Lion Hunt
1860
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1860
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Lion Hunt is a 1860 oil by Eugène Delacroix, a french_romanticism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see a tangle of men and horses fighting a lion in swirling dust and blood. Delacroix never actually saw a lion hunt—he imagined this scene after visiting North Africa. The bright colors and wild energy come from sketches he made of Arab riders and markets. But the painting still plays into old European ideas about "exotic" danger. Look up *impasto* to see how thick, textured brushstrokes make the chaos feel real.
