Study of Lions 

Editor: So, this is Rosa Bonheur’s "Study of Lions," a pencil drawing. It's quite a collection of poses, very immediate. It almost feels like I'm looking at the artist’s direct observations from life. What catches your eye? Curator: I see the hand of Bonheur as a working artist. This wasn't simply inspiration; this was labour. Note the materiality: pencil on paper. Common, accessible, readily available. This speaks volumes about art production, about breaking down traditional, elite artmaking. Editor: How so? Curator: Consider who was creating academic art and where and how. Bonheur's "Study of Lions" pushes against this, by virtue of her choices in material, but the academic art aspect is very present in her careful study and rendering, which is then juxtaposed to what seems like rapid studies of the animal and its posture and mood. She understood what constituted “good” art and utilized material that broadened the base for entry into that discussion. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't thought about it in terms of accessible materials democratizing artmaking. Curator: It also prompts questions about consumption. Where would a work like this be sold? What market was she appealing to by making art like this from such utilitarian supplies? How was she complicating the very notions of 'high' and 'low' art? Editor: I hadn’t considered the market that she might have appealed to either. That adds another layer to the whole process. Thanks for helping me to unpack this, I am certainly seeing this piece with new eyes now!