Sunday, February 5, 2012

Q is for Qirin

This week's entry for AlphaBeasts! is Qirin, better known to beer drinkers by its Japanese spelling, Kirin. 

This beast has many confusing manifestations, both Chinese & Japanese. It is sometimes known as the Chinese Unicorn, although in most depictions it has two horns. Some versions are very close to Longma (with dragon-like head & scales & a horse-like body), some more deer-like, & some like a giraffe. There is speculation that this creature may have been inspired by travelers' descriptions of the giraffe, & in fact, the modern Japanese for "giraffe" is "kirin."

I chose a combination of deer- & giraffe-like elements, along with the traditional flames.

Acrylic on an illustration (~5"x7" ) scanned from St. Nicholas Magazine, July 1920. I love the caption, & it explains golf to me, since the 20% that is visible to outsiders seems unbearably boring. It makes me wonder what on earth all those straight-laced dudes in polo shirts are imagining out there on the links! (Of course the article was actually all about visualizing the shot, but I like my version better.)

4 comments:

  1. I must say that not only do I admire your beautiful paintings, I marvel at how you come up with the beasties' names!

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  2. I've never gotten the golf thing either. Cute beastie!

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  3. Now we know why some shots go wild on the golf course. I also like that I am learning a lot about beasties from other cultures as well. Thank You.

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  4. Very cool. This makes me wonder about how good a look they might have gotten of the wildlife before painting them. Nice job as always! Love the colors.

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