"High and Mighty"
Oil on canvas
The English expression 'high and mighty' describes the quiet arrogance of those who have nothing to prove. Facing a charging elephant, it takes on a radically different meaning — and a much more urgent one. Tusks pointing forward, trunk raised, the entire mass launched in your direction: you understand immediately what high and mighty really mean.
An elephant's first charge is often a mock charge — a show of force, not a real attack. The rule in the field is simple: do not move. Simple to state. Much harder to apply when several tonnes are heading straight at you. It takes a considerable amount of composure — and a reading of animal behaviour that one trusts with eyes closed.
For the composition, I chose a ground-level viewpoint — as though one were directly in the line of charge. The raised trunk, the tusks forward, the mass occupying the entire frame: nothing is left at rest in this image. I wanted the viewer to feel the pressure of this instant, the compressed air between the elephant and us.
Oil paint gives all its density to that rough and living skin, those deep folds where the light fractures, that texture which alone speaks of age and power. The hyperrealist work seeks here to capture not only the form — but the tension of this suspended instant between intimidation and flight.
I — Original Work
"High and Mighty"
Original work sold — Private Collection
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II — Canvas Editions
Numbered art print, hand-signed by the artist. On 375 gsm matte canvas. Comes with a certificate of authenticity and the artist's double signature.
Shipping: rolled in a tube or framed ready to hang.
