"Cheetah" Lithograph by Linda Lloyd

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Two cheetahs, lying in tall grass, occupy the foreground of an engraving defined by clean, refined outlines. Their posture—both relaxed … Read more Two cheetahs, lying in tall grass, occupy the foreground of an engraving defined by clean, refined outlines. Their posture—both relaxed and tinged with alertness—reflects the inherent duality of these felines: a subtle balance between rest and predatory tension. The cheetah, a symbol of speed and grace, remains paradoxically one of the savannah’s most fragile predators, an ambivalence that the work implicitly underscores. As a historical anecdote, it is worth noting that the cheetah, far beyond its wild status, was a prized domesticated animal—particularly in ancient Egypt, as well as in Persia and Arabia until the 19th century—where it was trained for hunting, a use that enriches the symbolic depth of its representation.

The background, barely sketched, is reduced to a distant horizon line where a few scattered trees dissolve into a sky almost devoid of detail. The space around the felines gradually empties, their presence becoming the anchor of a setting that fades away. This interplay of graphic economy, characteristic of Lloyd’s universe, relies on controlled contrast: the dense texture of the fur and grass, rendered through a meticulous network of hatchings and small spots, stands in opposition to the reserved areas where the bare paper becomes light and silent. Lloyd does not seek dramatic effect but captures the moment with a simplicity that borders on purity: a naturalistic and meditative scene, where the void structures as much as the line itself.


This engraving, numbered 121/150, is signed and titled by the artist. It is presented in its original frame, retaining on the reverse the framer’s original label, bearing witness to its authenticity and material history. Linda Lloyd is an American Postwar & Contemporary artist born in 1938. See less