The Night Will Be Calm (La nuit sera calme) 1963

Pierre Alechinsky created this print titled, 'The Night Will Be Calm,' its various shapes and figures emerging from a dreamlike state. The print presents us with a series of vignettes, each a window into the subconscious. Consider the figure, seemingly collapsed or sleeping, stretched out at the bottom of the work. We see this motif echoed throughout history, from ancient Etruscan sarcophagi where figures recline in eternal repose, to the Romantic era paintings of melancholic figures in similar poses. The very act of reclining suggests vulnerability and introspection. This emotional posture conveys a deep, primal sense of vulnerability, resonating with the viewer’s own subconscious anxieties. Ultimately, such symbols are not static; they evolve. They reappear, transformed, in various epochs, each time filtered through the collective consciousness of the age. In this night scene by Alechinsky, we witness another such transformation, adding another layer to the ever-unfolding narrative of human expression.