Title: The Repast of the Lion

Artist: Henri Rousseau

Origin: France

Medium: Oil on canvas

The lion’s eyes are very striking, looking straight forward at the audience as it is eating what appears to be another animal. The lion is more realistic than abstract with a life-like color scheme. In comparison to the painting as a whole, the lion is not emphasized to the extent it could have been, which shows the audience it’s frightening subtlety. The lion is painted in relation to the nature surrounding it, playing a key role in analyzing the meaning of the work. The overall depiction of the lion and its surroundings allow me to connect the idea of the painting to society as a whole. When looking at the placement of all the subjects in the painting, the juxtaposition of nature and the lion is prominent. The beautiful flowers and trees along with the sunset paint a lovely, almost serene picture, until the eye is drawn down to the lion. Depicted with a bloody animal in its mouth, it could be seen that this represents a conception in the painter’s mind of the overarching beauty of nature, having within it a small component of intrinsic violence. From a distance, everything seems to be harmonious, however when looked at closely, individual manifestations of power that are intrinsic violations of boundary bespeak a power-over dynamic that exists within the larger framework of society. This piece of artwork seems to be making a statement about perceived and actual reality and relations.

Information

Artist: Giovanni Francesco Susini

Country: Italy

Date: circa 1630-1640

Analysis

The most striking feature of this artwork is the sleek bronze medium used to accentuate the stature of these two majestic animals. The horse was more rusted than the lion, which could be symbolic of the horse’s status as the prey, and therefore, degraded. This sculpture is a lifelike representation of the animal.

The lion’s hunting prowess is emphasized, with the predatory bite marks and claw marks vividly apparent, seeping through the metallic horse’s hide. The lion embodies fierceness through its dominant position over the horse. Three of the lion’s limbs are firmly planted onto its prey, with the fourth on the floor for support. The horse, on the other hand, with its neck writhing in pain and hooves thrashing in urgency, is desperately trying to escape the ironclad grasp of its predator. This realistic depiction of a lion attacking a horse, from the lion’s positioning to the horse’s defiance against its inevitable fate, would suggest that Susini is familiar with wild animals in combat. While the horse has a face of agony, one would expect the lion to have one of unwavering superiority. However, the lion appears to have a somber countenance, as if it’s expressing how the nature of this scene is purely business, purely due to its placement on the food chain in relation to the opposing animal. This detail is only apparent if one views the lion from below, effectively making this sentiment hidden to the casual viewer. Another feature to note is the lion’s mane, having intricate twists and turns within its locks of fur, which embodies the lion’s regal nature. Overall, this sculpture highlights this intimidating predator of nature, which makes its sad facial expression all the more bewildering.

Description

Artist: Giovanni Francesco Susini

Country of origin: Italy

Name of Sculpture: A Lion Attacking a Horse

Date: ca. 1630−40

Medium: Bronze

Analysis

I visited The Frick Collection and as soon as I entered and took a left, a couple of sculptures caught my eye. They were sculptures of animals, another one depicting a leopard attacking a bull. As soon as I saw this sculpture, I knew this was the one I wanted to analyze. The lion is very life-like because of the way its body is sculpted. The hair, paws, and tail seem very carefully carved to enunciate the lion’s physical features and give him a sense of power. While the lion’s face looks brave and daring, the horse looks really scared with his mouth open and eyes widened. The horse seems to be resting on a rock or something solid, almost as if he needs support because of the lion’s attack.

The lion’s claws and teeth can be seen digging into the horse’s skin. The horse is definitely terrified, but is not trying to fight back. He is resting on the rock with his legs spread out, almost as if he has submitted to the lion’s power. The medium used also adds a touch to the sculpture. The marks from the lion’s attack on the horse can clearly be seen on the bronze. The lion’s body and horse’s neck also have marks, stressing the lion’s muscles and his power and the horse’s anxiety or strain. Overall, this sculpture gives me the notion that no matter the size or shape of another animal, the lion has always kept its power and status.

Artist: Théodore Gericault

Culture of Origin: French

Name of Painting: Lions in a Mountainous Landscape

Date: ca. 1818-20

Medium: Oil on wood

Written Analysis:

This picture shows six lions resting in a dark lair, along with what seems to be a bone. As the title suggests, there is a mountain range in the background. It is believed that the mountains depicted in this photo are the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. In the background, there seems to be a red light coming from the side of the mountain—perhaps it may be a sunset.

