This sumptuous painting depicts forty-two Persian and Angora cats belonging to the American millionaire Kate Birdsall Johnson, the ultimate cat lady. The magnificent boy at the centre is a Persian cat called Sultan.
Tag: art
New artwork
I’m finally starting a new fabric artwork after nearly five years, probably my longest break yet thanks to the lack of inspiration and motivation. Another more positive reason is that ever since the pandemic I feel like less of a homebody on the weekend, and prefer to spend much more time outdoors even in winter months. Still, I look forward to a big new project I can really sink my teeth into.
It’s meant to be a companion piece for the abstract sailboat artwork I did for my Mum a while back, with a similar style and palette of vibrant colours. I’m basing it on this mountain landscape pic I found:
Now that I traced it, the final version is supposed to look something like this, although as always I expect I’ll have to simplify it during the process:
Le Chat Noir by Théophile Steinlen
This Art Nouveau poster, advertising a 19th-century Parisian cabaret, has been reproduced endlessly on mugs, cushion covers, tote bags and fridge magnets. Though it’s iconic to the point of cliché, I could not resist hanging a framed copy in my own living room.
Woman With Cat by Kees Von Dongen
A gorgeous and delicate painting. I love the complementary colours and the tender body language, both from the cat and the woman holding the cat. My own cat will tolerate being held for a couple of seconds tops.
Woman and Cats by Will Barnet
I love the elegance of black cats in this woodcut, though I can’t tell if the cat in woman’s arms is thrilled about being held.
Two Children Teasing a Cat by Annibale Carracci
The cat is going to lose it in five, four, three, two, one…
Black Cat and Tomato Plant by Takahashi Hiroaki
Would cats ever get away with being destructive critters that they are, if they weren’t so damn cute? This woodblock print captures the careless curiosity that makes cat owners everywhere scream with frustration as their precious plants get wrecked.
La Poeté by Marc Chagall
I rarely remember my dreams these days, but a giant blue cat floating over a village sounds like a dream I wouldn’t mind having.
The Cat by Bart Van Der Leck
Bart Van Der Leck was a founding member of De Stijl, a Dutch art movement based on a strict geometry of horizontals and verticals. This black-and-white cat with piercing eyes looks both intense and friendly.
The White Cat by Pierre Bonnard
One of the highlights of the Pierre Bonnard exhibition I visited on the weekend was this humorous painting of a white cat, which still manages to look haughty despite its comically elongated legs. Whether you find the distortion hilarious or hideous, the image certainly grabs your attention.
