The artwork titled “Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo” is an oil on canvas painting by Henri Rousseau, created in 1908. With dimensions of 55 x 46 cm, this piece exemplifies the Naïve Art movement, specifically Primitivism, and falls within the wildlife painting genre. Currently, the painting is housed in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
In the artwork, Rousseau vividly depicts an intense encounter between a tiger and a buffalo. The tiger, with its body tensed and mouth agape, is captured in the act of attacking the buffalo, which appears to be defensively positioned against its aggressor. The ferocity of their struggle is a central focus, with the tiger’s menacing claws and the buffalo’s daunting horns suggesting a life-or-death confrontation.
Rousseau’s use of bold colors and a rich array of green tones creates a lush, tropical jungle setting. The foliage is portrayed with a level of detail that gives the plant life a certain stylized rigidity, typical of Rousseau’s unique artistic approach. Various species of plants, with their distinct leaf shapes and floral blooms, fill the composition, serving as both backdrop and witness to the wild combat. The density of the vegetation imbues the scene with a sense of enclosure and immediacy, making the viewer feel as though they are peering into a hidden and primordial world.
The juxtaposition of the wildlife against this serene yet wild landscape suggests contrasts of movement and stillness, danger, and the beauty of nature. Rousseau’s interpretation of the exotic scene, while never having visited a jungle, comes from his imagination and studies of Parisian botanical gardens, which adds to the painting’s dreamlike and fantastical quality.
