Gouache and Charcoal Drawing by Jean Poulain, 1939

Jean Poulain was born in 1884 in Katanga, former Belgian Congo. A self-taught artist from an early age, he was in search of all the emotions and beauty of Africa. His love and passion for drawing were amazing. In 1904, he decided to leave the family nucleus to jump and experience the wonders of Africa. He went on to explore the territory of Congo, which was then under the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. In 1912, he participated in the discovery of the African continent. He became a bulimic observer, sketching every nook and cranny. In 1920, he turned a painter, focussed only on animals. He had by then with his wife embarked on a search of large Savannah animals capturing them in their closest attitudes of reality. They traveled across Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Ethiopia, South Africa and many other countries. These travels, his curiosity and humanism helped him meet tribesmen and their secret clans. However, with great humanity, he preferred silence about the locations of these sites in order to preserve their civilization. Many drawings and sketches followed these trips from which he tried to bring out the animal world and, moreover, the tribal world of Africa.