Lion’s Pride 1973

LeRoy Neiman made ‘Lion’s Pride’ with what looks like pretty free and gestural brushstrokes, and a super vibrant, almost electric palette. It’s like he’s not just painting lions, but the idea of ‘lion-ness’ itself. Looking at the texture, you can almost feel the energy he put into it. The paint isn’t trying to hide; it’s thick in places, thin in others, kind of splattered, kind of dragged. The colours aren’t blended so much as they sit side-by-side, making the whole thing buzz with life. If you zoom in on the lion’s mane, you can see how he uses these short, choppy strokes to create this incredible sense of movement and light. This kind of energetic mark-making reminds me of Joan Mitchell, who was another master of capturing a feeling through the sheer physicality of paint. In the end, it’s less about what the painting is of, and more about what it makes you feel.