Seven lives of cats in art

No cat No life

Seven lives of cats in art

Welcome!

Welcome to a cat journey through different cultures throughout history. In this exhibition we have collected various works of art related to cats to show the importance that these felines have had at different times, and how they have served as inspiration for many artists, creating a whole world of cat art.

~Guía de la exposición~

GREAT

ARTIST

Louis Wain

“He invented a style of cat, a society of cats, a whole world of cats. “English cats that don’t look and live like Louis Wain’s cats are ashamed of themselves.”- Quote from the well-known writer H. G. Wells

Louis Wain (London, 1860-1939), was a well-known English artist who produced children's stories and drawings of scenes from country life. His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Wain began to use his illustrations to cheer her up. He drew mostly “Peter”, a cat found on the street, which inspired him and started his obsession with cats. When his works began to be published, he gained great fame and success, especially for his anthropomorphic cats, which walked like humans, wore clothes, extravagant facial expressions and performed activities typical of English society such as drinking tea or playing golf.

However, despite his popularity, the death of his wife and the subsequent deaths of his mother and two of his sisters, coinciding with the First World War, marked him deeply. From that moment on, Wain went into a deep depression, and in 1923 he was committed to a psychiatric hospital after assaulting one of his sisters and being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He spent the rest of his life moving from one hospital to another, although his paintings of cats remained present regardless of his state of health, although they did show a change in his style. He finally died in 1939 with clear symptoms of dementia.

After his death, the psychiatrist Walter Maclay collected eight of his drawings and ordered them from the most figurative to the most abstract, to reflect the clinical progression of his illness. But we will never really know if his works were a consequence of his mental illness or simply evidence of different styles. What is certain is that Wain had a great flexibility in using different techniques and reflecting his personality and the events he experienced throughout his life in his work, full of kitties.

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19 th

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AgeS

20 th

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ManNeriSM

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Ancient Egypt

In Ancient Egypt cats were treated as divinities. They had almost the same importance as Pharaohs, even some of their gods had their features. Also, some cats were mummified, a great honor among them that was only reserved for the high charges. Even in 525 BC, the Egyptian army of Pelusio surrendered to the Persians, who had painted the image of Bastet on their shields and gathered cats and other animals before the walls of the city, because they preferred to lose that battle rather than harm the cats.

Greece and Rome

The Greeks recognized the value of the cat for pest control, although they also considered them as pets, while the Romans had more sentimentalism to them and pampered them much more. Cats enjoyed life in ancient Rome almost as much as in Egypt [some Latin authors and Roman tombs depict extremely sad cat owners (because they will no longer be with their cats)].

Curiosity killed the cat...

Stupid cats!

Don't worry, I don't bite...

Ugly Cats

It is curious that throughout history we can find thousands of ridiculous and even quite ugly representations of cats. These poor animals have been portrayed with grotesque images which are very far from reality, especially during the Middle Ages. The reason? We do not know if it was due to a poor technique, the social conception of the time about these animals (which for a time were hated and persecuted), symbolism or simply personal decision of the author. Probably all options are correct. In any case, here we have multiple examples of these bizarre representations... (Note: Information on some artworks might be incomplete! The compilation contains images of unknown exact origin )

Ugly Cats

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It is curious that throughout history we can find thousands of ridiculous and even quite ugly representations of cats. These poor animals have been portrayed with grotesque images which are very far from reality, especially during the Middle Ages. The reason? We do not know if it was due to a poor technique, the social conception of the time about these animals (which for a time were hated and persecuted), symbolism or simply personal decision of the author. Probably all options are correct. In any case, here we have multiple examples of these bizarre representations... (Note: There is quite a lot of unknown information about some of the artworks.)

You'll see things that are not appropriate for weak-hearted people.

ACCEPT

DENNY

Manuscript with cat pee

Cats have not only been the object of inspiration for artworks, but sometimes they have also been the artists, in their own peculiar (and not very well received) way. The perfect example is this manuscript from a Deventer scribe and dated around 1420. It turns out that one morning the scribe found that the night before an anonymous cat had decided to leave his personal "artistic contribution" to the manuscript: a urine stain. It seems that the scribe wasn't able to appreciate the abstract art of the poor feline and his reaction was not very friendly. He drew a picture of a cat and cursed the creature with the following words: "Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others [other cats] too. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come."

Middle Ages

Due to the Christian church, cats started to be seen as a symbol of witchcraft, darkness and the devil. They were trapped, tortured and to keep away bad luck, as a sign of devotion to Christ or as a part of some rituals to predict the future. Poor kitties...

