Andy Warhol and the Love of Cats

-
The Cover of 25 Cats Name Sam
and One Blue Pussy
Source: The Cut 

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I love cats. I have three of them in my house at the moment, and I would gladly have more if it was feasible. However, there is one artist who puts my love of cats to shame: Andy Warhol.

Most people can recognize Warhol’s work by sight, even if they don’t know his name. Born in Pittsburgh, Warhol is now known for his portraits of Marilyn Monroe and his paintings of Campbell’s soup cans. Personally I’m not a huge fan of pop art—the style that Warhol is known for—however, I can certainly acknowledge that Warhol was a great painter of cats.

Although he painted and drew cats throughout his career, his best-known cat art comes in the form of a book of lithographs that he published in 1954. The book was entitled 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy, although it only actually depicts sixteen cats. The title of the cats refers to the twenty-five cats that lived with Warhol and his mother. Of these cats, twenty-four were named Sam and one was named Hester (I’m assuming that Hester was the one blue pussy). Hester was the Warhols’ first cat, but Andy Warhol decided to bring another cat home after worrying that Hester would become lonely. The population spiraled from there.

The cats of 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy are brightly colored and expressive. It is clear that these are portraits of individual animals, not generalized images. Although the images are not realistic, in studying each painting, you can see the cat’s individual personality, depicted with loving attention. 

Sam
Source: The Cut 

One Blue Pussy
Source: The Cut 

Sam
Source: The Cut 

Sam
Source: The Cut 

So, why was Warhol so interested in depicting cats? Aside from the fact that cats are, in my opinion, inherently wonderful and interesting, they are undoubtedly interesting from an artistic perspective. Cats tend to be graceful in their movements and are extremely flexible; it’s not hard to imagine that their odd contortions and poses would inspire artists. Warhol also had a tendency to be reclusive, and it’s easy to see how cats could have provided an easy artistic subject. Regardless of the reason, Warhol’s 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy is a charming and imaginative tribute to domestic cats at their finest.

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the fish
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech
Read more