《山海經》 Shan Hai Jing
Oil on canvas, 2017
Height: 205 cm. Width: 290 cm.
鄭延霖 YEN LIN CHENG
Shan Hai Jing is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and myth. It largely and orderly records the features of natural geography and the content of human geographies, such as mountains, hydrology, animal, plant, mineral, national geography, economy, social culture. The chapters about Yellow Emperor, Yan Emperor, and Chiyou run throughout my entire work.
The top right is Yujiang, god of the Northern Sea(dragon rider), the bottom right has the Cross Shank country folk (man with bare buttocks) and the Through Chest country folk. The right side of the theme for the Yellow Emperor’s daughter-Ba, who subdued Wind God and Rain God. At the top, Xiwangmu and Jiutian Xuannu help Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou. Nuwa, who is in the upper left, repairing the Pillar of Heaven. Below the Nuwa, Kuafu and Houyi capture the sun. The lower left of the hat man, Dayu, who is assisted in his water control work by a Yellow Dragon and a Black Turtle, above Dayu for the Kai-Ming Auspicious Beast which is Kunlun Mountain’s guard (Nine-headed beast).
The painting coloring with warm and unadorned tone, the overall composition of the picture is divided into three sections, left, center, and right. With exaggerated human body’s muscle shape, the character postures include forward, backward, overlook, lying. By carefully painting the details of the image, I reproduce the myth of the classic description of time, space, texture, and sense of mass.
