Géza Vastagh, a painter, after studying at the Piarist Gymnasium in Budapest, began his artistic career in Munich in 1886. There, he first attended Simon Hollósy’s private school and later became a student of Gabriel von Hackl at the Academy of Fine Arts. He returned to Budapest in 1888 and, in 1889, he traveled to France for further studies. In 1898, with a state scholarship, he spent four months in Algeria and Tunisia, where he primarily studied lions and their living conditions, taking photographs and making sketches on the subject.

At the age of seventeen, he first appeared at the Műcsarnok exhibition, and in 1885, his name was featured at the National Exhibition. In 1887, he exhibited at the Glaspalast in Munich. In Hungary, that same year, he achieved success with his painting Resting Peasant Woman at the Exhibition of the Society of Fine Arts, which was purchased by Emperor Franz Joseph. In his choice of themes, animals were the central focus. He painted chickens, ducks, and later became known for his depictions of lions and tigers. For his painting The Watchful Lions, he received the Ráth György Prize in 1888. Many of his works were sent to Great Britain and the United States.