Killer or Kitty? The Tiger in Art

Iconic

With their stunning black-and-orange striped coats and long, white whiskers, tigers are the largest and most iconic of the big cats. Did you know that tiger stripes are as individual and unique as our own fingerprints? Wild tigers live across Asia, although sadly their numbers have dropped dramatically because of human life expanding into their territories, hunting, and poaching. They are solitary animals, except where mothers are raising their cubs, and artists across the globe find them endlessly fascinating. Although Henri Rousseau probably never saw a real-life tiger, his painting Surprised is universally popular.

Ancient Symbols

As tigers have prowled China for thousands of years, it is no surprise that they have been frequently depicted in Chinese art from the ancient times to today. We know the ancient Chinese found tigers both terrifying and captivating. Among the earliest depictions of tigers are white jade carvings dating back at least 4,000 years. Used as both symbol and subject, their depictions range from playful kitten to monstrous man-eater.

For Warriors and for Children

Tigers are seen as both cruel and terrifying but also brave and powerful. China’s ancient warrior class (and its more modern military) use the image of the fierce tiger as a sign of military prowess.  Tigers are also considered a protective deity for Chinese children – parents will buy clothes, shoes and hats with tiger designs for their babies and children.

Asian artists often paired tigers with dragons amidst swirling clouds. Together, the two images represent opposite principles in nature, working in harmony. Countries without native wild tigers tend to depict more playful, sometimes distinctly odd depictions. In Japanese art, the animal can look quite gentle. Whereas in India, where rural communities rightly feared this giant predator, the image is much more terrifying.

The Kishi School

Japanese artist Kishi Chikudo, born in Hikone in 1826 belonged to the Kishi school of painting. The Kishi school was distinguished by its superior paintings of animals, especially the tiger. They developed a very distinctive style of brushwork for the expression of bodies and fur. Tigers are not native to Japan, and Kishi Chikudo is believed to be the first Japanese painter who sketched real tigers, seen in traveling zoos or circuses. He was shocked when he saw the animal up close and personal, and became obsessed with them as subjects. He produced a number of masterpieces, especially later in life, but the sheer intensity of his work led to serious mental health problems: some say he saw hallucinations of tigers from his own paintings.

The Europeans

Some Europeans encountered tigers in the wild during their colonial rampages, but most saw them in zoos that spread across Europe from around the beginning of the 17th century. King James I of England had a tiger in his royal menagerie at the Tower of London. Artists and writers were entranced by the tigers strength and savagery. The etching by George Stubbs above shows a rather sad looking animal with a distinctly odd looking body.

Eugène Delacroix

French artist Eugène Delacroix also had something of an obsession with tigers—he painted them many times in his early career. His models ranged from his own pet cats to the captured animals in the Jardin des Plantes zoo in Paris. His largest painting of tigers is above. They are cute and playful , but of course, this play is training for a life of stalking and hunting. Some years later in 1854, he painted The Tiger Hunt, a ferocious image of a hunt gone wrong, where the tiger is fighting back against cruel humanity.

Tyger Burning Bright

English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake is famous for his work The Tyger. It was published in 1794 as part of his Songs of Experience poem collection. In The Tyger, Blake combines a childlike portrait of this fascinating creature with verses that contemplate its nature. For Blake, it is both the beauty and intense ferocity of the tiger that makes it an absolute miracle of nature.

Man-Eaters

Flemish Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens depicted a vivid hunt scene involving a tiger (shown above). It was one of four hunt scenes commissioned by Maximilian I, Prince Elector of Bavaria to decorate the grand Schleissheim Palace. It is brutal to look at, but shows the power and the fear of both animal and human.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

If we think back to childhood, who remembers reading The Tiger Who Came To Tea? First published in 1968, written and illustrated by Judith Kerr, it is still regularly in print, and is a favorite of storytellers everywhere. It is thought that her early experiences in the Nazi Holocaust may have influenced the author in this tale of a tiger who inexplicably turns up and eats everything in the family home. The tiger is charming, but implacable, robbing the child of her security and routine.

Life of Pi

For slightly older fans of tigers, there is of course Richard Parker, the big cat who survives a shipwreck with a young Indian boy in the novel (and movie) Life of Pi. Some say the tiger represents the boys primal survival instinct, and their relationship is certainly complex and multi-layered.

Modern Art

Modern artists continue to be inspired by the implacable tiger. Salvador Dali’s tigers are once seen, never forgotten. Certainly not a scene from the natural world, this dream sequence shows a fish shooting out of an exploding pomegranate, with two tigers emerging from the mouth of the fish. Nope, I can’t explain that.

A Final Selection

Adventure awaits

So, you have seen our choice of tiger images. Do you like your tigers wild and untamed or kitty-cat-like? The art world is packed with images of these gorgeous creatures – there is a tiger out there for you, you just have to find them!