Spanish surrealist paints contrast between Chinese Loong and Western dragon

Ti Gong

Carlos Morell Orlandis, the descendant of a marquis, is displaying about a dozen of his Loong paintings, inviting a reset of thinking between Loong and the Western dragon among visitors to the Yi Feng Galleria on the Bund.

In contrast to the Western dragon, the Chinese Loong totem blends the body of a python, the head of a crocodile, the antlers of a deer, the eyes of a tiger, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle, the tale of a shark, and the whiskers of a catfish.

On display through June 30 are also 50-plus jade Loong from the collection of Shanghainese cultural scholar Cai Li, which are said to be among the influences and inspiration for Orlandis' approach toward his new understanding and interpretation of Loong.

The 10 oil paintings and one limited edition print by Morell cross a time span for creation from 2010 to 2022. The Loongs, in Orlandis' wise, clever, handsome, and humorous portrayals, are set against backgrounds of a universe of curved lines.

There are Loong at their birth, flying Loong, Loong with a backdrop of a knight and a castle, a Baroque Loong as a tribute to Spanish surrealist master Joan Miró (1893-1983), Loong showing vitality and strength, and even a vulnerable-looking Loong.

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"When I was a teenager, I found a dragon on my family coat of arms," Orlandis said. "I asked my father why we had such an evil beast representing aspects of our family. He answered that dragons are not always bad, sometimes they represent strength and power and can be guardians or protectors."

Orlandis was born into a family that boasts several painters and a collection of paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries to the present.

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Loong and dragons, according to Orlandis, are both very powerful creatures closely related to nature and magic, but with differences.

"The Dragon sometimes represents chaos and the bad. It usually appears with fire. Loong, the other one, is more protective and gentler, representing the strength of nature. It usually goes along with rain and water."

Dragons and Loong are favorite topics for Orlandis. In his early periods, he painted dragons, the more violent namesakes, in settings such as a knight hunting a dragon. When he came to China 18 years ago, his paintings began to evolve, showing the artist adapting to his new culture.

"If you look at my paintings before I came to live in Shanghai, they were completely different. Here, they became cleaner, subtler, simple but complicated," Orlandis said.

He also revealed his secret to surrealist painting.

"To paint I have to block my part of brain that is rational, for example, by using jazz, pop, or even rock music. Then I begin to think with the eyes. I improvise, a little bit like in jazz music to paint, to add some colors and some shapes. And little by little, the painting brings me inside. Then I lose absolutely any sense of time and consciousness," Orlandis said.

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Surrealism, which began with the publishing of "First Surrealist Manifesto" by André Breton (1896-1966) in 1924, is a way of artistic expression that explores fantasies and the unconscious, partly influenced by Freud and Jung.

As part of the "Divinity of Loong: Cross-Border Art Exhibition," the display of a collection of jade in the form of Loong sheds light on the evolution of Chinese jade Loong culture, while reviving jade as a symbol of respect and the Loong as a symbol of treasure in Chinese culture.

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"The Divinity of Loong: Cross-Border Art Exhibition"

Opening hours: 10am-6pm, from Tuesdays to Saturday, through June 30

Tickets: Free

Venue: Jiaxi International Art Center, Yi Feng Galleria 嘉禧艺术中心, 益丰外滩源

Address: Room 202, 2/F, 99 Beijing Road E

北京东路99号2楼202室

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