36 x 82 in. | acrylic on canvas | 2019
A young cave lion, male, drawn to scale. These have been extinct for 12,000 years, and I was fascinated by their size and beauty. They were one of the largest species of lion to have ever lived, and because of not only fossils, but also depictions of the cave lions in prehistoric cave paintings, it has been possible to recreate what the animal looked like.
Acrylic palette consists of raw umber, burnt umber, naples yellow, with added grey and unbleached titanium for the background, along with various contaminations of others hues. These colours are distributed in a randomised gradient based on the light and shadow on the cave lion. It appears curious, lit by the sunlight behind.
Abdullah Khan 