De tijger 1894 - 1959

This image, "De tijger," whose artist we only know as Gordinne, is a small print. The colours are muted, almost pastel-like, with a very particular tone – a kind of faded glory, you could say. I’m drawn to the way the tiger's stripes are rendered. They're not just decorative; they define the form, almost like a topographical map. The linework feels both delicate and precise. Look at the tiger's paws, each toe carefully outlined. There’s such attention to detail. It reminds me of the kind of care and observation you see in scientific illustration, but here, it’s filtered through an artist’s sensibility, less about cold, hard facts and more about a personal encounter with the subject. It makes me think of Henri Rousseau, who was also fascinated by the jungle, but never actually saw one! Maybe this artist never saw a tiger either? It's a beautiful image, regardless.