The Masters’ Cats: Five of my favorite cats in great art.

[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

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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

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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

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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

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“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

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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

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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.”

[shenmue]

1. Kittehs are win!

[CTyankee]

2. Even the Old Masters loved to paint them!

They are always fascinating...

[woo me with science]

3. What a delicious post. Thanks!

An artist aiming to paint the top one today would probably use photos to try to capture the expression of the cat for painting.

That IS the face of a cat with its eye on a bird. Perfect. I have seen that expression on ours so many times.

*That's* masterful, to capture that face from life.

[CTyankee]

5. glad you like it. I thought it might be of interest here given our cat lovers...

I guess I'll have to do a dog in art post for the dog lovers at some point!

[MerryBlooms]

4. I love, love, love this post. What a grand way to end the week.

Especially, Gozzoli Journey of the Magi. So much going on there and what spectacular color!
And, Vernonese’s Marriage at Cana, is stunning.

Well done, CTyankee.

Thank you!

[CTyankee]

6. Those two knock me out, too...

Too bad Gozzoli's work is imprisoned in such a tiny space...the day I went to see it, in mid September, was really warm and there was just a little fan on a stool outside the doorway to circulate the air. I don't think I really saw this cycle completely enough to satisfy my curiosity about it.

[MerryBlooms]

16. Oh geez, with my meno hot flashes, I probably would have passed-the-fook out. lol

You just keep on posting with your bad-ass art self!

[CTyankee]

22. Thank you. I must say that I had no idea beforehand that this palazzo would be so warm...

it wasn't that warm out so I didn't think anything about it. But I realized inside the palazzo that I made a mistake...it's too bad really, but they don't air condition the palazzi (I guess) inside during the hot months...ack

[gratuitous]

7. "Think good thoughts about a pussycat"

It's easy to get one's masters mixed up, but I believe it was George Booth and not James Thurber who wanted the family dog to think good thoughts about the addition of a pussycat to the manse.

An observation about the Manet: the fuzziness of the cat is very much in contrast with the well-defined outlines of Venus and the strong lines in the rest of the painting. I don't have any idea what it means, but it might mean something.

[CTyankee]

17. You are probably right...I was thinking of the older lady encouraging her dog to

"think good thoughts about a pussycat." But I mixed it up with Thurber's "tum tum tum pwetty putty, tum det on mommy's wap." Too bad they are under tight copyright so no google images mages...

[Hekate]

8. The differences between the Titian and the Manet are stunning

The Manet is so cold in color, facial expression, and body language. It's not just Olympia's hand that refuses -- her legs are firmly crossed. Her face is challenging, and the cat's back is arched as if hissing.

The Titian is very warm in every sense, by contrast. Although Venus' face shows some reserve, her pose is relaxed, sensual -- and the pup is certainly relaxed and trusting, curled up asleep. The colors are warm and alive.

Thanks for the link to further explain the Manet.

Your posts, btw, are always a delight.

[CTyankee]

18. Oh, thanks, I am so happy when my posts stimulate art conversations...exactly what I want to do!

go at it!

[CTyankee]

19. Titian, and Venetian art of the period, is all about "colore" which is a high Renaissance

variation from the Early (Florence based) Renaissance school of "disegno." The warmth is evident in not only Titian but also Bellini and Giorgione. Tintoretto is a later addition to this group, and he arrived in the time of the Mannerists, an era which followed the High Renaissance.

[longship]

9. As always, a great Friday art post.

Thank you for sharing these with DU.

[CTyankee]

26. hey, longship, nice to have you here! Thanks for your kind words and glad you liked the post!

[Hissyspit]

10. The Wedding Feast is really a Last Supper, if I recall.

Inquisition made him change the title, if I remember correctly.

I had completely forgotten about the cat!

[CTyankee]

28. didn't know about the Inquisition thing...no wonder, tho, you didn't get the cat...it's out o

view unless you are looking at the exact painting or a pretty good reproduction (which, after a little bit, I found)...

[KittyWampus]

11. My favorite- see if you can guess where it's from! CTYANKEE, I KNOW YOU KNOW :-)

Last edited Fri Aug 8, 2014, 07:04 PM - Edit history (2)

[CTyankee]

20. Easy to see that it is Goya but I didn't know just from the cats....thanks for the addition which

I had asked for...how great is this picture...wonderful exposition of its theme...

