Sui Dynasty Grand Dragon Boat

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Chinese dragons are often considered powerful divine beings who rule over the rivers and oceans in which they reside, and were symbols regularly bestowed on Chinese emperors.

Emperor Yang of Sui (隋炀帝), who reigned during the Chinese Daye Era (605-618 AD), is rarely considered a capable monarch, but it’s difficult to overlook his love of sophisticated luxury travel. Driven by his zest for cruise voyages, Emperor Yang of Sui demanded the construction of the Grand Canal which spans over 1700 kilometres connecting Beijing and Hangzhou. He then voyaged on a lavishly built dragon shaped vessel, recorded to be 14 metres tall and 500-600 metres long. The ship, consisting of four decks and adorned with gold and jade ornaments, was referred to as the floating palace on the dragon ship.

I knew the moment I created this painting that I wanted an opulent ship to occupy this seascape, and the excess of Emperor Yang of Sui’s story solidified the vision I saw for this piece.

Sui Dynasty Grand Dragon Boat is a 16x20" acrylic and ink painting on a 1" thick canvas, and does not come framed.

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Nautical art has been a long established motif which for many was used to convey the beauty of their surroundings or the dramatic hardships of a sailor’s life. In my current series, I'm attempting to evoke the romantic gesture of transition, a theme found commonly thread through so many nautical compositions, almost creating a dreamlike state. To help accentuate this abstract upheaval often felt during transit, I've taken inspiration from J. M.W. Turner to develop my gestural painting style, while grounding the seascapes, by adding detailed illustrations of ships from both historical and fictional seafaring tales.