The Lion and the Stoat

Abstract

The first of these is a delightful story that I judge to be a fable. The lion and the stoat agree on a contest of their paintings, to be unveiled in the public square. The lion unveils his still life, and suddenly some sparrows fly down and begin to peck at the grapes in it. The lion is thus confident of victory and challenges the stoat to show what is behind his curtain. The stoat proudly proclaims that there is no curtain, only a painting of one, and that thus the lion has fooled the birds but the stoat has fooled the lion. The second story centers on successive splittings of each other's painted lines. In the third, both are commissioned for paintings in the city hall, and both paint self-portraits. Though they agree to give up contests, the last scene shows them playing tic-tac-toe on their checkered tablecloth. Delightful art work to match spirited stories!