The Snake, one of the twelve animals in the Lunar Zodiac, holds a profound place in East Asian art and culture. As a zodiac animal, the Snake symbolizes wisdom, introspection, mystery, and transformation. Its graceful and sinuous form has made it a popular subject in paintings, where it is often depicted with elegance, subtlety, and spiritual depth.

沒骨畫, or “Boneless Painting”, is a traditional East Asian painting technique that originated in China. The style emphasizes creating forms without outlines, relying on washes of ink or color to define shapes. Instead of precise contours, the focus is on capturing the spirit (神韻) and essence of the subject, resulting in a soft and natural appearance.

Traditional Chinese animal painting is a significant genre within Chinese art, reflecting the deep cultural, philosophical, and symbolic connections between humans and animals. Often created using traditional techniques such as ink and wash (水墨画) or gongbi (工笔, meticulous brushwork), these paintings are rich in symbolic meanings and serve to convey moral lessons, philosophical ideas, and expressions of beauty in nature.