Hit and Miss

Rendered with exceptional color, form and detail, Hit and Miss is a testament to Bob Kuhn's unrivaled abilities to capture wildlife in motion. Depicting the climax of the hunt, Kuhn presents a female lion and gazelle at the forefront of the composition. As the beast of prey veers upward towards its target, the gazelle, more limber than its hunter, gracefully leaps out of harm's way. Kuhn himself explained about the present work: "Painting action pieces is not for the faint-hearted. If ever the hours of study, of observation, of drawing, drawing, drawing are justified, it is in conjuring up a complex, action-filled composition with sufficient authority to stand as a finished work. I don't enjoy 'winging it,' or to put it another way, flying blind. When I take on this kind of challenge, it's always with trepidation. But when good things happen, as I feel they did while creating this piece, the sense of accomplishment is considerable." (as quoted in T. Davis, Wild Harvest: The Animal Art of Bob Kuhn, Columbia, South Carolina, 1997, p. 149)