(02-15-2022, 12:48 PM)Spalea Wrote: 3 tiger versions on ipaD through Procreate... Which one do you prefer ?

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Quote:The goddess Durga, wielding an array of weapons in her ten arms, slays the buffalo demon Mahisha, who now reveals himself in human form. Durga plunges a trident (trisula) into his chest, whilst her lion mount (vahana) mauls his arm. To her left stands Lakshmi who holds two flowers while on the right stands Saraswati holding a vina. Dancing in the lower left is Ganesha with his rat vehicle at his feet, while to the right Skanda sits astride his peacock. All is staged on a dais supported with lion-feet and framed by a decorative arch on fluted columns. An inset painted panel evokes Victorian architectural decoration in the academic manner, but with Hindu deities replacing classical philosophers and muses.

Quote:The devotional text of the Devi Mahatmya culminates with the death of the demon Mahisha at the hands of the goddess Durga. Late in the battle, Mahisha takes the form of a man, but Durga cuts him to shreds with arrows and breaks his sword and shield. At this point the demon transforms into the elephant seen here. An inscription on the back of the work clearly identifies this rarely depicted moment in the epic conflict between good and evil. The distinctive treatment of Durga and especially her tiger suggests this painting was created by an artist known as the Mankot Master who produced an important early corpus of work in the tiny kingdom, not far from the Basohli court.

Quote:'Tiger' ('Hu') represents 'the king of the mountains'. It is seen as powerfull and full of courage and dignity. Since ancient times, Chinese people have worshiped and honoured the tiger. In China today, there are many folk-customs and festival days involved with the tiger: people paste pictures of tigers onto doors or windows of their houses in order to be protected; the new-born infants are often named as "Tiger Boy" (Hu Wa) or "Tiger Girl" (Hu Niu) with the hope of their parents that they will grow up as vigorously as a tiger; soldiers are also called "the Tiger military officer" for their bravery.

As early as the Neolithic Age, the ancient people living in China's Helan Mountains have taken advantage of a special technique of art known as 'Rock Art' ('Yan Hua'), creating images of the tiger to show their worship. The ancient people regarded tigers as a kind of totem, and hoped that they could derive strength from them so as to become immune to all kinds of disasters. They also hope that their tribes became prosperous and everlasting with the blessing endowed by the tiger.