The Rebellious Curator

Tiger in a Tropical Storm or Surprised! by Henri Rousseau 1910

The painting depicts a tiger illuminated by a flash of lightning in the middle of a storm. Rousseau loved to paint jungle scenes but had never been to one. Instead of visiting a jungle, Rousseau painted from sketches he made in parks and zoos. Many of the plants in his paintings are actually houseplants or plants he made up. Many art critics maligned his technical abilities and claimed his work was childish. Despite the constant criticism, he won a loyal following among his peers, including Picasso, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec and others.