Leo: the Lion. Scratchboard and acrylic, 20 x 16 in. Copyright 2010, Tania Nault.
Here is a peek at one of the other pieces in my upcoming solo exhibition, The Land of Living Skies (joe moran gallery: opening reception, Friday, May 21, 7:00 – 9:00pm). The piece is based on the constellation Leo, the Lion.
Although the constellation is much older, it is traditionally associated with Greek mythology of the Nemean Lion. According to the myth, the Nemean Lion was the offspring of monsters and was sent to terrorize the city of Nemea. As the first of his Twelve Labours, the hero Heracles was sent to kill the lion and return with its pelt. However, the Lion had golden fur impervious to metal weapons and Heracles’s arrows bounced off its skin. Heracles finally killed the lion by strangling it, and then skinned it with one of its own claws. Generally shown as a crouching lion, I chose to interpet the constellation as though the lion was walking across the sky.
