Löwin, ihre linke Hinterpfote leckend 28 - 1858

Editor: This is "Lion Licking its Left Hind Paw," a pen and ink drawing on paper from 1858 by Eugène Delacroix, currently held at the Städel Museum. I am struck by the intensity and almost restless quality communicated by the linework. What do you see in this piece, considering Delacroix's skill with form? Curator: I find the dynamic tension within this seemingly static composition fascinating. Note the economy of line; Delacroix captures the lion's musculature and texture with astonishing efficiency. The cross-hatching, particularly around the head and paws, creates a sense of volume and depth that belies the work's flatness. Editor: Yes, the shading is really effective. I hadn't considered the implied volume. How do the lighter and darker areas guide the viewer’s eye? Curator: Observe how the darker inks anchor the form. Delacroix masterfully manipulates light and shadow to delineate the contours of the lion, guiding the eye along its sinuous form. This contrast animates the figure; it almost seems to ripple with contained energy. It creates a sophisticated interplay between the form and its implied setting. The directionality of the shading too adds to a greater sense of movement across an essentially static sketch. Editor: I can see how that contributes to the drawing's power. Looking at the composition again, how do the curved lines play into the form? Curator: Note that he’s deploying curvature almost diagrammatically; the very means by which the representation is occurring is immediately apparent to the viewer. What’s arresting here is how that analytical quality sits in close proximity to the wildness of the sketch more generally. It’s a productive friction which speaks to his practice as an artist. Editor: That is a helpful and new way of seeing the formalist concerns in this lion’s paw drawing. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Examining art in this way offers deep insight into artistic thinking, even from sketches.