The Night in Western Art

Half of our time we spend in nights. The project intends to give a complete representation of all kinds of nightpieces through the history of art. Until now only parts of this phenomenon were investigated which implicates the mistake of a too limited view. Art history`s neighbour disciplines must be included as well as parallel problems like the shade or the effects of sfumato for the darkness in pictures (which is important for the play with natural, supernatural and artificial light-sources), furthermore the diminuation and the ascent of colour out of darkness. Since the ancient times - the first example is known from the assyric-babylonic culture - Night appears either as an allegory (symbolic and personal) or as a natural (atmospheric) scene. In both manifestations she is marked by the colours blue or black (many examples), brown (in baroque paintings), grey (neo-classicism), red (mannerism and expressionism) and white (as winternight with snow) - corresponding to literature. The allegory may show numerous variations in her attire, attributes and companions. Her blue colour, coat, rnoon and stars are similar to those of Selene, Astraea, Isis, Nut and others who are fused in one of the highest Christian figures, the Virgin Mary with her blue coat protecting people under it. The project`s structure will follow a chronological order; on the other side it is working with phenomenons throwing over the traditional epoch-borders. The many-faced night matches the variety of methods which are demanded from modern research. The natural experience of night was stopped by the invention of electric light (and gas lamps before) - night changed into day. Yet the new distance to darkness produced another boom of nightpieces (also in literature) after the baroque when religious reasons for such pictures dominated. Studying of sources includes texts of mysticism, the ekphrasis problems, the paragone-controversy , categories the Sublime and effects of metaphers like "wrapping in obscurity" on their way from text to a work of art. Feministic aspects are to be included because of texts of she-mystics, the idea of witches, the type of the heroin and holy persons like Mary Magdalen.

For the first time in scholarly art history we can offer now a systematical overview on the representation of night in her manifold appearances and manifestations, attributes and connections covering the time from the Ancient Orient, the Greek, the Roman World Empire, Early Christian, Middle Ages and Renaissance up to the Baroque. Intended is a sequel from the Enlightenment and the Romantic Movement up to modern times. Despite arranging the subject-matter in historical sections according to their chronological order it was necessary to take a not one-sided approach and to cope with thorough studies of single phenomenons. Therefore, viewpoints from many neighbour fields influenced interpretation and analysis. Far beyond their aesthetical function representations of night are linked as well as to literature as to religious, philosophical, astrological and theological ideas, e.g. night ranked in ancient times as the very - feminine - origin of entity which from arose the masculine day. Various like her appearances are also her colours. The Baroque era did not connect the night with black or blue as earlier periods did but with brown instead. Night may show herself as personification or as "natural" night, for example, as a moon landscape. The oldest known Nachtstück, a fisherboat on a lake with reed and crescent, has been preserved on a pre-babylonian seal done in the beginning of the third millenium B.C. Night may symbolize the positive aspects of life, yet also stands for threatening powers (death, witchcraft, nightmare) and low instincts (base eroticism): Sometimes both is valid like in the case of sleep. Night and light belong together. In drawing from the shadow produced by a source of light in a dark room according to an old belief visual art came into existence. Among the newly acquired findings stands out the Nachtfleiß (diligence at night) which formed a much appreciated theme of pictures in the Renaissance. This means the nocturnal labor of princes, artists and scientists, who in burning the midnight oil rise above ordinary people. The study not only integrates into a survey many works of eminent artists but also investigates and explains with regard to specific categories dealing among others with Michelangelo ("I am a child of night"), Raphael, El Greco, Rubens and Caravaggio. Additionally several hitherto little known or entirely neglected paintings, drawings, prints and sculptural works are widening the point of view. While project work still was in progress some possibilities of cooperation with relevant exhibitions and broadcasts were utilized. B.Borchhardt`s catalogue contributions ("Die Nacht", Munich 1998, "Nightscapes", Ulm 2001) summarize in due form the most important insights.