Unpleasant Surprise (Mauvaise surprise) (Q28130697)

description: <p>The large-scale jungle scenes of Henri Rousseau are rife with violent struggles between wild animals such as lions, tigers, and horses. Here, a hunter rescues a nude bather from a sharp-clawed bear. The figure stands in a gesture of calm surrender, revealing dirty palms, while the man fires his gun at the beast. Rousseau's painting reads at first like a classic "damsel in distress." And yet the closer one looks, the stranger the picture becomes, and the harder the narrative is to decipher.</p>

keywords adult adult person bathers bird blossom branch cherubs duck flora flower gargoyle gathering group human indoors interior design jungle landscape leaf leisure activities lounging mammal nature no person nude one people people person plant pot pottery recreation relaxing religion room scenery statue statue travel tree tree two waterfowl a group of stuffed animals sitting next to a person