Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Gerome's Sea Cats
The French academic painter Jean Leon Gerome, loved big cats.
Lions are a kind of signature for him, perhaps because his middle name is French for 'lion', and his last name is also the name of a saint who is supposed to have had a pet lion.
He may have chosen a marine background for these kitties because the turquoise hues contrast nicely with the orange of their fur.
Depictions of exotic animals catered to the Orientalism of Gerome's day, evoking the power and majesty of Eastern landscapes.