The Interaction of Meaning with Pictorial Motifs (Case Example of Morris Escher's Day and Night Painting)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 P. H. D., student in Art Research, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 P. H. D., Full Professor of Art Research Department, Al-Zahra University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/ias.2020.248052.1340

Abstract

Binary contrasts are among the ruling principles of the material world, and man is a combination of the body and soul. Certainly, these meanings cannot be embodied in human art, including pictorial motifs. Art, now and then, reflects meanings as they are in actual reality and at times depicts them in the form of symbols and signs. Contrasts in visual works of art do not at all times employ conflict as they complement each other and find significance when involved. In order to study the meaning of contrasts in pictorial motifs, it is necessary to select a sample of artistic index; therefore, Escher's most controversial contemporary work of art was selected. The title of this work and its form and content have many contrasts as it is full of semantic and contrasting visual values in terms of shape, expression, structure, color, images and motifs. The present research was conducted in a descriptive and comparative method and based on the data of library sources. The results of this research show that the number of binary contrasts in the Day and Night painting reaches seven examples, and in generalizing them to artistic functions, specifically from the point of view of meaning, it contains binary contrasts of form and action (content and narrative) and can be adaptation to Derrida's theory.

Research aims:
1. Investigating the semantic interaction of contrasts in the pictorial motifs of Morris Escher's painting of Day and Night.
2. Examining the semantic functions of binary opposition.

Research questions:
1. What is the degree of adaptability of Derrida's theory of binary oppositions to works of visual art?
2. What are the semantic functions of binary contrasts?

Keywords

References

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Islamic Art Studies
Volume 18, Issue 44
February 2021
Pages 102-117

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