<p>While the anime is never explicit about it's visual intentions, there are some potential implications for these two paintings:</p>

<ol>
<li>Most obviously, they both feature naked or semi-naked women, quite appropriate for an anime named <em>"Lesbian Bear Storm"</em>!</li>
<li>More subtly, in both paintings the women are in a 'primal' state, whether in the wilds of the jungle, or leading a violent upsurge of primal emotion (in this case, the desire for freedom, to be uncaged = wild?). The could allude to Kureha's fierce (albeit largely hidden) emotions (especially of love and hate), and possibly also to Ginko's.</li>
<li>One could take it further and consider the woman on the left of <em>The Dream</em> represents Ginko: she a woman in the wild, surrounded by wild beasts, hinting at her animalistic nature underneath her human disguise. The woman to the right, playing the flute, would then be Kureha, the one who "charms" the wild beasts (=Ginko). The woman to the left is even holding out her hand in yearning towards the animal-charmer!</li>
<li><em>Liberty leading the People</em>, on the other hand, could represent Kureha. Partial nudity could allude to the fact that she's still partially attached to 'human' society and values, and not fully wild and untamed, as Ginko is. Also, it is Kureha who ultimately breaks free of these values, casting off her chains to claim her lover unabashedly. The final liberation is her passing beyond severance with Ginko - like in the Revolution, breaking through the past, but to an unknowable future. </li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-16T02:47:34.700Z
2015-08-16T02:47:34.700Z
Meir Illumination
<p>In episode 7 of Yuri Kuma Arashi, I noticed that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Liberty Leading the People</em></a> was hanging on the wall in Tsubaki Kureha's living room:  </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1rJVy.jpg" alt="Yuri Kuma Arashi, episode 7, minute 20:41"></p>

<p>Here's an image of the full painting:  </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/pFzUf.jpg" alt="*Liberty Leading the People*"></p>

<p>I get <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People#Symbolism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the symbolism of the painting itself</a>, but what's the symbolism it has in the anime?
Or is it just a known painting on the wall?</p>

<hr>

<p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p>

<p><a href="https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/19502/is-there-a-meaning-behind-the-painting-in-tsubaki-kurehas-living-room#comment26118_195027">ʞɹɐzǝɹ pointed out in a comment below</a> that the painting across from that one is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_%28Rousseau_painting%29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Henri Rousseau's <em>The Dream</em></a>:  </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wUqWy.jpg" alt="Yuri Kuma Arashi, episode 7, minute 15:54"></p>

<p>Here's the full painting: </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1IkYN.png" alt="*The Dream*"></p>

<p><strong>So I extend my previous question to this painting too:</strong><br>
Do the paintings have any special symbolism in the anime itself, or are they just paintings on the wall?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-26T08:40:14.280Z
The artists are both french, if that helps
Toshinou Kyouko
<symbolism><yuri-kuma-arashi>
Is there a meaning behind the paintings in Tsubaki Kureha's living room?
# Is there a meaning behind the paintings in Tsubaki Kureha's living room?
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-02-19
In episode 7 of Yuri Kuma Arashi, I noticed that [*Liberty Leading the People*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People) was hanging on the wall in Tsubaki Kureha's living room:

![Yuri Kuma Arashi, episode 7, minute 20:41](https://i.sstatic.net/1rJVy.jpg)

Here's an image of the full painting:

![*Liberty Leading the People*](https://i.sstatic.net/pFzUf.jpg)

I get [the symbolism of the painting itself](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People#Symbolism), but what's the symbolism it has in the anime?
Or is it just a known painting on the wall?

---

**EDIT:**

[ʞɹɐzǝɹ pointed out in a comment below](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/19502/is-there-a-meaning-behind-the-painting-in-tsubaki-kurehas-living-room#comment26118_195027) that the painting across from that one is [Henri Rousseau's *The Dream*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_%28Rousseau_painting%29):

![Yuri Kuma Arashi, episode 7, minute 15:54](https://i.sstatic.net/wUqWy.jpg)

Here's the full painting:

![*The Dream*](https://i.sstatic.net/1IkYN.png)

**So I extend my previous question to this painting too:**  
Do the paintings have any special symbolism in the anime itself, or are they just paintings on the wall?
**Tags:** symbolism yuri-kuma-arashi
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The artists are both french, if that helps  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2015-08-16. Score: 7
While the anime is never explicit about it's visual intentions, there are some potential implications for these two paintings:

1. Most obviously, they both feature naked or semi-naked women, quite appropriate for an anime named *"Lesbian Bear Storm"*!
2. More subtly, in both paintings the women are in a 'primal' state, whether in the wilds of the jungle, or leading a violent upsurge of primal emotion (in this case, the desire for freedom, to be uncaged = wild?). The could allude to Kureha's fierce (albeit largely hidden) emotions (especially of love and hate), and possibly also to Ginko's.
3. One could take it further and consider the woman on the left of *The Dream* represents Ginko: she a woman in the wild, surrounded by wild beasts, hinting at her animalistic nature underneath her human disguise. The woman to the right, playing the flute, would then be Kureha, the one who "charms" the wild beasts (=Ginko). The woman to the left is even holding out her hand in yearning towards the animal-charmer!
4. *Liberty leading the People*, on the other hand, could represent Kureha. Partial nudity could allude to the fact that she's still partially attached to 'human' society and values, and not fully wild and untamed, as Ginko is. Also, it is Kureha who ultimately breaks free of these values, casting off her chains to claim her lover unabashedly. The final liberation is her passing beyond severance with Ginko - like in the Revolution, breaking through the past, but to an unknowable future.
---
