MEDSAN - Shenron Storm Dragon (神龍) - UNIQUE WORK

ONLY ONE EXISTS IN THE WORLD - EDITION 1/1

With this vertical-format artwork, Medsan brings Shenron, the wish-granting dragon from Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, to the heart of a traditional Japanese print. The emerald-green serpent, recognizable by its antlers, its long trailing mustaches and its red gaze, coils around a massive cumulonimbus as it does around the sky when the seven Dragon Balls are gathered. The scene direct references landscape ukiyo-e, in the vein of Utagawa Hiroshige’s storms and Kawase Hasui’s rainy atmospheres, from the early 20th century shin-hanga movement. At the top right, the red cartouche 神龍 surmounts the vertical signature メドサン, in the manner of a print title and the studio seal.

The treatment faithfully reproduces Japanese woodblock printing: soft black outline, layered flat areas, and a light bokashi grain in the sky’s gradient. The palette remains muted and refined — ash-purple, slate gray, the ivory of aged paper — from which the dragon’s deep green stands out as the sole chromatic accent. The composition follows a classic ascending diagonal: a twisted pine in the foreground, a flooded plain and distant woods, then the vertical cloud mass cut through by a white flash. The flocked clouds, rain hatchings, and the border imitating washi paper complete the formal citation.

The mashup lies in this obvious fact: Shenron is not an intruder, he is what the storm has hidden all along. By placing an icon of 1980s manga within an Edo-era setting, Medsan reminds us that Toriyama’s dragon descends from ryū painted on screens and Japanese scrolls. The work speaks of a wish, latent power, and a continuity between popular culture and pictorial tradition.

A rare piece and immediately legible, ideal for adding a graphic, contemplative touch to the interior of a collector who values both Japanese prints and manga culture.

Technical specifications:
Artist: Medsan
Reference: Shenron / Dragon Ball / ukiyo-e / storm / Japanese dragon / wood engraving
Dimensions: 40 x 60 cm
Edition: Unique artwork — 1/1 (one copy in the world)
Year: 2026
Support: Giclée mounted on wooden stretcher (thickness ~2 cm)
Signature: Yes, hand-signed
Condition: Excellent condition
Certificate: Certificate of authenticity (upon request)

About the Studio:
Atelier Joconde is a studio of artists brought together around a living and plural contemporary creation. Established as a genuine art-production space, the studio operates both in collective creation and individual approaches, depending on the projects and works. Atelier Joconde is also a family venture. Le Yack, a contemporary figurative painter, develops a narrative and introspective body of work with cinematic and realistic influences. Beside him, Medsan, oriented toward pop art painting, explores color, modern iconography, and visual culture. Finally, Neo Pablo pursues a more instinctive research, blending abstract art, outsider art, and figurative abstraction. Each work is conceived, realized, and followed within the studio, with a shared artistic standard and an identity unique to each artist.

Keywords:
Medsan, Atelier Joconde, Le Yack, Shenron, Dragon Ball, Ukiyo-e, Japanese Dragon, Thunderstorm, Print, Vertical format, Contemporary, Unique work, 1/1