Cats in Art
By Paige
Riña de Gatos by Francisco de Goya
Throughout the years cats have also been a popular artistic subject the world over. Loved and kept by people from many different cultures, their likeness has graced many a portrait.
In our searches for cat imagery, we have put together an impressive collection of cat art. From house cats to lions, the feline shape seems to intrigue artists & provide them an interesting challenge.
Here are some lovely works of art, all made exceptional by the presence of a cat.
Puss in Boots by Gertrude Jekyll
Hollyhock Tour Cat by Mao
Cat forming the characters for catfish by Kuniyoshi
Cats by Gottfried Mind
hi, try googling or buying on amazon the books published by a lady named Susan Herbert! Wow! Her work is often on the web, for sale on ebay, for auction, etc. She has recreated many Art Masterpeices which are extremely recognisable; such as the portrait of Napoelon in state as Emporer, portraits of Queen Victoria, entire art epochs such as Impressionist, Preraphaelite (turn of the century English), Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Shakespearean Plays, Victorian fashions / portraits…….etc.
These have all been remade by Susan Herbert as cat portraits. Amazing!! –lol The fact they are mostly famous works makes them interesting. Some of them are really ingenious, such as the Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts, some of which are well known, others are rare. My main gripe (if I have one) is that I am a really hard core “cat fancier” so it bothers me that the cat models are all more or less the exact same identical tabby head, stuck on to famous portraits. So in reality, its a very clever idea (and a successful one) but the artist is sort of using portraits which have already been composed by talented virtuoso’s of history and are famous in their own right. So there is very little real creative work done in the usual ways, of proportionality, movement, etc…..
And in terms of making the work “interesting” by giving variations on actual cat breeds, expressions, etc: she doesnt do it. So that is my complaint: pretty much anybody can stick the same tabby cat head on a figures in a famous picture. Why not really get into the breeds of cats? If for no other reason, to do justice to the nobles who’s portraits the cat’s heads are usurping–lol. Im sure Napolean might agree to allow a cat head portrayal but would at least want to be an interesting breed…….
Having said all of that, I recommend her work. Its intriguing, there is quite a large body of it, spanning a number of centuries of european art. Who wouldnt want a Renoir with cat heads?–lol