Horace Pippin was the most celebrated African American painter of his time. He had a brief artistic career that lasted less than ten years. Pippin was a self-taught painter whose subject matter concentrated on African American life. He had a speedy rise to fame after enduring poverty, racism, and a war wound. A World War I combat veteran, Pippin struggled to overcome an injury to his right arm from a German sniper’s bullet. One of his earliest paintings reflects his experience in battle. He was first discovered by the Philadelphia collector Albert Barnes in 1947 at age 49. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City mounted a show of Pippin’s work and his paintings were purchased by museums and private collectors shortly thereafter. He died of a stroke in 1946. Pippin painted 136 works – 60 are located in museums, approximately 70 are held privately, and several are lost.

The Blue Tiger shows a tiger in confrontation with a black bear. Since the blue tiger in the painting is actually white, and the two are equally matched, the painting evokes the unresolved conflicts between races. The blue tiger is a symbol of the unattainable and the black bear is a classic symbol of the American wilderness.

The painting was acquired with a high quality black frame, which did not offer enough contrast with the black bear. Research on Pippin’s original frames prompted its replacement with the comparatively austere wooden type seen here.

Stein, Judith E. I Tell My Heart: The Art of Horace Pippin. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia with Universe Publishing, 1993.