Hunting Lions 

Curator: This is Richard Friese’s oil painting, "Hunting Lions". Editor: It’s making me think about manifest destiny, you know? That feeling of claiming a view, this panoramic expanse. The lions almost feel like symbols of an untamed power, poised on the edge of everything. Curator: Friese, though not extensively written about, was a significant figure in animal painting. Consider the power dynamics implicit in that very genre. Humans representing animals, often in the context of hunting or domination... it says a lot about our relationship to the natural world. Editor: Totally! And the palette here, it's so subdued. I mean, you expect these big, dramatic strokes of color in an animal painting, but it’s all very muted browns and greys, like the scene is whispering rather than roaring. Curator: Absolutely. Note how Friese uses the landscape—this rocky terrain—to create a stage for the lions. The painting highlights tensions between animal agency and imposed environments. The viewer is asked to consider the precarious position animals have historically held when confronted by humans in ever-expanding settlements. Editor: Makes you wonder what they’re thinking. Are they hungry, are they sizing things up? Or are they just taking a breather? It’s that sliver of mystery, right? Friese drops us into their moment, and then it’s up to us. The painting offers only this fragment, this stolen glimpse into the world of its wild subjects. I feel a kinship there. Curator: Considering how so many depictions of wildlife have actively advanced problematic imperial narratives, I always question whose gaze informs our readings of paintings like this. Is it possible to strip away layers of prejudice and perceive an unfettered image? Perhaps not. But engaging with that question directly feels ethically sound to me. Editor: Beautiful. I love how we began with the vista and ended at questions of prejudice. All from a painting of a pair of big cats! Thanks, Friese, for getting the ball rolling today. Curator: Indeed. A reminder that every artistic depiction has both context and consequences.