HELP

Reinassance, Mannerism and Baroque

In the Renaissance, cats were appreciated for their role in controlling plagues, but also were objects of superstition, associated with witchcraft and persecuted by Christian Church. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci made a lot of sketches and studies about cats. In Mannerism, artistic representations of cats became more common, reflecting a growing fascination for them. Cats were often depicted in paintings alongside their human counterparts, symbolizing domestic life and the complexities of human-animal relationships.

By the Baroque they gained a more recognized place in the domestic context. They were often depicted on interiors, symbolizing both comfort and the darker aspects of human experience, such as mystery.

18th-19th Century

During the 19th century pet ownership began to become more popular, this allowed cats to become companion animals, the cat was still seen as an animal that got rid of pests, but gained a status of elegance among the Victorians, during this century cat associations and the popularity of cat breed shows arose, which in turn caused breeders to crossbreed different species of cats.

In the Contemporary era, more specifically in the 18th century, although the cat was still an animal frowned upon by society and was even tortured, the cat began to be seen as a tool for eliminating pests, and so began to gain some respect from society.

In the 20th century cats were represented in several creative ways, being cultural icons. The way the cats are represented depends on the artistic style of the painting and the characteristics of each author. For example, for Picasso cats should be animals given to their instincts, not domestic animals.

Japan

In Japanese art, cats are mainly represented as domestic and playful animals, usually playing with clothes or any other thing they could get. Because cats were brought to Japan to eliminate pests, such as mice, they were seen as beneficial animals and held in high regard.Besides their realistic representations, there are some pieces related to their folklore such as the nekomata, that are evolved cats that have some human aspects and appear doing traditional activities.

In 1997 our dearest Stubbs, the fluffy one in the corner, got to the charge of mayor in a little town in Alaska called Talkeetna. It is said that the locals were not satisfied with the candidates for mayors so they preferred to choose the kitty instead. Well, actually Stubbs never were mayor, because that town does not have its own government, but for the people in there, it was (and also a way to attract tourists).

Title: Cat and Mouse Artist Name: Unknown Date/Period: New Kingdom, Ramesseide Period, 19th Dynasty to 20th Dynasty, ca. 1290-1070 BC. Medium: Ink drawing on limestone ostracon Location: The Brooklyn Museum Short information: Animals imitating human behavior were well-known in Egyptian art, although their meaning is uncertain. This one might represent a caricature, an illustration to a fable or perhaps a humorous satire.

Description: Nebamun Hunting in the Marshes Artist Name: Unknown Date/Period: 18th Dynasty, 1350 BC Medium: Painted plaster Location: The British Museum Short information: It was part of the wall paintings of the Nebamun's tomb-chapel and it represents a scene from daily life: a day of hunting and fishing in the swamps of the Western Nile.

Title: Tournée du Chat Noir Artist: Théophile Alexandre Steinlen Date/Period: 1896 Medium: Chromolithograph on paper Location: National Museum of Art of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain Short information: It is an advertising poster for "Le chat noir", a famous cabaret that opened its doors between 1881 and 1897 in the bohemian Montmartre neighborhood.

Well, we know this isn't sorted, but there are two reasons for it:

1. Some of the sign were not big enough to have the names they should.
2. It's Wonderland, what did you expected?

In fact there's a third reason for it and it's that in this way you could have some curiosity, as our dear Alice, and look up for the right order. Maybe you discover more wonderful artworks.

Description: Sarcophagus of Prince Thutmose’s Cat Ta-Miu Artist Name: Unknown Date/Period: New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, ca. 1391-1353 BC Medium: Limestone Sarcophagus Location: The Egyptian Museum, Cairo Short information: Prince Thutmose loved his cat Ta Miu so much that he wanted her to enjoy her after-life as much as she had enjoyed her life as a royal pet, so after her death she was mummified and the prince ordered to build her her own sarcophagus.

Anchor Piece

Title: Apotheosis of Cats Artist: Théophile Steinlen Date/Period: 1890 Medium: Oil on Canvas Location: Petit Palais Museum, Geneva, Switzerland

Title: Gayer-Anderson Cat Artist name: Unknown Date/Period: Late Period of ancient Egypt around 600 BC. Medium: Bronze figure Location: The British Museum Short information: The sculpture wears gold ornaments and it is a representation of the godess Bastet, which was usually shown in the form of a cat. It's named after Mayor Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson, who donated it to the British Museum.

Illustrations of marginalia in medieval manuscripts