[calimary]

12. Great stuff, CTyankee!

This and the guy serenading his cattle with his trombone - MADE MY FRIDAY!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025356605

[swilton]

13. Thank you for

enlightening us!

[Curmudgeoness]

14. So there really was LOLCats way back.

I knew it.

[CTyankee]

21. I guess nothing is new...

[savannah43]

15. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

You made my week!

[wheniwasincongress]

23. Uncanny

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[Divernan]

24. Do you know the story about Andrew Wyeth and his wife Betsy's cat?

In 1996, I spent a day at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, known for its collection of paintings by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth - mainly Andrew. What a treat to find that Andrew's grand-daughter, Victoria, then a high school student, was our docent. She had many behind the scenes tidbits and anecdotes to share about her grandfather's paintings, including how furious he was when her grandmother's cat clawed it's way up an unfinished painting to lick off the egg tempera he'd used.

"Fairly early in his career, Wyeth began working in egg tempera, a renaissance technique introduced to him by his brother-in-law, the painter Peter Hurd. Tempera became his major medium. He said that it forced him to slow down the execution of a painting and enabled him to achieve the superb textural effects that distinguish his work. His other mediums were watercolor and dry brush watercolor."

Egg yolk is made up of approximately 50% water, 15% albumen, 25% fat or oil and 10% lecithin. It mixes easily with water or with oils and dries very rapidly to a strong, permanent surface. Many of the beautiful paintings from the Renaissance were done in egg tempera. Egg tempera is a brilliant, semi-translucent paint that dries almost instantly. This will have a profound effect on the artists painting style as it does not lend itself to washes, wet-into-wet, or oil-style blending techniques. Instead, egg tempera is best suited to short, overlapping strokes using cross-hatching for blending and toning effects. If beginning the painting with a layout drawing, use colored pencils or pastels.

There is also a connection between Wyeth's iconic painting, Christina's World and Christina Olson's black cat.

Andrew Wyeth was an American realist painter famous for his painting “Christina’s World” (see below). The title was the idea of his wife Betsy James. She named all his paintings after their marriage as far as I know.

Christina Olson was the subject in the painting. She had polio and was disabled. She was crawling across the field. She was 55 when the work was created. Wyeth’s wife provided some of the modelling for the figure. Wyeth knew Christina well and just for the record, she had a cat companion. Wyeth painted her black cat sitting on her chest. At the link below is a sketch made by Wyeth (that is still worth hundreds of thousands of dollars) of Christina’s Bedroom with her black cat on her bed. It was painted in 1947, one year before Christina’s World.

The house in the painting still stands and is called Olson House. I just think it is nice to find a connection between this iconic American painting and a cat.
http://pictures-of-cats.org/andrew-wyeth-christina-black-cat.html

There is also a painting of Christina sitting in a chair with her cat on her chest. It was featured on an excellent BBC programme hosted by Michael Palin.
The painting is very small and you do have to keep clicking through all his work to find it. It's image 59 out of the 76.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/galleries/p01nw2vv

Perhaps someone with better computer skills can post the actual paintings from these links.

[CTyankee]

25. Grea! What an interesting exposition of Wyeth. I am not much of a fan of his but I much appreciate

that exposition on paints used in those works.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

27. Thank you, CTYankee! Always a pleasure to see these posts.

[CTyankee]

29. Oh, how funny! Thanks, Tuesday!

[CherokeeDem]

30. I love your posts!!!

I love art, but I don't know as much as I would like to know.

These are wonderful... I feel like I go to art class when you post these wonderful paintings.

Thanks!!!

[johnp3907]

31. I have these Goya cats on my fridge.

It's a postcard my wife gave me. I love the way the cats are looking at the bird!

<a href="http://imgur.com/BuUAHZB"><img src="" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a>

Close up:

<a href="http://imgur.com/V6OkhHZ"><img src="" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a>

[CTyankee]

32. I will have another art essay in a couple of weeks...on vacay, but still posting...

however, I won't have my picture files so the next time I'll be doing art here will be at the end of August...

[brer cat]

33. What an original and delightful thread.

CYyankee, you rule!! Thanks.

[CTyankee]

34. Thank you! I like to write these because it's fun.

So I get a real charge out of doing them and hearing from others about their own experiences with art. Hope you drop by in a few weeks. I usually post at around 5 pm on Fridays...