Copy painting & reproduction on canvas
The Repast of the Lion (Rousseau)

“The Repast of the Lion” immerses us in a twilight jungle, both lush and unsettling. In the heart of dense, stylized vegetation, a lion devours its prey. The scene, though potentially violent, is treated by Rousseau with a poetic distance. Nature is the main character: strangely shaped plants and oversized flowers in bright colors (yellow, blue, pink) create a fantastic setting. A white solar disk, either moon or sun, pierces through the foliage, bathing the scene in an unreal light. The Douanier composes his jungle like a dream, assembling elements observed at the Jardin des Plantes to create an imaginary ecosystem. The precision in the drawing of each leaf contrasts with the unrealistic aspect of the whole. This work perfectly illustrates the artist’s vision: a primitive, beautiful, powerful, and cruel nature.