Sheltering Wings

Second in the "Reappropriations" series. This painting is a response to someone's fantasy painting of a white European-looking angel with a lion. The angel in this illustration has an outfit and coiffure inspired by Ovambo fashions.

The first in the series is Melody.

"What's wrong with painting European characters with lions? Weren't there lions in Europe in ancient times?"

No one here is saying there's anything wrong with a single painting of a white European with a lion. But while we're on the subject of time periods, UK's lions died out about 12 to 14,000 years ago. And those Pleistocene lions did not have much of a mane.¹ They didn't look like Aslan from "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe". As for modern maned lions that we recognize, their presence in Europe was limited to the southeastern regions. European lions were extinct in the Transcaucasus region by the 10th century, and they went extinct much earlier in the Balkans.²

"What's wrong with painting European characters with lions even if lions are no longer native to Europe? After all, it is fantasy."

There may be nothing wrong an individual piece of fantasy art. But when we view similar illustrations in aggregate, we see the trend of non-African artists being much more interested in Africa's animals than they are in Africa's people. It's not just lions. Other African animals, including those that did not range beyond the continent, have been used as "accessories" to complement non-African human characters. Non-African artists could just as easily have painted an African human but they chose not to. Think of how would you feel if someone tells you, "I like your continent's animals, but I don't like you anywhere near as much."

"Doesn't using the concept of an angel qualify as cultural appropriation? If you can 'steal' a Western concept for an African character, why can't I 'steal' an African animal for a Western character?"

The earliest known representation of angels with wings in Christian art was attributed to 4th century Byzantium.³ The Ovambo of northern Namibia, who inspired the character and the setting for the painting above, are predominantly Lutheran. They were converted by Finnish missionaries who arrived in the late 19th century.⁴ We can argue that, as Christians, the Ovambo are entitled to their angels. And yes, Lutherans do belief in angels.⁵

"Isn't converting to a foreign religion a form of cultural appropriation?"

There is a difference between cultural appropriation and more benign forms of cultural exchange or cultural diffusion.⁶ The power differential between the "giver" and the "taker" matters, as does the intent of both.⁷ Since the Ovambo took what the foreign missionaries invited them to take, it is not appropriation. Btw, no one here is accusing fantasy artists who paint African animals with non-African humans of cultural appropriation.

Notes:

1. Why are there no wild lions or tigers in the UK? (BBC)
2. History of Lions in Europe (Wikipedia)
3. Angels in Art (Wikipedia)
4. Ovambo people - Christianity (Wikipedia)
5. What did the Reformers say about angels?
6. The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation (Everyday Feminism)
7. What makes cultural appropriation different from cultural exchange (Salon)