China's Spirit

Why do artists paint mythological figures? It shows up in art, literature, poetry, architecture, songs, and many aspects of life. I believe that most artists that paint mythological stories want to express it in their own vision what they interpret the myth to be. Some artists like to give the best portrayal of the character they are painting.

Chinese dragons of Chinese culture could make themselves as large as the universe or as small as a silkworm. They could also change color and disappear in a flash. They rise to the skies in the spring and plunge into the waters in the autumn. These mythical creatures were thought to be all powerful and all-knowing.

As the myth goes the first dragon appeared to the mythical emperor Fu-hsi, had filled the hole in the sky made by the monster Kung Kung. Its waking, sleeping, breathing determined day, night, season and weather. There are many differences and similarities between the Classical dragon and the Chinese dragon; these include the ability to fly even without wings, shape-shifting abilities, and of course the general benevolent behavior to the populace. The head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, the ears of a cow, the horns of a stag, the neck of a snake, it's belly a clam's, it's claws that of an eagle, while the soles of his feet are that of a tiger, and the scales that cover it's body are that of a carp. The Chinese dragon has four claws as standard, but the Imperial dragon has five, this is to identify it above the lesser classes. Anyone other than the emperor using the 5 claw motif was put to death.

The dragon was also a symbol of the emperor whose wisdom and divine power assured the well being of his subjects. Many legends draw connections between the dragon and the emperor. Some emperors claimed to have descended from the dragon also known as the nine children of the dragon.

The painting of Lung instills many of the mythical creature’s abilities. The faded wings show the dragons ability to fly even without its wings. The clouds and the darkness describe its power over the weather and day and night in accordance with the myth. It’s open mouth symbolizes that it is about to fight or is already engaged in a fight, even though you can not see an opponent in the painting. The fact that the dragon is so close to the ground is another reason why it looks to be engaged in battle. The reds used in the painting also symbolize rage and conflict. There are only four claws on each limb, this symbolizes that the dragon is not of royalty. Being that dragons can not see directly to the front, the way the head is turned toward the viewer of the painting may symbolize that it may be in rage with humanity ( the viewer). Over all the painting is a great portrayal of the dragon.