Multimedia Journalist & Freelance Writer
Henri Rousseau, ‘Surprised!’ (1891)
When walking through the maze of rooms inside the gallery, this particular piece from Henri Rousseau stayed lodged in my mind. ‘Surprised!’ Portrays a jungle scene, said to have been inspired by Paris’s botanical gardens. While it may look as though it’s a fairly simple setting from a glance, look again and the image will transport you into the surroundings. With the combination of copper brown and watered-down green leaves, they unite to create a spiky bush which looks as though it could have once stood tall but is succumbing to the weight of the great tiger stretched across it.
Coming into the painting from a side profile of the startled tiger, Rousseau invites you to look at the jungle scene as though we are there, an observer of this delicate moment. The importance of being stealth in this situation becomes alarmingly obvious to the viewer. We are placed in a pivotal point just inches away from the tiger, as though seeking cover behind some more spiky bushes.
The jungle certainly isn’t a vibrant or uplifting scene. Instead, it’s full of dark, murky colours and if you cast your eyes off into the distance, the sky doesn’t look very optimistic either. Casting shadows across the scene before us with its dark grey sky, a gloomy mood hangs over the jungle. Others have given this painting an alternative name, which is also very fitting, ‘Tiger in a Tropical Storm’. As well as the gloomy, dark grey sky, Rousseau has implemented parallel strokes of paint shooting down diagonally throughout the scene to construct the heavy rain.
Titling the painting as ‘Surprised!’ was interesting because it opened up multiple avenues for ways in which this scene could be interpreted. Although crouching with his behind high in the air, almost ready to pounce, the tiger’s expression does not appear aggressive. While we cannot see anyone else painted into the scene, the description that accompanied the painting stated: “A tiger crouches in the foreground, surprised by man’s arrival.” This alters the depiction, turning our attention to the effect man may be having on the tiger.
His eyes are full of fear, widened to the sight in front of him. While most of the surrounding bushes and trees are a mixture of various shades of green and brown, there is one bush situated off to the side of the painting, appearing to be in the tiger’s line of sight. This bush stands aside from the rest, being the only touch of bright colour, in the form of a rich, deep red. This makes the bush a prominent element of the painting, which instantly conjures up the many connotations of the colour red. The fact that we are unable to see man’s arrival, the red bush can be viewed as a tool to foreshadow potential danger along the horizon.
While this could be one interpretation, The National Gallery have stated that: “It was later described by the artist as representing a tiger hunting explorers.” These different interpretations are what I enjoyed so much about this piece. It didn’t just paint a pretty picture but it told a story. Rousseau was a French post-impressionist painter, who was often mocked for not being properly educated in painting. It wasn’t until he was in his forties that he started to take painting seriously as a full time career. However, it’s thought that he used his previous life experience as a regimental bandsman in Mexico, as a source of inspiration for his jungle pieces.