Back on Glasgow Mural Trail tour, John and I went to the banks of the River Clyde to check out the views onto the giant tiger head graffiti by the Scottish street artist James Klinge, formerly known as Klingatron.
Skilfully painted over three days in collaboration with Art Pistol who prepared the surfaces, the Tiger Mark ii mural replaced the earlier Tiger Lucky Eight piece of street art from 2010 by John MacFaul that depicted the delightful Oriental Tiger chasing the ball of threads.
Klinge’s design was initially met by Glaswegian with some hesitation as it lacked rich colours, playfulness and dynamic elegance of its 2010 fiery predecessor.
Some thought that the tiger head looked heavier, more menacing or too literal. Others expected the intense piercing feline gaze instead of the blank black void. However, over the years, the Tiger Head, highly visible from across the river and the popular South Portland Suspension Bridge, made its way into the Scottish hearts and became an iconic landmark of Glasgow Mural Trail.
I saw the Oriental tiger briefly when we first moved to Scotland but didn’t have the camera with me to photograph it. Knowing now how ephemeral graffiti art is, prone to be removed or replaced without warnings, this time I made an effort and tried to capture the Glasgow Tiger in situ from various angles.
