14 gorgeous and funny cats on the canvases of famous artists from different times

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

From time immemorial, cats were a part of culture, right up to Ancient Egypt, where they were worshiped and glorified, among other things, as in Russia. Although in some culture, cats were considered a fiend of Hell, tirelessly following the witches. But be that as it may, and their image can be found in almost any period of time. The paintings of famous artists who made cats a part of their work were no exception.

1. Louis Wayne - Bachelor Party

Louis Wayne was one of the most popular English illustrators and his cats deserve a separate article. He was born in 1860 and became famous for his anthropomorphic depictions of cats. According to the English writer Herbert Wells, Louis invented not only his own feline style, but also created a real feline society and the feline world.

It was because of a mental disorder (schizophrenia) that the artist was so vehemently obsessed with cats. They became for him the main object in all spheres of life: from everyday life to art.

Eventually, Louis became one of the most renowned leading feline experts and was elected President of the National Feline Club. In addition, he was a judge at competitions and took an active part in the life of charities for animals. For thirty years of his work, he created many thousands of drawings, which to this day amuse and delight connoisseurs of such creations.

2. Mark Franz - White cat

Franz Marc became famous with the help of brightly colored creations, where animals - horses, dogs and, of course, cats - occupied a special place. And it is not at all surprising that he has repeatedly exhibited at exhibitions, attracting the attention of the crowd. Often, his paintings depict animals, including cats, in their natural state of sleep or grooming. Some of his famous paintings depict cats on a yellow pillow, two cats - blue and yellow, cats in a basket and cats on red cloth.

It was the animals that became for him the very ideal and symbol associated with innocence, beauty and, of course, truth. He paid special attention to colors and their symbolism: blue represented strength, red became a display of cruelty, and yellow - warmth and true female happiness.

3. Hiroshige II - White cat playing with a string

Such an unusual engraving was created by Hiroshige II that for several years he closely watched the work of his direct mentor. Nevertheless, this image reflects Hiroshige II's own unique approach to creativity and style. The picture was created thanks to the artist's observations of the behavior of a domestic cat, which always knows how and what to do with itself and, of course, to spoil it. However, the image speaks for itself, and cat owners have already appreciated this work for a long time.

4. Suzanne Valadon to Ramina

Suzanne Valadon was not only a model, but also an artist, a native of France. In the late 1890s, she was given the great honor of becoming the first creative lady to be admitted to the National Society of Fine Arts. Initially, she gave her preference to drawing still lifes, and also created various portraits, plants, and landscapes, which were distinguished and distinguished by a strong idea and rich colors. However, she earned the greatest popularity for her colorful, nude female bodies, depicted from the point of view of a lady. In addition, she was an ardent lover of cats and often painted them, especially her beloved fat Ramina.

5. Marc Chagall - Poet

Marc Chagall is an artist who became popular in the era of modernism, and also remained in memory as a Jewish creator. He experienced the so-called "golden age" of this artistic era in the capital of France, where he was engaged in the development and synthesis of several separate trends, from Cubism to Fauvism, Surrealism and others. Throughout his life, which was quite long, he created and embodied unique ideas and plots in his paintings. Among them, scenes of peasant life stood out especially vividly, as well as very intimate moments of being in the small world of Jewish villages. All this was presented in a dreamy, light manner.

As for the cats, they often emphasized the unreality of his paintings and became the main characters in many canvases. Often they were companions of the people portrayed by the artist, be they poets, musicians or women.

6. Pablo Picasso - The Cat That Caught the Bird

Picasso's cat catching a bird was created in two versions in 1939, just a few months before the war broke out. As the artist recalled, he was constantly worried about this topic, and, unfortunately, he himself could not understand why.

The painting depicts a bird that is trying with all its might to escape from the tenacious paws of its tormentor. And even a neutral background does not save the current situation, but only on the contrary, focuses on the violent scene, where the cat stalls until the last moment in order to keep the bird alive, and the longer he holds the moment, the stronger he experiences a deep sense of power, feeling his superiority.

7. Min Zhen - Black cat

Ming Zhen was a creator from China and also a seal carver. He was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, and spent most of his life in the Chinese city of Hubei. He earned his popularity by drawing human figures with his fingers. According to certain theories, he belongs to a group of eight unusual creators - Chinese artists who actively worked in the early 18th century. They earned their popularity in the Qing dynasty by actively and sharply discarding orthodox subjects in art, elevating to the first place a style that they considered expressive and individualistic.

Unfortunately, no specific information about this image has been preserved. But, however, looking at such a satisfied cat, I don't want to add anything. Who knows, suddenly he ate all the food nearby and now he is simply happy and proud of himself.

