Tiger hunt

“Shikar” is a tiger hunt conducted from the back of an elephant. The tiger here is cornered and has decided to throw himself at the elephant. The cornac riding the elephant strikes the tiger with his spear. Elephants generally fear tigers, so to make them fearless, these giants of the jungle are given a little boost: sugar that’s been infused with the blood of a slain tiger. The shop owner who told me of this tactic also boasted about being friends with Zizu (Zinedine Zidane, former French soccer player).

I wonder what method of “boosting” Zidane used on his players when he was the manager for Real Madrid…

Batik is an ancient and multifaceted art that to this day holds a distinguished position amongst various kinds of decorative art, and is one of various ways to decorate linen in India. It can be both artisanal and artistic, which is evidenced by this particular piece. Tiger Hunt, rich in shapes, tells a classical tale of hunting in India in the form of a triptych. The tiger serves as the compositional center of the piece and is colored brightly, which stands in contrast to the relatively achromatic landscape. The elephant and its spear-brandishing rider, as well as the other hunters, point out the main character to us with their spears. The elephant is the hunter’s ally, safely carrying its rider along an uneven and dangerous surface, while the tiger brings our focus to a singular spot, attracting the viewer’s eye. The dynamic action in the middle section contrasts with the static landscape, which seems to pass through all three sections of the composition in an ornamental frieze; only the turbulent sky adds a bit of drama to the scene.

Olena Polovna-Vasilieva, artist, M.F.A., Associate Professor at Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine

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