Painted in 1929, Dardel's depiction of this exotic and playful stampede of African jungle animals reflected his training in Paris in the 1910s where he was strongly influenced by the bright colors and naive style of both Matisse and the Fauves and the naive jungle scenes of Henri Rousseau (Le Douanier). ...Critical opinion was divided. Some struggled to identify with the subject while others welcomed its vibrant raw energy: 'Luckily there is also the African. With her pagan nudity and exotically twisted positions she allows the artist to take a full-blooded revenge on Nordic sentimentality. His depiction is free from cynicism, but full of reckless honesty and energy. 'The exotic elements which previously were intimately linked to his oddities now seem to promote the growth of previously almost unknown powers. His current development, or transformation, is probably the most ... (http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.352.html/2007/the-scandinavian-sale-l07104)