Cats in Western paintings (Olga E.)

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Cats
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Mysterious, cunning and elegant, they have been
represented in various ways over the millennia.
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from the cat hostile to mice of the Bodley
Bestiary to the surrealist cat with a bird on its
head by Klee through the intellectual cat of da
Messina, the black cat of Olympia by Manet and
the cat bohemian, elegant, charismatic of
Montmartre by Steinlen
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Cats in Western paintings
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Musio appellatus quod muribus infestus sit He was
called Musio because he was hostile to mice
... one cat is sleeping curled up, another is
trying to catch a bird in a cage and one has
caught a mouse, which was probably trying to
steal grain seeds anonymous Bodl
ey bestiary, Cat Bestiaire Bodley, Chat Bodley
bestiario, Gato 13th century, second
quarter Bodleian Library, MS. Bodley 764, folio
50r., Oxford
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an English bestiary from the 13th century,
depicts the activities of domestic cats cats
are the enemies of mice, its sight is so keen
that it can see mice in the darkest cave they
fight venomous snakes and are not killed by the
venom they like to play with people and
express their joy with their way of singing
(purring) they are so enamored with their own
beauty that if they stand over a well to see
their reflection they will sometimes fall in
they love warm places (i.e. fire) and burn
their skin by being too lazy to move and
they fight with each other to defend their
territory
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a Cat with Medieval Nun The book of hours was
probably made for an aristocratic lady in the
Liège-Maastricht area. Here we have a 14th
century nun with her kitten. In the Middle
Ages, cats were valued as companions and
experienced mousers. There is no doubt that many
cats were, let's say, a very valuable and beloved
part of the domestic life of people, whether it
was a monastery or a squire's cottage, or a
yeoman. anonymous Maastricht
Hours, detail Cat Livre d'heures de Maastricht,
detail chat Libro de Horas de Maastricht, detalle
gato 1300-1325 Stowe MS 17, f. 34r, British
Library, London
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Superstitious Cat God is presenting Eve to
the astonished Adam Here, we should think of
love, harmony, and wonder at a world that does
not know sin. However ... a big cat carrying
prey in its mouth, which in this Paradise
symbolizes the arrival of evil, even before the
appearance of the tempting serpent. Hi
eronymus Bosch El Bosco Jérôme Bosch El jardín de
las delicias, panel izquierdo, El jardín del
Edén The Garden of Earthly Delights, left panel,
The Garden of Eden Le Jardin des délices, panneau
de gauche, Le Paradis 1490-1500 Museo del Prado,
Madrid
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monstrous creatures giant rats a dragon a naked
woman a toad and Saint Anthony in meditation
gives the viewer a reassuring look and ... a
cat grabbing a fish. Here, the feline with ears
pointed like horns is a demon, while its prey
alludes to Christianity. Jheronimus
Bosch Jérôme Bosch Triptych of Temptation of St.
Anthony, right panel, Contemplation of St.
Anthony Triptyque de la Tentation de saint
Antoine, panneau de droite, Saint Antoine en
méditation Tríptico de las Tentaciones de san
Antonio, panel de la derecha, Meditación de san
Antonio 1501 Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga,
Lisbon
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Intellectual cat Antonello da Messina painted
Saint Jerome, an ideal model of the erudite
humanist, working in his studio in
solitude. The artist also introduced animals
... a peacock symbolizing immortality, a
partridge, which can signify both truth and
deception, a lion, which refers to the story of
St. Jerome and a cat ... A cat associated with
the Devil in the Middle Ages? It seems that
this cat by Da Messina, asleep or perhaps lost in
contemplation, represents an alliance between
intellectuals and cats. An alliance which became
more significant from the beginning of the
Renaissance. Antonello da Messina Saint
Jerome in His Study Saint Jérôme dans son étude
San Jerónimo en su estudio 1475 National
Gallery, London
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the cat of Recanati a cat frightened by the
sudden appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, a
cat as a comic element in a religious scene, a
cat representing wickedness, or even the devil,
being chased off by the Angel or a cat not at
all happy with all the commotion that has come to
break up the quiet routine of his
life Lorenzo Lotto Recanati
Annunciation L'Annonciation de Recanati Anunciació
n 1527 Museo Civico Villa Colloredo Mels, Recanati
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a stylish interior a servant a little dog a
parrot a swan a beautiful protagonist who wears
only pearls in her necklace and refined
hairstyle a male duck in a cage and a cat that
slinks out of the shadows probably thinking the
duck is an easy dinner Tintoretto Le
Tintoret Leda and the Swan Léda et le Cygne Leda
y el cisne 1550 Uffizi Gallery, Florence
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a Renaissance palace the holy family John the
Baptist, who is clutching a goldfinch and a
cat The cat is a relatively unusual motif in
representations of the holy family. Here it is
poised to pounce on the goldfinch a traditional
symbol of Christs Passion. Federico
Barocci Madonna of the Cat or Madonna del
gatto La Madone au chat Virgen del
gato 1575 National Gallery, London
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the traitor cat the figure of Judas with the
little bag of thirty pieces of silver and a cat
at his feet Observing carefully at some of the
Last Supper scenes, we can find a cat sitting at
Judas' feet. Here, the feline has negative
association with deceit and treachery, signifying
Judas future betrayal. Jacopo
Bassano Last Supper La Cène Ultima
