Art work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art work - Essay Example From the artwork, I can see a lot of amazing things. First, I see a very large compound composed of a building that looks like a temple. It stands out conspicuously located for everyone to clearly see exactly what it is. From inside, there are other panels and small dragons which surround the Monkey. Also identified is a well-curved sculpture of Buddha. This is quite symbolic because it has a significant role to play in the lives of Chinese Buddhists who regard the Dragon Monkey as a spiritual figure in their religion. Basically, as already hinted, the artwork can be related to the book Money: A Folktale of China in which the author was aiming at providing a detailed story of the mysterious and magical paths of the Dragon Monkey in his pursuit for heavenly powers. As examined by Wu in this book, the Dragon Monkey passed through a very long journey before eventually becoming a spiritual figure in Buddhism. At one point, Wu describes the dragon, ‘This determination it was that led him to leap clear of the toils of Re-incarnation and turned him at last into the Great Monkey Sage, equal of Heaven’ (Page 14-15). This shows that he was a respected religious figure whose powers were legitimately granted and above those of anyone else. From this statement, the Dragon Monkey was indeed a respected and revered deity amongst the Buddhists. The descriptions given in the book relate to the panting. The compound shown in the painting clearly shows how religious these people were. Also, the attachment given to the dragon indicates that it was Buddha himself who would determine how he would control the life of his followers. When he chose to use the Dragon Monkey, everyone had to accept because he was their overall father. In conclusion, the lessons learnt from the Ceiling from the Hall of Great Wisdom (Dazhidian) at the Temple of Wisdom Attained (Zhihuasi), Beijing and Monkey: A Folktale of China proves that art is