“The Sleeping Gypsy” was painted by the Frenchman Henri Rousseau in 1897. The large 51.0 in x 79.0 in painting is on display on the 5th floor of the Museum of Modern Art. The painting is oil painted on canvas.

In the image we see a dark skinned gypsy wearing a colored striped tunic fast asleep on the mountainous desert floor underneath a moonlit sky. The gypsy has a stick in her hand and is lying next to a string instrument and a jug. Behind the gypsy is a dark lion, bent over. What struck me at first was the yellow eye of the lion that is painted as wide open, almost like it is staring into my eyes. Although the lion is bent over, you can also see a big mane, that covers about 2/5 of its body. Aside from its mane, the lion doesn’t seem to be realistic, because there is no fur drawn on the rest of the body. The face of the lion is similar to that of a pig.

While it looks like the lion is staring at the audience, it also looks as if the lion is watching over the sleeping gypsy for some reason. She is asleep and not startled by the lion’s presence so maybe she was aware that it was there and he was acting as a guard over her while she slept. The lion doesn’t seem vicious like he is about to pounce and attack a victim. Rather, he looks serene and calm, just standing confident over the gypsy.

My initial reaction to seeing the lion watching over the gypsy in the painting was fear for the gypsy. I couldn’t tell if she was in danger or if she knew what was going on. The dark colors of the painting mixed with the burst of color from the striped jacket compliment each other well and relax the tension of the eyes while looking at the painting. It all looks like a dream.