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Pair of lions

Creator

French Artist · 1791–1824

> Obstacles and difficulties which repel mediocre men are a necessity and nourishment to genius. They mature and elevate it, when in an easier road it would have remained cold. > > --Théodore Géricault Géricault's fiery, daring personality and short life fit the mold of Romantic artists of his era and, along with his controversial paintings, profoundly influenced nineteenth-century art. Despite ab

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Date: 1812–1814
Medium: Graphite
Culture: French
Department: Drawings
Institution: Getty Museum

Théodore Géricault's numerous sketches of lions in this book show his fascination with the strength and beauty of these animals. Using swift strokes and lines that merely suggest but do not linger over specific details, he captured their muscular bodies, long, flowing manes, and broad paws. Géricault copied these animals from Peter Paul Rubens' painting *Marriage of Henri IV and Marie de' Medici* in the Musée du Louvre. In the picture, one of a cycle of twenty-seven monumental canvases painted to decorate a room in the Palais du Luxembourg, nude putti ride the animals that pull the king and queen's chariot.

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