Don Nice
Lion
1977
lithograph on paper (ed. 144 sold out)
39"x44" (image)
Value: $1,100
In his work Lion, Nice depicts a highly detailed lion on a white background with four objects arranged along the bottom. Nice’s treatment of these grouped objects, which are de-contextualized and, therefore, become subjectively symbolic, relates to his other works, in which objects are grouped to create a schema or memory of the place they represent. Nice’s meticulous treatment of the lion connects this work to his early animal portraits and his enduring interest in the natural world. The lion itself is representative of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The significance of the lion may connect to Nice’s Jewish roots or represent the pride and strength of the Jewish people. The objects themselves hold little objective symbolism for the specific holiday of Rosh Hashanah, but they collectively represent the identity of the Jewish people. The candles, which are commonly used for many Jewish rituals, symbolize faith, hope, or tradition; the matzah, an unleavened bread eaten at the Passover meal, or seder, represents the metaphorical struggle and plight through the desert; the parsley, which is dipped in salt water and eaten on Passover, embodies the bitterness of Jewish slavery in Egypt; and the lemon-like etrog is smelled and used in rituals on Sukkot, a festival of booths immediately following Yom Kippur.
lithograph on paper (ed. 144 sold out)
39"x44" (image)
Value: $1,100
In his work Lion, Nice depicts a highly detailed lion on a white background with four objects arranged along the bottom. Nice’s treatment of these grouped objects, which are de-contextualized and, therefore, become subjectively symbolic, relates to his other works, in which objects are grouped to create a schema or memory of the place they represent. Nice’s meticulous treatment of the lion connects this work to his early animal portraits and his enduring interest in the natural world. The lion itself is representative of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The significance of the lion may connect to Nice’s Jewish roots or represent the pride and strength of the Jewish people. The objects themselves hold little objective symbolism for the specific holiday of Rosh Hashanah, but they collectively represent the identity of the Jewish people. The candles, which are commonly used for many Jewish rituals, symbolize faith, hope, or tradition; the matzah, an unleavened bread eaten at the Passover meal, or seder, represents the metaphorical struggle and plight through the desert; the parsley, which is dipped in salt water and eaten on Passover, embodies the bitterness of Jewish slavery in Egypt; and the lemon-like etrog is smelled and used in rituals on Sukkot, a festival of booths immediately following Yom Kippur.
This lithograph was created as part of a special graphics program by Vera List exclusively for the Jewish Museum in NYC.
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