Henri Harpignies (1819-1916), A Lioness Hunting Her Prey, Signed Watercolor

Henri Joseph Harpignies (1819-1916)
A lioness hunting her prey
Watercolor and pencil on paper
5.6 x 6.5 cm
Signed lower left, in ink: "h harpignies"

Framed under glass
Dimensions with frame: 15 x 20 cm
Very good condition

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A rare subject in the creation of Henri Harpignies, a renowned French painter of landscapes most often inspired by a sensitivity that is both romantic and naturalist, a precursor of the Barbizon School, a friend of Camille Corot and a master for many artists throughout the 19th century.

Whether it is a painter's dream, a fantasy drawing made for a child or a vision inspired by the almost abstract movement of watercolor on paper, this composition highlights both Harpignies' insatiable curiosity in the field of drawing as well as his pleasure in letting himself be guided by the very technique and by his own intuition.

If we contemplate the moment of creation of this drawing, we must first look at the artist's brush which explores the different shades of yellow and orange, then begins to capture the overall movement of the colors and the composition, with this touch of green to evoke a luxuriant nature. Each touch of color has its own internal dynamic. Then, with the tip of the pencil, the artist comes to make more precise the different planes of the landscape and, above all, the silhouettes of two animals, in the center: certainly a lioness who has just attacked, to play or to kill, another wild animal.

This drawing, of a remarkable speed of execution, evokes the travel sketches and watercolors of Delacroix, the graphic art of the sculptor Barye (notably the "Panther Devouring a Gazelle" in the Louvre), but also the troubled nature of the Douanier Rousseau and the colorful, almost abstract freedom of the Blaue Reiter, at the dawn of the 20th century.

This sheet eludes any attempt at dating and thus appears as a rarity in Harpignies' work. The artist took care to sign this sheet, to confirm that his vision is complete, that the drawing is exactly as he had wanted it.