The painting is influenced by romantic art and the lions are depicted as realistic and life-like. However, the painting is in a state of ébauche—unfinished, and left in a sketchlike style—something that Gericault was widely known for doing. This can be seen through the lions as the general look of each lion is complete; however, small details in the tails, for example, seem to be missing or not yet finished.

The central lion seems to be the most emphasized one. There is a sliver of light shining primarily on it, almost in a heavenly manner. It also seems to be more detailed than the other lions. It looks like it’s yawning, forcing it to display its teeth and seem ferocious.

Gericault made this painting seem very dark and gloomy. It may be drawn this way to manipulate the viewer’s perspective towards the central, most illuminated, lion. Also, there is depth to the image, making it seem realistic and adding to the feeling that this painting may actually be a real scene somewhere in nature.

Terracotta neck-amphora (jar)

Greek, Chalcidian, black-figure, ca. 540-530 B.C

Attributed to the Polyphemos Group

The vase in the photo is from the Metropolitan museum, in the Greek section. The photo shows two lions grabbing and biting into a bull. The image portrays the battle between the two lions and the bull. The lions seem to be trying to bring the bull down to the ground, while the bull is trying to ram one of the lions with its horns.

When I first saw the vase, my eyes instantly went to the bite marks in the bull. The teeth of the lions are very long and are sharp. They were unproportionally big for the lion’s faces. Additionally, the lion’s manes are the same color as part of the bull’s skin. The manes are not as large as a real lion, but are extended to the usual position a lion’s mane would end. Furthermore, the lions on the vase have much bigger front paws than the back ones, which are skinny and small.

The vase most likely represents power and the lions convey a sense of strength and forcefulness. The user of the jar most likely wanted to send a signal that he or she too was tuff and expected respect from others.

My reaction to seeing the vase was awe. Although the vase was crafted more than 2,000 years ago, it is still in very good condition and the detailed artwork is amazing. The lions have a unique form, which I found very interesting and it was what drew me to this art piece.

Name: Lions in a Mountainous Landscape

Artist: Théodore Gericault

Culture: French

Date: 1818-1820

Medium: Oil Paint on Wood

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

What’s immediately striking about the lions is how desperate they seem. Despite being drawn as traditional lions (with proportionate limbs, torsos, and manes), they appear to be making almost human facial expressions. The central lion, for instance, has a look of anger or fear while the right-most lion exudes longing and desperation. Two of the other lions are painted laying down without any lighting on their entire bodies, giving the impression they are gloomy, hopeless, and exhausted.

Although the primary focus is on their faces, the central lion’s mane is also emphasized. It’s given an almost three dimensional shape with the brush strokes slightly protruding out of the painting and clearly defining the outline of the mane.

The lions reflect the overall “tone” of the landscape. The mountains in the background are painted a (very) dark blue, giving the painting a depressing feel–similar to how the lions are portrayed. There is also a hint of red horizon to the right of the painting, which suggests something chaotic occurring in the background.

It appears to me that the landscape is a reflection of how the lions feel: afraid, hopeless, and uncertain. The painting as a whole gives off a somber mood. As I was observing the painting, I wondered what the lions’ backstory is–what happened to them that made them seem so miserable. I also wondered what’s going on in the background, particularly in the red area on the right.

Description:

As you step foot on the fourth floor of the Rubin Museum you immediately enter an atmosphere that is religious and spiritual. If you turn to the right the first thing that is noticed is a huge display with a sculpture. This is a lacquered wooden sculpture with noticeable gold pigment on the deity and the body of the lion. It was created in China during the 16^thcentury and is called Vaishravana, Guardian King of the North. This art is a representation of a popular, vital, and wealthy guardian king that is recognized in both Tibet and China and he uses the lion as a source of transportation.

Analysis:

When I just came upon this artwork my gaze was immediately fixed on the lion, even though the deity was technically the center piece. I was caught up in the lion’s eyes; to me they seemed ferocious, powerful, and brutal even though the lion itself was relaxed. Gradually, my gaze shifted to the thick swirled brows that portrayed anger. This swirled technique was also used on the tail and mane, adding smoothness to the sculpture. Additionally, the lion appeared to be wearing certain protective gear or armor which depicted that it is of high importance to the people of that century. It could be said that the guardian and the lion were relatively similar in size which highlighted the importance and power that the lion had. Yet, the majority of the lion’s body was not seen except for the front legs on the lower left. They appeared to be short in comparison to the size of the lion; however, they were unusually muscular for a lion. It could be stated that the structure of the legs was similar to that of a dog. Meanwhile, the head was unproportionally large. Something else unusual was that the lion’s teeth and smile resembled those of a human.  I also noticed that the deity had a belt around his waist that portrayed the head of that same lion. Overall, I believe that the deity and lion were getting prepared for an important event that required the brutal seriousness seen in their faces.

Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Information

• Artist: Unknown
• Period: Neo-Babylonian
• Date: ca. 604–562 B.C.
• Geography: Mesopotamia, Babylon. Modern Day Hillah (A City in Central Iraq)
• Culture: Babylonian
• Medium: Ceramic & Glaze

Analysis

The Striding Lion installation in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a ceramic and glaze infused artwork that has stayed relatively preserved for around 2 millennials. The lion appears very muscular and the cracks in the ceramic tiles add definition to the lion’s legs. The face of the lion has some anthropomorphic features as its eyes are large and seem human like. 

When first seeing the piece my eyes immediately went over to the mane. The mane is swept back across the lion’s heads and goes as far as the middle of its body. The lower part of the mane resembles a wing. The wing has an outline/bevel and is heavily emphasized in the piece. Mesopotamian and Bablyanonion culture/religion refers to a deity called Lamassu. Lamassu is a protective deity, often depicted as having a human head, the body of a bull or a lion, and bird wings. I’m assuming the unique mane was used to pay homage to Lamassu. Additionally, artwork of lions are used to signify/symbolize strength and were often found in royal palaces. Maybe this piece was created to signify the influence of the king of Babylon at the time, Nebuchadnezzar II.

At first glance of the lion I was in awe of its beauty and the unique style used to create the piece. The colors implemented compliment each other and the overall assertiveness that resonates from the lion adds a sense of elegance to the piece.

Marble statue of a lion, ca. 400–390 B.C.

Greek

Marble statues of lions were sometimes used as tomb monuments or as guardians at both ends of a large tomb facade. Like many classical Greek works of art, this statue was taken to Rome during the imperial period.

For this assignment, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to fulfill my quest for a lion. In the Greek and Roman Art section, I found a marble statue of a lion in the middle of the gallery. The lion was hard to miss because it was the centerpiece of the room, attracting attention to all the visitors, including me. The statue was created during the Classical Period of Greece and its purpose, according to the museum, was to either guard tombs or act as tomb monuments. I was surprised by the size and physique of the lion statue because real lions are bigger, muscular, and their features resemble the feline family. This statue, however, had a smaller stature and pretty bony. The face of the statue is also very sharp and angular, resembling a dog. I also observed the position of the lion and tried to anticipate the actions of the lion that the sculptor wanted to depict. It was interesting in that the lion had its mouth open, looking upwards like it was looking at someone. The statue also bent its front body like it was about to pounce on the person it was looking at. I concluded that the sculptor of this lion wanted the statue to act as a tomb guardian, ready to defend the tomb against any disturbers. In light of this hypothesis, I assume the lion was more dog-like to symbolize its domestic role of guarding something, like a dog guarding a house.

Background

This painting was made by a French artist Henri Rousseau. He paints in a post-impressionist style which emphasizes the use of vivid colors and thick layers of paint. He started painting in his early 40s and influenced many later avant-garde artists. This specific piece was painted in 1907 and medium is oil on canvas.

Analysis

This painting is not hyper-realistic or even realistic. Most of the art from this time period follows the same pattern of shifting away from realism. Rousseau focuses on the vivid colors and textures of the scene. His painting depicts a jungle full of vegetation. Most of the jungle is painted in a dark green hue with the sun rising directly in the background. Only a few things are not painted in green. This makes the viewer focus on these objects more. This includes the lion in the foreground as well as the bananas in the background. 

This painting depicts a lion in a much different way than most paintings. Other artists tend to put the lion in the center of the painting and really highlight the strength and power of the lion. This may give make the lion seem important to the viewer. On the other hand, Rousseau does not especially focus on the lion. Most of the lion is not visible, as only the face, mane, and paws are above the thick vegetation. The lion also has a dead jaguar in his mouth. Even though Rousseau does not show the muscles and teeth of the lion, the dead jaguar gives this lion power. It makes the viewer feel that this lion controls the vast jungle behind him and we should be cautious entering his domain, even while looking at this painting.