The Repast of the Lion 1907

Henri Rousseau's "The Repast of the Lion" (1907) depicts a lion feasting on its prey in a lush, jungle-like setting. The simplified forms, flat planes of color, and decorative patterns are characteristic of Rousseau's "naive" style, which he developed without formal training. The bright, almost fluorescent colors contribute to the dreamlike atmosphere of this iconic example of primitivism in art. The work was celebrated by avant-garde artists such as Pablo Picasso and Robert Delaunay, who saw in it a new aesthetic possibility beyond the conventions of academic art.