Delacroix’s Tiger 1977

Curator: Wow, what a riot of colors! I feel like I've stumbled into some kind of pastel jungle. Editor: Exactly! Let's take a closer look. We're standing before "Delacroix’s Tiger," an acrylic painting from 1977 by LeRoy Neiman. Immediately striking, isn't it? Neiman was clearly channeling something akin to Fauvist energy here, using the vibrant colors in place of, or perhaps alongside, recognizable form. Curator: It certainly is a departure from traditional tiger depictions. There's almost a playful quality to it, despite the potentially fearsome subject matter. Look at the tiger's stripes; they're like ribbons of candied fruit! It reminds me a bit of those brightly colored thermal paste patterns on landscapes sometimes. Editor: The painting’s dynamism is hard to ignore. A mountain that resembles a dollop of buttercream frosting presides over the scene, watching a tiger who seems far too relaxed in the long grass. We can see how LeRoy uses an economy of mark making and yet it suggests a whole wild world to get lost in. In some ways the overall impact, the impression, supersedes any narrative depth here. Curator: True, and tigers in art often symbolize power, ferocity, untamed wilderness. But here, with these cheerful colors, does the tiger lose that primal association? Or does Neiman subvert it, inviting us to reconsider what power and beauty might look like? Editor: I like that interpretation! It also speaks to the changing cultural meanings around wildness. A Fauvist landscape in 1977 has to respond to different feelings around ecological anxieties. Neiman has successfully produced a tiger not as pure symbolism, but as an encounter with its surroundings and our response to those colors. Curator: It’s a dance between familiar and new. A subject that's deeply rooted in cultural iconography, reimagined for a modern gaze. Editor: A great paradox and exactly why this painting fascinates. Curator: Indeed, quite the intriguing big cat—ready for its close-up!