Cat Catching a Bird by Pablo Picasso (Interpretation and Analysis)

Cat Catching a Bird
Source: pablopicasso.org

For years, I’ve thought of myself as a person who doesn’t really like Pablo Picasso’s art. It’s not that I don’t acknowledge his talent and the way he’s changed the artistic landscape; I just always thought that his work didn’t speak to me. Anyway, I thought that until one day I woke up and realized that the walls of my house were dotted with Picasso prints that I purchased. It turns out that I like Picasso after all, imagine my surprise!

My appreciation for Picasso’s art snuck up on me, but I’m fairly certain I will never have a print of Cat Catching a Bird hanging in my house.

This painting—which is the subject of today’s post—is unapologetically gritty. Here Picasso depicts a cat in the act of tearing a bird into bloody pieces. Although I personally consider cats to be lovable, cuddly animals, Picasso’s painting captures the wild side of the animal, personifying the wild and brutal hunter that lurks behind the house pet. In a more general sense, it represents the savagery of nature, the bloody cycle that exists between the prey and the predator.

Stylistically, Picasso uses sharp, jagged lines to represent this relationship. His cat is angular, a subtle way of communicating danger. He even mixed sand into the paint to give it a sharp, grainy texture.

These artistic choices give the painting a sinister undertone in keeping with the subject matter. Based on my research, Picasso himself recognized the darkness in the painting. He suggested that the painting was one of many allegorical works that represented his feelings about the Spanish Civil War, which was nearing its end at the time. The cat hunting the bird embodies the horrors of war and the menace of Francisco Franco’s Nationalist government. The people of Spain are represented by the dying bird, held in the grasp of a monumental events that will deprive them of life and liberty.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.