The Cock, The Ass, and the Lion, The Ass and the LapDog 1908

Walter Crane made this drawing, “The Cock, The Ass, and the Lion, The Ass and the LapDog” with pen and ink, creating a kind of illustrated fable. You can just see him there, bent over his table, hatching out these little scenes one by one. I love how the pale peach and blue ink give it such a playful feel. Look at the donkey, the way the lines suggest his form and energy. I imagine Crane drawing quickly, confidently, each stroke building on the last. You know, like he's kinda working it out as he goes. It’s funny to think how artists talk to each other, right? Like Crane here, riffing on Aesop, adding his own spin. It's like the best kind of gossip, swapping stories and seeing what sticks. What emerges feels like an artifact from another world. In a way, all painting is embodied expression, an ongoing conversation across time. So much meaning hiding just beneath the surface.