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AllisonStanley — Red Knight
Published: 2010-03-28 01:27:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 5272; Favourites: 221; Downloads: 74
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Indian Ink, Photoshop, Painter.From what I understand of Japanese theater the long red wig represents a Lion Spirit.
(03-27-10)
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Comments: 32
Looks pretty cool! She looks like some kind of science fiction warrior with the futuristic armour and energy sword. I like her red hair and face paint, which you of course based on the styles of traditional Japanese theatre. I also noticed her hands only appear to have three fingers. Perhaps the Red Knight isn't actually human? After all, a red wig was usually indicative of a non-human character in Kabuki and Noh.
To go into detail on what the wigs represent. I can't speak much for how they are used today, but I could give a rundown on how they were used in Feudal times. Around the 16th and 17th Centuries, the red wig usually represented non-human supernatural beings, often known as Yokai. It could also represent a Shinto god or goddess. Some examples of such creatures could be things like Oni, which is the Japanese equivalent of a demon or ogre; a Tengu, which is essentially a sort of goblin; or some kind of a Dragon. As for lion spirits? One of the creatures out there is an unusual one called the Komainu, which are often called "Lion-Dogs" by English speakers, and I think this is probably what you have in mind. Interestingly, the Japanese never actually called them lions, because they didn't know what lions were back then. Lions are not native to Japan, and the people that drew these creatures in art have likely never seen lions either. So where do the similarities come from? Well that is a long story going back to Ancient Rome. To put it short, it starts with the eyewitness accounts of Chinese travelers who encountered lions in the Middle East on their way to Rome. This was around the time of the Silk Road trade. Word got around about these strange beasts, and the Chinese began including them in their art. After the fall of Rome, China became extremely isolationist. Over hundreds of years, their depictions of them became increasingly stylised, as their true appearance was forgotten. During the Middle Ages, the Japanese encountered these Guardian Lion statues during their campaigns in China, and they were quite fascinated by them. These Guardian Lions were soon adopted into the Japanese culture, with their own spin on it, and the final result was a sort of lion-like dog.
There are other wig colours that were used in traditional Japanese theatre. White often represented a spirit or creature that was wise, while black was often used to represent ghosts and animals. The wigs didn't always have to represent supernatural beings. Sometimes the wigs were used to represent human characters, and the colour was instead used to represent their age. For instance, white could be used to represent an elderly person, while black could represent a young person.
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Interesting... I have never actually seen the film, and I do like classic Japanese films. Perhaps I will give it a watch some time. The main character does seem to be wearing a shaguma, which was often worn by Jinshotai Corps Officers of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was basically there to show your position in the army, not too dissimilar from the puffy bearskin hats worn by the Queen's Guard of the British Empire. They do seem to be reminiscent of Kabuki wigs, but they also remind me of the helmet worn by Takeda Shingen , which was a Kabuto covered in yak hair. I looked up the Japanese name of the movie, and it actually translates as "Redhead". If I were to fathom a guess, I would think that Red Lion was a decision of the English translators, perhaps to prevent confusion with the 1941 American Comedy also known as "Redhead", or maybe they just thought it sounded cool. It's common for translators to do this with foreign movies. Sometimes they do it to avoid copyright restrictions, to prevent confusion with other films, or just to make the title sound catchier.
An amusing question came to my mind. If you made a film, game, or novel out of this character, and released it to international audiences. Would she be called the "Red Samurai" instead of "Red Knight" in Japan? I kind of wonder why did you pick Knight over Samurai for the title. The overall aesthetic seems more inspired by Feudal Japan, than anything from Medieval Europe.
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This one is still my favorite, next to spectrum! I really wish I could have bought it today at Matsuri from you... T∆T
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Thanks! This artwork was a big turning point for me. Glad you like it!
And just so you know it is on my etsy here: www.etsy.com/listing/241633221…
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I have to say, your works remind me of a few different artists I admire, including Beardsley and Kay Nielsen. You've really got something going here and I hope you're proud of it because it's awesome. I notice you're primarily for the black and white images, but this is a splendid use of color you've got here! I'm a touch envious, you're just terrific at what you do and I wish you the best of luck with it
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Thanks! I really appreciate your supportive comment!
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This is pretty rad. I definitely see the kabuki influence.
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Wow! Very nice job with the hair and the fur! Love his angular features.
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*W*! his eyes!,the make up!, the color of the hair!
I love it all!
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amazing.
i love the colors and the face especially.
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Awesome, I love your color choices, and it has such great movement.
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wow, this looks really bad ass. I love the super bright red against everything black.
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very welcome! : )
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That is hilarious. Kansai Yamamoto designed some of David Bowie's stage costumes and I was looking some of his stuff you can see here when working on this.
But I had an excuse, this character is a captain or something in a military. So I made him have one of those huge red or white wigs some Japanese captains wore that I saw in the movie, Red Lion staring Toshiro Mifune.
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Haha, okay, I see it now.
Damn I'm so good at guessing these things. XD
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!
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