For over 400 years the tale, Journey to the West has been entertaining & inspiring audiences around the world. The handsome Monkey King is such a richly complex character, developing & changing through the course of his miraculous adventures.
Here I present for you, 16 artists from 8 countries with their interpretations of the Sage Equal to Heaven.
Felix Ip - China
HAIKU Art Review: Sun Wukong
Curiousity
Seeking sutras for man's sins
We are all monkeys
Saryth - Thailand
In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡 芳年) 1889 Japan
Sun Wukong possesses an immense amount of strength; he is able to lift his 7,960 kg staff with ease. He is also extremely fast, able to travel 54,000 km in one somersault.
Richard Nowitz for National Geographic - USA
The Monkey King knows 72 transformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects; however, he is troubled in transforming into other forms, due to the accompanying incomplete transformation of his tail.
Fenghua Zhong - China
Sun Wukong is a skilled fighter, capable of holding his own against the best warriors of heaven. Also, each of his hairs possess magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects.
Juan Doe - USA
He also knows spells that can command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike
SnowSkadi - Russia
He is first known as Shí Hóu (石猴) "Stone monkey" because he's hatched from a magical stone egg.
Godtail - Japan
Godtail
On the Mountain of Flowers & Fruit, as leader of the apes he gives himself the title, Měi Hóuwáng (美猴王)"Handsome Monkey-King"
Tyler Bradley - Canada
When he travels to the Heavenly Kingdom, the Jade Emperor gives him the title, Bìmǎwēn (弼馬溫) "Keeper of the Heavenly Horses"
Wang Yuxi - China
This is a highly detailed ink sketch featuring all the major characters from the book.
Wang Yuxi - detail
After causing more trouble & rebelling against Heaven, Monkey takes the title, Qítiān Dàshèng (齊天大聖)"Great Sage, Equal to Heaven"
Saryth - Thailand
Info source: Wikipedia
Read the original Journey to the West or
the abridged version The Monkey & The Monk