Chinese dragon art is a popular and widespread form of Asian art that has become increasingly in demand with Western audiences. Many Western influenced admirers of this art form fail to realize the degree of symbolism involved in the depiction of these mythological beasts and therefore, fail to appreciate the traditional art that is influenced by these creatures. In Chinese mythology, the Chinese people are referred to as the descendants of dragons. Because of this, dragons hold a special significance to the Chinese culture, along with other mythical creatures such as the phoenix, kylin, and the tortoise.
Dragons are seen as being symbolic of auspiciousness among Chinese culture from as early as the Neolithic periods of history. Throughout the ages, dragons have been considered the mounts of heavenly deities, controllers of weather, and have even become symbolic of the Emperor of China who is referred to as the “The True Dragon, Son of Heaven”.
Chinese dragon art is evident in paintings, sculpture, body art, theater, pottery, and nearly any other creative venture developed by this culture and other Oriental civilizations. The importance of the dragon varies according to the culture that it developed from, despite stylistic similarities in their presentation. There is a similarity in all of the Oriental cultures that dragons are signs of good luck and beings of power, regardless of the differences in the legends that these symbols developed from.
For contemporary artists, Chinese dragons are a fascinating subject. Unlike Western depictions of dragons, which are fairly uniform in shape and size, Chinese dragons have been drawn as small or large, thin or fat, with people or alone. Artists are delighted in the variety that Chinese dragon art allows them and many Western audiences find the mystery and allure of these Eastern dragons tempting when it comes down to the decoration of their own homes. Among people that know the mythology of these creatures, pictorial representations of them are generally placed in bedrooms, studies, or near the entrance of the home for luck.
