Jumbo(fragment) 

Sue Coe's painting presents a circus scene, with tigers in supplication, echoing ancient sacrificial rites. These tigers, trained to mimic human gestures, remind us of the archaic motif of animals acting as humans, seen in Egyptian deities and medieval bestiaries. Raising their paws, a gesture of obedience and learned behavior, it’s far removed from their natural power, and mirrors gestures of prayer or submission found in countless religious and secular contexts. This act of anthropomorphism speaks to our deep-seated need to control and dominate nature, a theme as old as civilization itself. The circus, a symbol of human mastery over the animal kingdom, evokes primal emotions—fear, awe, and a perverse pleasure in witnessing subjugation. The cyclical nature of these symbols reveals our collective psyche; where the echoes of ancient power dynamics resurface, continually questioning our relationship with the natural world.