Sun Rising Through Vapour《雾中日出》

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.

清晨低潮时，有条渔船被拖上岸，渔民们忙着卸下渔获。有些人在吃饭，还有些人在收拾渔获准备出售。人类的忙碌与大海的平静形成了鲜明对照，海面波平如镜，反射着朦胧的日光。银白的水光与染金的云彩相互映衬。浅黄的太阳还不够炽热，无法蒸发掉海雾——即画名中提及的vapour——这给背景中的几艘大型军舰蒙上了一层幽暗的光影。画面中央偏右的地平线上，可以看到一缕薄烟，那是一艘军舰刚刚鸣放了晨炮。

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.

在透纳大约1802年至1805年有关《加来码头》的速写本上，有一幅题写着“习作/静海”的素描，这表明透纳很早就确定了此画的主题和构图。“静海”（指风平浪静的大海）是荷兰海景画最受欢迎的一个主题。作为一幅“静海”习作，透纳此画与其《加来码头》等更早一些表现狂风暴雨的海景画截然不同。

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’.

此画中，透纳没有用颇具动态的颜料涂抹来表现戏剧场面，而是用丰富的色彩细腻描绘各种事物表面，以此呈现一种宁静甚至略带伤感的情绪。他这种能描绘多形态大海的高超画技进一步巩固了他“伟大海景画家”的声誉。

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.

将太阳作为重要光源是透纳多幅作品的特点之一，而他在此画中还增添了一些不那么显眼的细节，比如海滩上的某些物品，包括一个锚、几根浮木和搁浅的海洋生物。

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.

画中的小船和人物还会让人想起阿尔伯特·库普和小威廉·凡·德·维尔德等荷兰画家的作品。有些人物形象——特别是背对观画者的那个头戴红色佛兰德帽的驼背人——与小戴维·特尼尔斯画中的非常相似。这些细节暗示透纳此画意在描绘荷兰的风景，但未必是某个特定地点。正如同时代某个人所指出的，荷兰的北海海岸坐东朝西，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.

透纳本人很喜欢这幅画。他的一个主要赞助人约翰·莱斯特爵士买下了此画，但约翰爵士1827年去世后，其财产被拍售，于是透纳以更高价格将画买回。在1831年所立的第二份遗嘱中，透纳明确表示，此画要与他的另一幅作品《狄多建设迦太基》一起，“永久”挂在当时新建的英国国家美术馆。

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，透纳曾重拾这一主题，画了一版修改过的小幅《雾中日出》，该画现藏于英国伯明翰的芭伯艺术馆。

1 high and dry水流或潮汐淹不到的；离水的；（船）搁浅的。  2《加来码头》，透纳代表作之一，参见本刊2025年第3期封底文介绍。

3 elegiac伤感的；哀悼的。  4小戴维·特尼尔斯（1610—1690），比利时佛兰德斯风俗画家，作品大多描绘都市平民阶层的日常生活。

5《狄多建设迦太基》，透纳代表作之一，参见本刊2025年第4期封底文介绍。  6芭伯艺术馆，位于伯明翰大学校园内，始建于1930年，是英国第一所以艺术史为根基建造的展馆。馆藏凡·高、莫奈、罗丹、毕加索等许多西方艺术大师的作品。