Throughout his career, Ted Geisel was fond of bold color, strong design and felines; the three critical elements featured in his circa 1970’s oil painting, Lion Stroll.

In 1973, Theodor Seuss Geisel donated what he considered to be one of his important works, the lion wading pool, to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in California. Around this same time, Seuss painted Lion Stroll, an artwork that represents one of the finest examples of bold color throughout his entire oeuvre.

According to Cathy Goldsmith, his art director at Random House from 1980 through 1991, Ted was very particular and idiosyncratic concerning his use of color. “Just as some lucky people are blessed with perfect pitch, she believed a few like Ted are blessed with perfect color sense.”

In this artwork, Seuss’s family pride of four lions purposefully strolls along a path of inventively patterned trees as they explore their next adventure.