THE SACRIFICE

In the dead of night, a young girl takes on an impossible fight in hopes to exchange her own life for that of her crowned crane. With her last sliver of strength, the girl pushes the heavy bird one breath closer to freedom. Every drop of moonlight is a luxury which the crying crane tastes alone as he resurrects from the chaos. Finally, the merciless mass of mud and miasma swallows the girl, whose only wish is to see the crane dance once more.

This illustration is inspired by a true story of a girl in China named Xu XiuJuan, who died in search of a young red-crowned crane that was missing from the nature reserve, where she devoted her life to conserving cranes.

37.5cm x 60cm
Acrylic on wood panel, with gold leaf embellishment
(2020)