The Repast of the Lion
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Location History: | The painting was first owned by Wilhelm Uhde in Paris, who bought it directly from Rousseau himself by July 1910 for 200 francs. He then sold it to Julius Keller, who had it in Aachen, Germany, by 1914. From there, it passed through the New York dealer Stephan Bourgeois around 1923. That same year, it was acquired by Adolph Lewisohn in New York, who owned it until his death in 1938. After Adolph’s death, it went to his son, Sam A. Lewisohn, who kept it until his own death in 1951 at which point it was bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum. |
“The Repast of the Lion,” painted by Henri Rousseau, in 1907, is one of the many jungle paintings executed by Rosseau. Like most of his paintings which depict jungle scenes, this painting too was a result of the observations he made of the Botanical Gardens of Paris. He was captivated by these gardens and his obsession with the plant and animal life was well reflected in most of his works, including “The Repast of the Lion.” This painting depicts a lion feeding upon its prey. The scene takes place in a jungle setting. The painting can be classified as an example of ‘Naive’ art or what is also known as ‘Primitivism’ in the art world. It carries the essence of wildlife painting. Rousseau, through this painting, successfully captured the raw nature and untamed reality of an animal in a natural setting.The predatory nature of the lion is captured in an exoticised environment.The raw brutality of the hunt is shown in a highly stylised and imagined paradise. Furthermore, the viewers are able to get a sense of the predator-prey relationship. What is really interesting about Henri Rousseau is the way he romanticised and exoticised the jungle environments in his paintings. Perhaps, the dreamlike depiction of the wildlife, as evident in many of his artworks, was a result of his imagination and exaggeration.