征可控之火/文明之火，無論怎樣，這火會耗盡具象實物并使其回歸抽象概念）。……