Liggende leeuw 1864 - 1936

Curator: Here we have "Liggende leeuw," or "Reclining Lion," attributed to Jan van Essen and created sometime between 1864 and 1936. This piece, held here at the Rijksmuseum, is rendered in pencil and ink on paper. Editor: Oh, I just adore this. It's moody. The lion looks positively world-weary, like he's just had a long day ruling the jungle and needs a nap. Curator: Indeed. Note the strategic use of chiaroscuro. The artist employs varied densities of hatching to delineate the form and evoke the texture of the lion’s fur, imbuing the image with a palpable sense of volume and mass. Editor: And yet it's so raw, isn't it? Like a snapshot grabbed in a second. There's a sense of immediacy that transcends the stillness of the subject. It reminds me of sketching my cat... but, you know, if my cat was the king of beasts. Curator: Precisely. This apparent spontaneity belies a sophisticated understanding of anatomy and form. Consider the subtle gradations in tone that define the musculature beneath the fur. Observe how the posture – the relaxed splay of the limbs – conveys both power and vulnerability. The formal structure hinges on the juxtaposition of shadow and light, rendering the lion a figure caught between visibility and obscurity. Editor: It feels so unresolved, so open-ended. Is he waking or sleeping? Is he about to roar or drift back to sleep? That uncertainty makes him intensely relatable, almost human. Though, I doubt my post-nap mood could intimidate an antelope... Curator: I agree; the artwork elicits such engagement. Note the subtle lines that create depth around the animal; such formal dynamics underscore the artist’s sophisticated understanding of pictorial space, and of its relationship to the animal within it. Editor: It's remarkable how van Essen captures this animal's majesty and weariness, all with just ink and pencil. It’s an interesting combination of raw, fleeting and incredibly powerful. I think it encapsulates an attitude, a spirit. Curator: A wonderful encapsulation indeed. The dialogue between observation and expression in this deceptively simple drawing is what makes it, in my estimation, such a compelling example of realism.