AUSPICIOUS STRIPES

 

Auspicious Stripes, acrylic on canvas, 2022. 20" X 16"

The artist welcomes 2022, the Year of the Tiger, with a painting based on his original concept of making maximalist illustrations of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The two tigers' colors are based on the color of the tigers in the original drawing.


According to Chinese culture, the tiger is revered as the king of the beasts. The tiger represents the greatest earthly power, as well as protection over human life. It chases away the so-called "three disasters": fire, thieves and ghosts. Ancient Chinese people also believed that tigers turned white after they have lived for five centuries (500 years) and that tigers could live for an entire millennium (1000 years).

There is a group of five tigers of different colors in Chinese mythology which maintain the balance of energy in the cosmos, preventing the universe from falling into chaos. Lucky colors for people who are born in the year of the tiger include blue, gray, and orange.

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