Leopard Hunter

Jean Charlot, a French-born naturalized American, spent the 1920s and part of the 1930s in Mexico, where he was a colleague of Diego Rivera. While there, he painted many images of the local scenery and life, but included inventive elements, sometimes referencing outdated practices. Leopard Hunter is an imaginative depiction of a local hunter in the tropical Mexican forest. The painting reveals Charlot’s stylistic debt to Rivera, as Charlot has flattened the picture plane, making the image devoid of perspective. Typical of many Mexican artists during this period, the style is linked to Mexican folk-art, with a rough, unfinished feel. However, Charlot had studied painting for many years and was familiar with plein-air painting and the effects of natural light. In Leopard Hunter, Charlot has infused his canvas with sunny, bright light, which emanates from the colorful palette and the play of green and yellow. Charlot’s fast brushwork produces a dream-like quality, adding to the fantastical nature of the painting.