The Tiger and the Magpie · About Minhwa

Is this tiger scary? Look again. Many minhwa tigers have big round eyes and a goofy grin. They were painted to make people smile.

A guardian at the door

In old Korea, the tiger was believed to guard people from bad luck and evil spirits. A tiger painting in the home worked like a friendly guard.

A joke with a message

In the 1800s, some paintings also told a quiet joke. The big tiger stood for the powerful upper class, and the clever little magpie stood for ordinary people. The little magpie chatters away, and the big tiger just looks silly.

From old screens to a new screen

Have you watched “KPop Demon Hunters”? Netflix says the tiger Derpy is based on the babo horangi, the “silly tiger” you often meet in minhwa. So this old friend is now famous all over the world.

From the Artist

— Jieun Ro

When painting a minhwa tiger, most time and care usually go into three things: the fur, the eyes, and the humor in its face.

For me, the most demanding part — and the most fun — is painting the fur. From the “king” (王) mark on the forehead to the cheeks, neck, back, belly, and tail, the direction, length, and thickness of the fur all change. The bristling fur around the face and neck decides the tiger’s energy, so I keep the brush tip springy and add strokes thousands of times until the body feels full and alive.

After building up the fur over the whole body, I put the most care into the last step: the gaze of the eyes, the whiskers, and the angle of the mouth. That is when the tiger gets its personality and spirit.

Try This

Find the magpie in the first painting. Where is it, and what do you think it is saying to the tiger?

Image credits & sources

This story is part of an ongoing series. More stories are on the way.

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