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Overview
Gladwell Patterson have long championed David’s artistic and charitable work, across the three generations of the Fuller family. Together with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the gallery held the first retrospective exhibition of David’s work since his death in January 2019.
David Shepherd stands as one of the most influential wildlife painters of the past century, an artist whose deep affinity for the natural world shaped a career of remarkable breadth and significance. His paintings, at once commanding and tender, reflect a lifelong bond with the animals of Africa, a connection forged in Kenya in 1960, where a commission for the RAF set him on an artistic path that would define his life’s work. It was there, confronted by the beauty of the wild and the brutality of its threats, that David’s vocation as both artist and conservationist took root.
The power of his paintings lies not only in their technical mastery: the confident sweep of his brush, careful orchestration of tone and balance between photorealism and impressionist breadth. Elephants emerge with monumental grace, tigers with a quiet, unstoppable presence; even the vast African landscapes serve not as backdrop but as a stage upon which each animal’s dignity is affirmed. What resonates most is the empathy that animates every canvas, a quality that reflects David’s unwavering belief in the value of the wildlife he devoted his career to protecting.
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Werke
David Shepherd British, 1931-2017
At Rest, Yet Alert - Watchful Tiger, 2001Oil on Canvas51 x 84 cms / 20 x 33 inchesSigned 'David Shepherd' (lower right)Weitere Abbildungen
Description
Shepherd returned to the tiger subject frequently over the course of his illustrious career. Once when questioned about his favourite animal to see in the wild, he replied "The tiger particularly because it is iconic. Once you have seen a tiger in the wild, you never want to see anything else. They are just mind-numbing". At Rest, Yet Alert – Watchful Tiger is a prime example of the artist’s prowess in capturing the very essence of these magnificent and magical creatures. In accordance with its narrative title, one can immediately absorb the serene but vigilant bearing of this adult female Bengal tiger. Standing before the work as the viewer, we can read this response as a reaction to our proximity to the subject, creating a phenomenal sense of intimacy as her deep, watchful eyes gaze at us unfalteringly. Shepherd’s highly distinctive style transcends the inherent limitations of the camera lens to offer a true-to-life recreation of human encounters with animals. As we observe we notice that the tiger’s coat boasts a spectacular sheen, glowing softly against the beams of sunlight which penetrate her resting place in the undergrowth. Each of her stripe markings perfectly correspond with the positioning of her limbs, working to achieve an enchanting definition of form. She lies before the shallows of a small pool in the reserve; the water glassy and unmoving in harmony with the dynamic and highly textured surface of the surroundings that Shepherd has reckoned by his favoured impasto technique applying thick areas of paint.
Provenance
Private collection, UK.
Gladwell & Patterson, London; acquired from the above in 2022.
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