Dynasty in Decline

For this piece of work, I wanted to illustrate the situation in which a paramount ruler finds himself in a paralyzed structure of power, his empire collapsing beneath him, the world around him becoming distorted and nightmarish. This situation can be commonly observed when a dynasty reaches its end and the final ruler in a line of successors is unable to deal with a variety of troubles.

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The three-legged cauldron, a symbol of supreme power, is deformed with very thin legs and an irregular opening. It has lost its original balance and bulkiness, just as the ruler has lost all grandeur and majesty. The birds on the branches, with a color resembling crows and vulture-like necks, represent sycophants in court, surrounding the ruler and contributing to a declining empire. The stone lion, another symbol of power, is inflating into a group of frail bubbles. As the only component with a human-like form, the ruler is the main subject of the piece. His hunched back and sickeningly elongated neck place emphasis on his pathetic and powerless position. The tree is leafless and brown, symbolizing a dying government structure. The overall distorted nature of the piece, with slanted walls falling apart and stone balustrades folding upon each other, contribute to an unrealistic setting much like a nightmare where everything has gone wrong. I wanted the work to have variety while maintaining unity of mood.

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I hoped to capture the dreadful moment where a ruler realizes that everything around him is a mistake and there is nothing he can do to save himself or his empire from destruction. To create a sort of disagreeable mood, I used muddy colors for most of the piece. I also tried my best to balance the visual weight of the piece.