Tiger Resting c. 1830

Pierre Andrieu rendered this small, undated painting of a Tiger Resting with oil on paper. The horizontal composition emphasizes the languid form of the tiger, reclining across the picture plane. A subdued palette of ochre, sienna, and umber evokes a sense of warmth, contrasted by the cool blues and grays of the distant sky. The tiger's pose is rendered with an economy of brushstrokes, focusing on the interplay of light and shadow to define its muscular form. The textural quality of the brushwork suggests both the roughness of the animal's fur and the unevenness of the terrain. This treatment reflects the artist's interest in capturing a sense of naturalistic vitality. Andrieu's painting operates within a larger cultural discourse about exoticism, naturalism, and the representation of animals. The loose brushwork and attention to form invite us to consider how the structure of the painting shapes our understanding of the depicted scene.