The Repast of the Lion

Rousseau assembled his imaginary jungle from Paris botanical gardens and illustrated publications. The painting probably appeared at the Salon d’Automne in 1907. His familiar nickname, the Customs Officer, came from his earlier employment rather than tropical exploration.

A golden-maned lion holds spotted prey. The hunting action takes place within carefully arranged vegetation.

A large pale flower droops on the left. Its unusual scale makes the plant as prominent as the predator.

Yellow flowers hang among broad leaves. Repeated forms construct the imaginary jungle’s density.

A pale moon appears above distant foliage. A small opening within vegetation establishes spatial depth.

Broad flat leaves rise at the upper right. Clear edges recall the study of individual plants in a botanical garden.

Long curved grasses fill the foreground. They overlap distant forms, creating several layers of vegetation.

Rousseau was largely self-taught and regularly exhibited with the Indépendants. Younger artists and writers supported him; Picasso held a banquet for him in 1908. Urban sources produced a world that attracted the avant-garde.