Lich in a Zen Temple: An Oil Painting

An ancient lich sits in lotus pose on a tatami mat inside a serene zen temple. An oil painting on canvas with thick impasto brushstrokes and soft sfumato edges. Warm amber candlelight and paper lanterns cast gentle chiaroscuro on carved wooden beams and shoji screens. The lich's tattered ceremonial robes drape over pale bone, a cracked skull face with faint ember-glow eyes, and a subtle blue aura haloing him. One skeletal hand rests on a rune-inscribed staff, the other raised in a quiet blessing gesture. Incense curls through still air; behind him a weathered stone Buddha and a hanging scroll in kanji. Through an open lattice, a mossy rock garden and tranquil pond are visible. Palette of muted earth tones—ochre, umber, greens—with hints of cobalt and gold. The scene blends reverence with eerie calm, capturing the texture of cloth, bone, wood, and stone.