Tiger on the Watch c. 1888

Jean-Léon Gérôme painted ‘Tiger on the Watch’ during a time when European artists frequently depicted the "Orient," often reflecting colonial attitudes. Here, a tiger perched on a dune gazes out at a caravan traversing a vast, seemingly endless desert landscape. Gérôme situates the viewer in the position of the colonizer by depicting the land as an exotic place, while painting the ‘native’ population as a line of people, their individuality diminished. The tiger, a symbol of untamed nature, watches the caravan. Is it protecting its land or just watching? The tiger is in its natural habitat, while the people are merely passing through. There's a tension here between romanticism and realism, between the allure of the exotic and the realities of colonial expansion. The painting invites us to consider whose perspective is prioritized and how such depictions have shaped perceptions of the East. Are we implicated in this gaze?