The Masters’ Cats: Five of my favorite cats in great art. [View all]

[CTyankee]

Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2014, 06:26 AM - Edit history (1)

While ymmv, these are my picks for best cats in the Western canon. Feel free to contribute your own...

Hogarth’s The Graham Children

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

This mischievous cat gives enormous vitality to a primly posed group of children whose cheerfulness seems forced (and a clever little irony in contrasting the artificiality of society of the late 18th century and the timeless reality of natural creatures). The cat is obviously delighted at being so close to the (terrified) goldfinch hanging in a cage nearby. She has her claws out, ready to make that final pounce. She is a force of nature all by herself. You can almost see her grin.

Gozzoli Journey of the Magi

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

This religious theme was actually a way employed by the artist to flatter the VIP dignitaries who were coming to Florence at the occasion of the Council of Florence (1438-1439). Their faces are herein depicted. And, while lushly decked out, they are of little consequence to any but those who are medieval historians today. The average viewer, while appreciative of the background, is probably more interested in the color, scope and interesting attention to detail found in this epic cycle contained on the three walls of the small enclosure.

Gozzoli might wonder that his exotic leopard would be of much more interest to viewers of his work today. The cat is both fierce and oddly beautiful, in keeping with this richly endowed fresco cycle that covers the walls of a tiny and stuffy chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. It suggests a society that flaunts exotic animals as a way of establishing the status of its elites.

It takes a while to go through the entirety of this gorgeous procession and savor the wealth of its sumptuous offerings. You are in very confined space. Don’t go on a hot day.

Ghirlandaio’s Last Supper

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

He painted two and they are both in Florence. Ask a Fiorentino where you can see the artist’s Last Supper, “the one with the cat,” and more than likely you will be directed correctly to the Convent of San Marco (which will humble you with all of its other masterpieces). This depiction ominously puts the cat on the side of the table with Judas, injecting a distinct sense of dread to the scene, and you won’t be “thinking good thoughts about a pussycat,” as in the famous Thurber cartoon. Of the two versions, this one engages you more.

Manet’s Olympia

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

“Olympia” is Manet’s re-imagining of Titian’s Venus of Urbino. The little black cat next to her slippered foot symbolizes prostitution (the poser of the picture was a prostitute, in addition to being an artist herself). Titian’s Venus, however, has a small tan and white dog curled near her feet, is a symbol of marital fidelity (Titian was newly married when he painted it). Olympia is assertive and, far from the “venus pudica” pose of Titian’s Venus, she uses her hand to flatly refuse the viewer any further access to her body. That and the look in her eyes tells you she doesn’t much care what you may think of her. She knew that painting would be considered scandalous, and it was.

here is Titian's work

[IMG][/IMG]

You’ll find “Olympia” in the Musee d’Orsay.

More about the scandal here http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/manet.html

Veronese’s Marriage at Cana

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Another expansive, lush canvas, this out of the Mannerist period and perhaps my favorite work of that era, which I usually find unsettling and often weird. Given its size you will want to spend some time searching out the cat (lower right) and you’ll find it if you follow the intense gaze of the leashed hound in front of the musicians. The whole thing is a feast itself, nicely (and comfortably) exhibited in the Louvre.

This is the largest painting in the Louvre collection and it’s a knockout. The back story, briefly summarized in the Louvre’s website...

“In 1553, Veronese was summoned to Venice where he gave free rein to his decorative talent in vast canvases that blended masterful composition, splendid contemporary costumes, and luminous colors. The Wedding Feast at Cana graced the refectory designed by Palladio for the Benedictine monastery on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore. With masterly freedom of interpretation, Veronese transposed the biblical episode to the sumptuous setting of a Venetian wedding.”