8. Henrietta Ronner-Knip - Kitten Play

Henrietta Ronner-Knip is known for her portrayal of pets, especially cats.

Pet paintings were popular with the wealthy bourgeoisie during the Victorian period, and her countless cat paintings proved to be favorites.

As a rule, her paintings are exclusively feline and do not carry any metaphorical meanings. The artist followed the life of cats with interest in order to transfer it to her canvases afterwards. As a result, she built a special, transparent room in her workshop, where cats could do whatever they wanted, regardless of what was happening around. So the most vivid and realistic image of cats, carried away by games, freaks and various kinds of naughty antics, began to be born.

9. Bart van der Leck - Cat

Bart van der Leck gained popularity primarily as a co-founder of De Stijl magazine. In the early 1900s, together with other creators such as Mondrian and Kandinsky, he began to work directly in the genre of abstraction, laying its foundations. To do this, he used three basic colors - red, yellow and blue.

He came to this decision after a long time in search of the so-called idiom. The Egyptian art he met at the Louvre when he was visiting Paris had a profound influence on him.

Inspired by this, he created a new style with highly simplified details and pastel shades. Therefore, when creating his work "Cat", he focused on white, black, and warm shades of red, making them the key colors of this picture.

10. Pierre Auguste Renoir - Julie Manet (Girl with a cat)

Berthe Morisot and her husband Eugene Manet, brother of the legendary creator, have known Renoir for many years. Referring to the delight with the artistic data of Renoir, the couple made an order from the artist, asking him for a portrait of their daughter. By the way, initially the cat was only a pleasant addition, but later became a key figure in this work, playing on the contrast of emotions between the girl and the way the kitten snores sweetly in her arms.

11. Marguerite Gerard - Cat's Lunch

Marguerite Gerard was known for painting oil paintings and prints under the guidance of her brother-in-law, the great Jean-Honore Fragonard. Perhaps he was the one who convinced her to add cats to her compositions, since he was also famous for this. As a genre artist, Gerard focused on drawing the details of intimate, everyday life. However, at the same time, she was strikingly different from other women painters who liked to refer to classical antiquity; she often used clothes and decor of newer times. Many of her paintings illustrate the experiences of the mother, as well as early childhood in the family, and some emphasize the importance of music and female communication. But as you know, cats are just as important. Especially if you look at this picture, where everything is already clear without further ado.

12. Pierre Bonnard - White cat

Here Bonnard used a new method of deformation, trying to recreate the humorous image of this animal, which took a very bizarre pose. The artist took a long time to solve the issue not only with the appearance, but also with the position of the limbs, which can be seen in the preparatory drawings. Japanese inspiration can be found in the skillful composition, which is built on the basis of asymmetry, and also directly in the selection of the plot - one that was very common in the engravings that he loved so much. For most of his existence, the artist worked on an unrealistic number of canvases, where cats were often depicted as small, ingratiating details, which could not even be noticed, and in another case, like an animal in this work, they became accents and key figures.

13. Utagawa Kuniyoshi - Cats representing 53 stations of the Tokaido

Fifty-five cats are featured in these canvases by Japanese illustrator Utagawa Kuniyoshi. One of them crawls out of the basket, some catch rats, others eat fish. And it is not at all worth mentioning that the artist loved cats. When he became a teacher, young people studying with him noticed that his workshop was overflowing with them. His love for cats crept into his work, and they began to appear in many of his best prints. Sometimes they appear as characters from well-known stories, in other cases they are beautifully expressive sketches. Kuniyoshi often depicted cats in a completely anthropomorphic form.

55 Cats is a hilarious imitation of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, which was the most successful Ukiyo-e collection. The so-called Eastern Sea Route had fifty-three different postal stops along its route, and they provided horses, food and lodging for the travelers. Kuniyoshi decided to portray them through cat puns.

14. Theophile-Alexander Steinlen - Black cat

Le Chat Noir was a 19th century entertainment venue in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It opened in the fall of 1881 on Boulevard Rochechouart and closed in 1897 shortly after the death of Salis. Historians say with certainty that it was the first documented cabaret - a place where visitors could relax at small tables, drinking certain types of drinks and enjoying a variety show.

This drawing, created by Theophile Steinlen, is a direct advertisement for the place, which in its golden era was partly a meeting place for artists, and partly a musical, creative platform. Also, for several years, the cabaret published a weekly with the same name, which published not only news from the life of the "Black Cat", but also many literary works, political satire and poetry. Today, anyone can buy a reproduction with the image of the "Black Cat", which is sold at every step in the capital of France.

In soulful and childishly charming works Yuri Matsik can also be found purring cats, which just by their appearance cause a smile.