Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo
1908
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1908
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A tiger leaps onto a buffalo’s back in a thick jungle of giant leaves and bright flowers. The animals snarl, muscles tight, while strange plants tower around them. Rousseau never left France—he painted this wild scene from books and trips to the Paris botanical garden. Look closely: the bananas grow upside down. He worked on this while in jail for fraud, turning his imagination into a place more vivid than real life. If you like this dreamy jungle style, check out more by Henri Rousseau (French, 1844–1910).
