This image of a lion was inspired by an example of a movement in Qigong, where the idea is that a cup is taken from a shelf. Normally, a person would stretch out their arm and reach for it with their hand. However, the movement in Qigong starts from the lower dantian, which is two to three fingers below the navel. It is a mindful, focused movement.
The movement is reminiscent of an animal, e.g. a predator, focused, smooth and full of strength. While painting, the Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin came to my mind. It shows lions, among other things, and the gate appears like a mosaic due to the individual stones from which it was built.
However, the strength, smoothness and focus also remind me of Rilke’s poem “The Panther”.
But in this watercolor painting, the lion is free. Nothing can restrict the focus, nothing can stop the creature and its movement. The possibilities are endless.
2024, watercolor, 29.5 x 42 cm