Cats in Art: 10 Decidedly Feline Works

Mysterious, sly and elegant, cats have fascinated us since the dawn of time, and have been portrayed in the most varied ways over the millennia. The oldest evidence appears to be a rock carving in Libya, dating back to 7,000 years ago and depicting a fight between cats. It’s worth mentioning that these wonderful animals have not always been portrayed in a positive manner. In ancient Egypt, the cat was considered a sacred animal and depicted in sculptures, paintings and engravings, and sometimes the deities were represented with a human body and a feline head. In the Middle Ages, however, cats were considered ‘heretical’ animals, associated with the devil and witches. It wasn’t until the Victorian period when a radical change of status saw cats portrayed in sentimental and intimate family scenes.

Let's put ourselves in the shoes, or paws, of a cat and go on a discovery. Here is a small roundup of ten paintings – made over the years by various artists and in various parts of the world – in which our beloved feline is the master.

10. Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Proverbs Illustrated by Cats

Let's start in Japan with the artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), one of the last great masters of the ukiyo-e style of painting and woodcut, which still influences tattoo artists and manga artists today. His subjects included many genres, including landscapes, geishas, ​​actors and cats. A great lover of felines, which he was surrounded by while working in his studio, Kuniyoshi began to use cats in his satirical prints as well. In one of his most famous works, cats are used to depict Japanese proverbs in their different poses.

9. Hiroshige II, A White Cat Playing with a String

The unusual print design of Hiroshige II (1826-1869), another Japanese representative of ukiyo-e art, reflects his unique approach and shows careful observation of a domestic cat, depicted in a minimal yet lively way. The animal has its hind legs resting on the ground, as if it were about to leap.

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8. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Child with Cat (Julie Manet)

With a great feline leap, from Japan we move to France with Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), admiring his work Child with Cat (Julie Manet). Here, the cat is portrayed with Julie Manet, the daughter of the painter Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet, brother of Édouard. Renoir was a longtime friend of the Manet family who, in 1887, commissioned him to complete a portrait of their daughter Julie. The result is a wonderful example of the refined finish and style of that period, but also and above all, a proof of the sensitivity with which the painter was able to portray familiar scenes of this type. The sweetness in the child's gaze reflects the ecstatic comfort of the sweet cat.

7. Suzanne Valadon, Raminou Sitting on a Cloth

Also in France we make friends with Raminou, the favorite model of painter Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938). Cat and artist shared a stray and unregulated life. In fact, Valadon was an indomitable and brazen woman, with porcelain skin and hair "the color of cognac". Her beloved cat Raminou was portrayed in various paintings; here we see him seated in an almost regal attitude, with his shiny red fur standing out between a cloth and a multicolored carpet.

Related: Fire, Passion, Inspiration: Red Hair in Art

6. Carl Kahler, My Wife's Lovers

From France, our ‘feline’ journey takes us to Austria, where we meet Carl Kahler (1856-1906), a painter known above all for his paintings of cats. In 1891, Kahler commissioned a painting with the ironic title My Wife's Lovers depicting as many as 42 cats, which became famous as a published print.

5. Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, La tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis

In nearby French Switzerland we meet Théophile Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923), Art Nouveau painter and engraver. He became known in particular for the artistic posters featuring a black cat made for Le Chat Noir, considered the first place of modern cabaret.

Related: Peter Beard: Into the Wild

4. Paul Klee, Cat and Bird

In Switzerland we also meet Paul Klee (1879–1940) who, as a great cat lover he was, welcomes us with joy and shows us his Cat and Bird, perhaps his most iconic expressionist painting of a cat. The cat pictured here is all head: the bird on his forehead indicates what he is thinking, while the red heart on his nose seems to symbolize the throbbing desire in his chest.

3. Henriëtte Ronner-Knip, Hide and Seek

At a softer pace we head to the Netherlands, to Henriëtte Ronner-Knip's house and play hide and seek with the countless cats that populated her studio. As we mentioned earlier, in the Victorian era, domestic cats were often the protagonists of paintings. The Amsterdam-born painter portrayed them in a Romantic style, with a touch that shows the affection and amused amazement behind her brush.

Related: Top 10 Rediscovered Masterpieces

2. Franz Marc, The White Cat

With another feline shot we reach Franz Marc's Germany and move slowly so as not to disturb the sleep of this sweet white cat. The paintings of the German artist are often lacking in detail, but still manage to arouse strong emotions. Here, the use of red seems to represent life, while yellow recalls female joy.

1. Louis Wain, The Bachelor Party

This fantastic journey of ours, completed on all four legs, ends in the wonderful London of Louis Wain (1860-1939), one of the most popular commercial illustrators in England. We are so tired after so much wandering that our eyes are bulging, almost like the eccentric cats in some of his paintings. The artist became famous for his portraits of anthropomorphized cats who were immortalized walking upright, smoking, drinking alcohol, playing golf or wearing elegant clothing.

We join the cats of the painting The Bachelor Party and make a toast to the health of all the big cats in the world... and their two-legged friends.

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