Gustave Surand (paris 1860 - 1937) - resting tiger

Gustave Surand (Paris 1860 - 1937), “Tiger Resting”, late 19th century.
Oil on canvas 46x61 cm
Bottom right: signed “Surand 1929” and dedicated “A Madame Marcel Bergès souvenir reconnaissant”.
Tiger Resting by Gustave Surand is a canvas depicting a large feline, lying placidly on the ground. It is one of the artist’s favorite subjects, fascinated by nature and large mammals such as tigers and lions, often portrayed at rest, as in this case. The tiger in this painting stands out against a background in which browns and earths prevail, and from which long and broad brush strokes of pure colors emerge occasionally, distinguishable in shades of cold greens and reds. The painter with marked realism manages to render the strength of the animal, both concrete and in its most abstract meaning. The tiger is a being so different from man, it proceeds by instinct, rather than by intellect; however, it is guided by the same spirit of survival, which unites all creatures. Surand's felines are not only an almost photographic rendering of the beasts, but they open up to a profound investigation of the psyche, on which the artist questions himself; it is an absolutely decadent vision, in which the human being is lowered to a creature that with arrogant resilience tries tirelessly to overcome and dominate what surrounds him, even at the expense of others.
There are other paintings of the same identical subject, which differ in some chromatic choices of the background that veers towards greenish shades. Sometimes Surand represents the big cats with their jaws wide open, while they attack the prey as in Tiger and Peacock of 1934, or again as in Lion, caught in the act of biting a piece of meat of 1897.

BIOGRAPHY
Gustave Surand was born in Paris in 1860. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Paris and trained under the guidance of the historical painter Jean Paul Laurens; at the age of 21, he made his debut at the Salon des artistes francais, receiving an honorable mention in 1884, followed by a scholarship that allowed him to visit Tunisia. He participated in the 1889 Expo with Leoni Crocifissi and in 1900, winning a silver medal during the latter for the canvas depicting St. George and the Dragon. Surand's orientalist painting stands out from his contemporaries for his interest in nature, which he faithfully represents, as in Orpheus enchants the animals; in which the mythological character, armed only with his voice and the sweet sound of a lyre, calms the beasts that crouch sadly at his feet. He died in Paris in 1937.