Grollende Löwen 1912

Editor: Here we have Wilhelm Kuhnert’s “Grollende Löwen,” or “Growling Lions,” from 1912, an oil on canvas painting. The texture of the lions' fur seems incredibly detailed. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: Let's think about the material conditions of its creation. Kuhnert was a celebrated animal painter, and paintings like these, rendered in oil with such attention to detail, spoke to the increasing interest in the natural world. What do you think that growing fascination came from? Editor: Perhaps an increasing awareness of how human industry impacts nature? Curator: Exactly! Kuhnert mass-produced his works as prints, blurring the line between high art and the newly accessible medium of the reproduced image. We need to think about that tension. The painting, with its intricate detail and skill, speaks to the tradition of academic painting, yet was also commercially successful. What does it mean to depict wildlife in this manner? Editor: It feels a bit like romanticizing nature, removing it from the actual ecosystem... making it consumable, I suppose. The materials become divorced from their reality. Curator: Precisely. Think of the colonial context! The depiction of these lions—a powerful symbol of Africa—circulated at a time when the continent and its resources were being exploited. The labor involved is further obscured as prints were accessible and widely disseminated to be hung on domestic walls across the world. Editor: I never thought about it that way before, seeing the depiction as also a form of commodity. Thanks, that’s insightful.