The Scourge Vanquished
Artist
Shawn Cheng
(American, born 1980)
Date2015
Mediumacrylic and ink on panel
Dimensions121.9 × 91.4 × 3.8 cm (48 × 36 × 1 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineChapin Riley Fund at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Object number2015.40
Label TextCheng created this painting for the Worcester Art Museum’s Samurai! exhibition in 2015, and it features a number of objects from the Higgins Collection of Arms and Armor, which WAM acquired in 2014. Protected by his enchanted helmet (Modeled after WAM’s own Hoshi-Kabuto 1910.47.1), the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021 CE) manages to decapitate Shuten-doji, the demon king of Ōeyama. The severed head and swarms of minions, however, continue to bedevil the hero and his legendary retainers. Protected by his enchanted helmet, Minamoto manages to decapitate the monster, but the severed head and swarms of minions continue to bedevil the heroes. An early interest in comics and animation led to Cheng’s fascination with Japanese folklore, especially the yōkai, or supernatural beings. After studying woodblock prints at Yale, Cheng developed an elaborate process of stenciling and erasure of painted areas, resulting in a slight off-registration appearance, a reference to the imperfection of printmaking processes.Provenancesold by artist to the Worcester Art Museum, 2015.On View
Not on view