Cena 1546 Galleria Borghese, Rome
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Christ seated beneath a splendid velvet green
canopy two of his disciples, who failed to
recognize him as they traveled on the road to
Emmaus a well-fed innkeeper, a plumed
serving boy, a wary dog and menacing cat attend
to mundane affairs, unaware of the divine
mystery unfolding before them
Jacopo Bassano The Supper at
Emmaus Le Souper à Emmaüs La Cena en
Emaús 1538 Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
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a popular Flemish custom a noisy and cheerful
feast a king and a Flemish grumpy
cat Jacob Jordaens The Feast of the
Bean King Le Festin du roi des haricots El
Festín del Rey de las Habas 1640-1645 Kunsthistor
isches Museum, Wien
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like a puppet rather than a child, rigid,
immobile a magpie traditionally considered a
symbol of the soul three cats looking menacingly
at the bird ... The malice contrasts with the
innocence of the child. Goya apparently intended
this portrait as an illustration of the frail
boundaries that separate a child's world from
the ever-present forces of evil. Manuel died at
the tender age of eight. Francisco
de Goya Portrait of Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de
Zuniga Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga,
enfant Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zúñiga,
niño 1787 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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two cats snorting at each other ... fur bristling
and backs arched, eyes wild with fear and
hatred The violence of the felines to conquer
that ruined brick wall can be easily identified
with a human attitude. Francisco
de Goya Riña de gatos Combat de chats Cats
fighting 1786 Museo del Prado, Madrid
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a black cat and a courtesan a naked woman
looking directly at us, shameless, insolent and
detached, fragile and cruel, a ribbon around her
neck, an orchid in her hair, a high heel shoe
and a bracelet. a maid giving her a bouquet of
flowers, probably from a satisfied
customer and a black cat ... Black cats are
the owners of mystery and are symbols of sensual
beauty as well as feminine malice. In Rome, they
were also often considered an emblem of freedom
.... Édouard Manet Olympia 1863 Musée
dOrsay, Paris
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the white cat ... Strange, exaggeratedly arched
on its paws, with its head drawn down into its
shoulders, eyes like slits and a cunning
expression. It seems both tame and wild. A
style that comes from far away ... Bonnard is
inspired by an art from the other side of the
world, Japanese prints. Pierre
Bonnard Le Chat blanc The white cat El gato
blanco 1894 Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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a black cat from Montmartre ... a poster to
promote the Parisian cabaret Le Chat noir Le
Chat Noir seems to come from another world and
comes to us to represent the bohemianism,
elegance, eroticism, charisma, freedom,
independence, adventure, and danger of
picturesque Paris at the end of the 19th
century. The illustration is in the Art Nouveau
style, in a restrained but highly evocative color
palette. Théophile Alexandre
Steinlen Tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis
Tour of Rodolphe Salis' Chat Noir Tour del Gato
Negro de Rodolphe Salis 1896 Zimmerli Art Museum
at Rutgers University, New Brunswick
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Picasso "I like feral cats that hunt birds,
scamper around the streets like crazy, drag
everything they get. They look at you with wild
eyes ready to scratch your face. a menacing
predator eyes gleaming mouth full of sharp
teeth intimidating claws a hypnotic gaze The
viewer can almost hear the sound the cat makes,
something between a satisfied roar and a warning
roar. a mixture of rage and fascination at
the success achieved, an image of everyday life
blown up to apocalyptic proportions Pablo
Picasso Chat saisissant un oiseau Cat Catching a
Bird Gato capturando un pájaro 1939 Musée
Picasso, Paris
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a small black cat in both an amusing and menacing
attitude and Dora Maar, the artists most
mysterious and challenging mistress Maar
despised the creature, who was unfriendly and
prone to vicious scratching. It is
interesting to consider, then, that here Picasso
has paid particular attention to the sharp,
talon-like nails on the figures long fingers.
Pablo Picasso Dora Maar au
chat Dora Maar with Cat Dora Maar con
gato 1941 Private Collection
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a large window the Eiffel Tower symbolizing
Paris two people of Hasidic origin lying
horizontally, a cultural reference the
upside-down railway track representing Chagall's
inability to return to his homeland a two-faced
figure, resembling Janus, representing duality,
possibly reflecting Chagalls feelings of being
caught between two worlds a human-faced cat,
which is a symbol of reincarnated sinners in
Jewish mythology The cat is standing on the
windowsill, between the inside and the outside,
representing the transition between the real
world and the imaginary, dream world.
Marc Chagall Paris par la fenêtre Paris
through the Window París a través de la
ventana 1912 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
Manhattan, New York City
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simple, pure, innocent, childish, surreal
Klee portrays his cat Fritzi, green for the
eyes, ears and whiskers, pink for the nose and
mouth a cat with a bird on its head, we would
say that, knowing felines, the cat is about to
eat him Paul Klee Cat and
Bird Chat et oiseau Gato y pájaro 1928 The Museum
of Modern Art, New York City
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www.wistarie.net/tags/olga-e
Cats in Western paintings Les chats dans la
peinture occidentale Gatos en la pintura
occidental images and text credit   www.

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