Artist: Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Title: Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Date: 1614/1616

Medium: painting

Current location: National Gallery of Art, D.C. 

Source:https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/daniel-in-the-lions-den/qgE_ZHxscNNGbA?projectId=art-project

1. -Daniel is in the middle.

-The painting is set in a cave.

-Eight lions surround Daniel.

-Bones lie at the bottom of the cave

2. Analysis of Elements of Art/Principles of Design 

Shape: Rubens used many organic shapes in this piece. The figures appear less rigid and more natural because of this technique. 

Form: Organic forms appear throughout this piece. Stone backgrounds, lions, and Daniel himself appear three dimensional. 

Value: Light peaks through the hole in the cave. Areas within the cave touched by the light appear brighter whereas, the spots in the shade have a deeper tone. 

Color: Colors vary in value throughout this piece as previously stated. Hues include oranges, reds, whites, greens, and tones of brown. Most colors in this painting have the same or similar intensities. 

Space: In this painting, there appears to be very little negative space. The majority of the piece is positive space filled with lions or cave. 

Contrast: All objects toward the center of the piece appear lighter and brighter whereas the areas toward the edge seem darker. 

Emphasis: Focal point of this work would be Daniel. Daniel is portrayed slightly of center with a light shining directly upon him. As the only human in the piece full of lions, the viewers eyes are immediately drawn to him. Also, his red cap attracts eyes toward him because it is the brightest color in the piece. 

Movement: All the lions in different positions surrounding Daniel, direct the viewer’s eye to Daniel. 

Unity: Each lion creates a sense of danger for Daniel. Together, all of the lions along with the expression on Daniel’s face inform the viewer of Daniel’s fear and dangerous predicament.

3. Interpretation 

Value in this piece shows the ray of light displayed on Daniel. I interpreted this as God’s blessing and protection to keep Daniel safe. The lightness of Daniel in comparison to the rest of the piece appears almost angelic. However, the light could be interpreted as a gateway into heaven which signifies that Daniel is about to die. 

4. Personally, I enjoyed the different expressions and positions of each lion. The artist did a extraordinary job on giving each lion character almost as if each lion has its own personality. I enjoyed looking at the piece because the expressions were captivating. I believe viewers can plainly see Daniel’s predicament, and his pleas to some type of person, higher power, or God for rescue.