Tigerjagd 1920

Briton Riviere’s painting, Tigerjagd, is made with oil on canvas. Look at the way the artist has laid down the paint, thin washes building up to create depth. It's almost like he’s sketching with the brush first, then layering on color, bit by bit. It's a process of discovery, like the image is revealing itself through the act of painting. I'm drawn to the texture of the elephant's skin, those wrinkles and folds built up with so many layers, it gives you a real sense of the animal's weight and presence. And then there's the tiger, all those stripes rendered with precision, yet still somehow wild and untamed. The cloud of smoke from the rifle is such a fleeting, ephemeral thing, yet he's captured it so perfectly. It’s a reminder that art is about capturing moments, freezing them in time for us to contemplate. It reminds me of the work of Edwin Landseer, especially in the way he captures the drama and emotion of animal life. Ultimately, art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and influences.