Tiger Lying Down with Head Raised 

Curator: Here we have John Macallan Swan’s "Tiger Lying Down with Head Raised," a drawing held in the Tate collection. Editor: What immediately strikes me is the starkness of the image, a simple, almost primal representation of power. Curator: Swan, working in the late 19th century, was celebrated for his animal studies. He often visited zoos to capture his subjects, reflecting Victorian society's fascination with the exotic. Editor: The tiger, of course, is a potent symbol—strength, aggression, but also solitary contemplation, here especially. Its gaze is direct, almost confrontational. Curator: The sketch-like quality also suggests the influence of Orientalism in British art and culture, capturing a spirit of the exotic. Editor: Its form and symbolic value have echoes in cultural traditions across Asia for millennia. Ultimately, both things reinforce its enduring mystique. Curator: Indeed. The tiger embodies a complex relationship between humans and nature. Editor: It leaves one contemplating the weight of representation.