Ruhender Tiger

In the spring of 1901, Max Slevogt moved from Munich to Frankfurt/Main. However, he only remained in the city for a few months before moving to Berlin at the end of the year where his painting style, schooled in Impressionism, celebrated its first successes. Nevertheless, despite this short stay, Frankfurt remained more than a mere waystation for Slevogt. In the city’s zoo he created 29 oil paintings and numerous drawings and watercolors in short succession.

For example the oil sketch »Resting Tiger«, in which he captured his immediate impressions. The animal’s body is merely implied using broad brushstrokes, the background (and with it the cage) has been omitted. Clearly Slevogt is not concerned with the production of an anatomical nature study but in capturing the magisterial cat of prey, and the act of painting itself.

Powerful brushstrokes underline the artist’s sure mastery of the material, but also his powers of observation. In contrast, the color frees itself from the object in the greenish sections of fur, developing an intense life of its own. In this picture Slevogt lends the paint a striking autonomy, applying it to the canvas with palpable spontaneity, while the animal’s proud calm is skillfully captured in this expressive painting style.