Schetsen van een leeuwtje 1918

Lambertus Zijl made these sketches of lion cubs, probably in 1918, using graphite on paper. What I love about sketches is their immediacy. You can sense the artist working something out in real time. I imagine Zijl at the zoo, quickly trying to capture the essence of these playful cubs, their forms overlapping and tumbling over one another. He’s not trying to be precise or realistic. It's more like he is trying to catch the spirit of these animals, their energy and liveliness. I love the simple lines that suggest so much. Look at the way he uses just a few strokes to define the faces, capturing their expressions with a kind of tender humor. The cubs seem almost cartoonish, like characters in a children’s book. You can see a hint of what was so unique in his sculptures - and the sense of play that imbues them. It's amazing how artists can capture such complexity with so little! I wonder how many other artists have sketched lions across the ages... it is all one big conversation, isn't it?