Lioness With Prey

Among lions, it is usually the females who hunt. Once the prey is killed, however, the stronger males eat first, before the females and cubs get their turn. This lioness is fortunate enough not to have to share her prey. Fritz has captured the scene with his usual brilliant charcoal strokes. The sparing use of watercolor creates the appropriate, somewhat somber atmosphere; Fritz has completely omitted color for the lioness, while the darker prey—perhaps a wildebeest—is outlined with a touch of gray-brown paint, which lends the composition additional tension.