Sun Rising Through Vapour《霧中日出》

It is low tide in the early morning and fishermen unload their catch from a boat beached high and dry1 on the shore. Some people enjoy a meal. Others prepare the catch for sale. This human activity contrasts with the stillness of the glassy sea which， like a mirror， reflects the hazy sunlight. The silvery-white sheen of the water complements the gold-tinted clouds. The pale yellow sun is not yet hot enough to burn off the sea mist—the ‘vapour’ referred to in the picture’s title—which gives the large warships in the background an almost ghostly aura. On the horizon （centre right）， you can just see a faint plume of smoke as a ship fires a morning gun.

清晨低潮時，有條漁船被拖上岸，漁民們忙著卸下漁獲。有些人在吃飯，還有些人在收拾漁獲準(zhǔn)備出售。人類的忙碌與大海的平靜形成了鮮明對照，海面波平如鏡，反射著朦朧的日光。銀白的水光與染金的云彩相互映襯。淺黃的太陽還不夠熾熱，無法蒸發(fā)掉海霧——即畫名中提及的vapour——這給背景中的幾艘大型軍艦蒙上了一層幽暗的光影。畫面中央偏右的地平線上，可以看到一縷薄煙，那是一艘軍艦剛剛鳴放了晨炮。

A drawing inscribed ‘Study / Calm’ in his ‘Calais Pier’2 sketchbook of about 1802–5 shows that Turner settled on the painting’s theme and composition early on. A ‘calm’ （a smooth sea） was a favourite subject in Dutch marine painting. As a study of a calm， Turner’s painting was a departure from the wild storms of his earlier marine pictures such as Calais Pier.

在透納大約1802年至1805年有關(guān)《加來碼頭》的速寫本上，有一幅題寫著“習(xí)作/靜海”的素描，這表明透納很早就確定了此畫的主題和構(gòu)圖?！办o?！保ㄖ革L(fēng)平浪靜的大海）是荷蘭海景畫最受歡迎的一個主題。作為一幅“靜?！绷?xí)作，透納此畫與其《加來碼頭》等更早一些表現(xiàn)狂風(fēng)暴雨的海景畫截然不同。

Instead of combining dramatic action with a dynamic handling of paint， Turner used rich colours laid down as finely painted surfaces to create a tranquil， even slightly elegiac3， mood. This ability to paint the sea in contrasting states further consolidated his reputation as primarily a ‘great sea-painter’.

此畫中，透納沒有用頗具動態(tài)的顏料涂抹來表現(xiàn)戲劇場面，而是用豐富的色彩細膩描繪各種事物表面，以此呈現(xiàn)一種寧靜甚至略帶傷感的情緒。他這種能描繪多形態(tài)大海的高超畫技進一步鞏固了他“偉大海景畫家”的聲譽。

The emphatic focus on the sun as the source of light is a feature of several of Turner’s compositions， but here he also adds incidental details such as the objects on the beach， including an anchor， driftwood and stranded marine life.

將太陽作為重要光源是透納多幅作品的特點之一，而他在此畫中還增添了一些不那么顯眼的細節(jié)，比如海灘上的某些物品，包括一個錨、幾根浮木和擱淺的海洋生物。

The work of Dutch painters， including Aelbert Cuyp and Willem van de Velde， is also evoked by the boats and figures. Some of the figures， especially， resemble those painted by David Teniers the Younger4， particularly the hunched figure wearing a red Flemish cap seen from behind. Such details imply that Turner intended to suggest a Dutch setting， but not necessarily a specific location. As one contemporary noted， Holland’s North Sea coast faced west， so it would not have been possible to see a sunrise over the open sea from the mainland.

畫中的小船和人物還會讓人想起阿爾伯特·庫普和小威廉·凡·德·維爾德等荷蘭畫家的作品。有些人物形象——特別是背對觀畫者的那個頭戴紅色佛蘭德帽的駝背人——與小戴維·特尼爾斯畫中的非常相似。這些細節(jié)暗示透納此畫意在描繪荷蘭的風(fēng)景，但未必是某個特定地點。正如同時代某個人所指出的，荷蘭的北海海岸坐東朝西，因此在本土不可能看到公海的日出。

Turner himself had great affection for the painting. It was bought by Sir John Leicester， one of his major patrons， but when Sir John’s estate was sold at auction upon his death in 1827， Turner bought it back for a higher price. In his second will， made in 1831， Turner specified that the picture， together with his Dido Building Carthage5， should hang ‘in perpetuity’ in the newly built National Gallery.

透納本人很喜歡這幅畫。他的一個主要贊助人約翰·萊斯特爵士買下了此畫，但約翰爵士1827年去世后，其財產(chǎn)被拍售，于是透納以更高價格將畫買回。在1831年所立的第二份遺囑中，透納明確表示，此畫要與他的另一幅作品《狄多建設(shè)迦太基》一起，“永久”掛在當(dāng)時新建的英國國家美術(shù)館。

Turner revisited the subject when， around 1809， he painted a smaller modified version， Sun Rising Through Vapour， which is now in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts6， Birmingham.

1809年前后，透納曾重拾這一主題，畫了一版修改過的小幅《霧中日出》，該畫現(xiàn)藏于英國伯明翰的芭伯藝術(shù)館。

1 high and dry水流或潮汐淹不到的；離水的；（船）擱淺的。" 2《加來碼頭》，透納代表作之一，參見本刊2025年第3期封底文介紹。

3 elegiac傷感的；哀悼的。" 4小戴維·特尼爾斯（1610—1690），比利時佛蘭德斯風(fēng)俗畫家，作品大多描繪都市平民階層的日常生活。

5《狄多建設(shè)迦太基》，透納代表作之一，參見本刊2025年第4期封底文介紹。" 6芭伯藝術(shù)館，位于伯明翰大學(xué)校園內(nèi)，始建于1930年，是英國第一所以藝術(shù)史為根基建造的展館。館藏凡·高、莫奈、羅丹、畢加索等許多西方藝術(shù)大師的作品。