Relativity《相对性》

爱艺

Relativity is a lithograph print （27.7 cm × 29.2 cm） by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher， first printed in December 1953.

It depicts a world in which the normal laws of gravity do not apply. The architectural structure seems to be the centre of an idyllic community， with most of its inhabitants casually going about their ordinary business， such as dining. There are windows and doorways leading to park-like outdoor settings. All of the figures are dressed in identical attire and have featureless bulb-shaped heads. Identical characters such as these can be found in many other Escher works.

In the world of Relativity， there are three sources of gravity， each being orthogonal to the two others. Each inhabitant lives in one of the gravity wells， where normal physical laws apply. There are sixteen characters， spread between each gravity source， six in one and five each in the other two. The apparent confusion of the lithograph print comes from the fact that the three gravity sources are depicted in the same space.

The structure has seven stairways， and each stairway can be used by people who belong to two different gravity sources. This creates interesting phenomena， such as in the top stairway， where two inhabitants use the same stairway in the same direction and on the same side， but each using a different face of each step; thus， one descends the stairway as the other climbs it， even while moving in the same direction nearly side-by-side. In the other stairways， inhabitants are depicted as climbing the stairways upside-down， but based on their own gravity source， they are climbing normally.

Each of the three parks belongs to one of the gravity wells. All but one of the doors seem to lead to basements below the parks. Though physically possible， such basements are certainly unusual and add to the surreal effect of the picture.

This is one of Escher’s most popular works and has been used in a variety of ways.

《相對性》是荷兰画家M.C.埃舍尔创作的一幅平版印刷画（27.7厘米×29.2厘米），首印于1953年12月。

该画描绘了一个正常的引力定律不适用的世界。这个建筑结构体似乎是一个安逸社区的中心，大多数居民都在闲散地做着平时该干的事，比如有人正在吃饭。有窗户和门廊通往类似公园的户外。画中所有的人都身着相同的服装，灯泡般的头部没有任何特征。相同的人物造型在埃舍尔其他许多作品中也可以看到。

在《相对性》的世界中，存在3个重力源，每个都与另外两个成正交。每个居民生活在一个重力井中，正常的物理定律适用于这个相对独立的空间。画中有16个人，分布在每两个重力源之间——一个里面有6个人，另外两个各5个。这幅平版印刷画之所以一眼看去令人困惑，是因为画家将3个重力源描绘在了同一个空间内。

这一结构体有7段阶梯，每段阶梯可由分属两个不同重力源的人使用。这就产生了有趣的现象，比如，顶层阶梯上，两个居民使用的是同一方向、同一侧面的同一段阶梯，但两人踩踏的却是每一级台阶的不同面;于是，画面呈现出一人在下楼而另一人在上楼，虽然他们几乎是肩并肩朝着同一方向移动。其他的阶梯上，居民被描绘为倒着爬楼，但在他们自己的重力源中，他们的爬楼很正常。

三座花园的每一座各属一个重力井。除了一扇门，其他的门似乎都指向公园下方的地下室。这样的地下室从物理上看是可能存在的，但肯定非同寻常，也为该画增添了超现实色彩。

这幅画是埃舍尔最受欢迎的作品之一，人们一直以各种方式应用在多个领域。