Choose an art museum in the city that you have never been to before. In that museum, look around—take some time!—and find a representation of a lion. This may be a drawing, a painting, a sculpture—as long as it is a mimesis (imitation) of a lion.

Some interesting lions can (probably! I can’t say for sure!) be found in the following museums. All of them have lions in their collections, and most will have a lion or two on display.*

NOTE: MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) has some very nice lions indeed. However, MoMA is currently closed.

NOTE 2: You do not have to go to one of the museums listed here–surprise me!

Blog post #1 has three parts:

  1. A photograph of the artwork you have chosen. You must take this photograph yourself–do not pull the photo from the internet!! (If the museum does not permit photography, you may use an online version, but you must link to the policy on the museum’s website and post a photograph of yourself in front of the museum. This assignment requires you to go lion-hunting in person).
  2. Detailed information about the artist, country or culture of origin, date, and medium (i.e., pen and ink; wood; oil paint). All of this information may be found near the artwork itself, usually on a small card affixed to the wall.
  3. A written analysis (200-250 words) of your lion, with particular attention to the way it is represented—to the strategies the artist employed in creating this lion. In order to do this, consider:
  • What is immediately striking about the lion? (Is it noticeably textured? Does it resemble a dog? Is it hyper-realistic—a very life-like lion—or is it stylized? Is its color unusual?)
  • What aspects of the lion are emphasized? (Are its teeth bared, are its paws enormous? Does it have a minimal mane, or a giant ring of flame-like fur?)
  • What is its relationship to the rest of the artwork? (Is this a representation of just a lion—or a lion in relation to other figures, or to a landscape?).
  • And finally, what is the overall effect of how the lion is represented?—what is your reaction, as a viewer?

Be as detailed as possible in your account of the lion’s representation. Do not rely on the image to do this work—description is analysis. Call your readers’ attention to the features of the lion you find most striking and most meaningful.

*If your museum of choice has no lion—do not fret! You may complete the assignment with another animal (horses are a good one; so are dogs)—though please make a good faith effort to find a lion. Do not spend too much time trying to figure out in advance what you’ll look at or write on. Choose a museum that seems interesting to you, and go!