Leonardo da Vinci believes that the cat in the art of painting is almost perfect. Even in some lesser-known paintings, as long as the painting is a cat, it can be called a "masterpiece", which is probably the reason why paintings with cats as the theme are quite common. Art historian Stephen Zoffey makes it clear in his recently published book, "The Cat in the Drawing," that he sees the cat as an overly showy supporting actor.
The image of the cat first appeared in the mural art of ancient Egypt in 2000 BC. The cat is a natural hunter, domesticated by humans and often depicted in art works, and has been endowed with various human characteristics since then. Beth, the ancient Egyptian cat goddess Te appeared in the form of a cat-headed human being. The Romans admired cats for their hunting skills, and a large mosaic in a great house in Pompeii depicts a wild cat waiting to catch a partridge.
In the Middle Ages, the black cat became a symbol of paganism. In the famous painting "The Last Supper", a cat curled up at the feet of the traitor Judas. But there are exceptions, Zoffey points out: An illustration from the 13th-century collection of medieval bestiaries collected by Harry and his son shows three graceful cats surrounding a dead mouse, "like a vengeful angel defeated Like the devil." From this painting, it can be seen that this is at least a cat in the eyes of ordinary people.
The arrival of the Renaissance era dispelled all the mists that regarded cats as ominous in the Middle Ages, and cats forged an indissoluble bond with art. Sophie writes that, according to some humorous accounts, cats "are associated with a dispassionate, elusive, and gloomy and melancholy temperament, which some painters readily identify with."
Cats are frequently seen as symbols of laziness and family happiness. In 17th-century Dutch painters' paintings of indoor life, they either dozed off in front of the fireplace or huddled under the table. In the paintings of French painters Cha Dan and Boucher, there is a cat with a sneaky look and a table of fish and poultry, probably a cat that wants to steal food.
"By the 18th century, the cat figure had acquired some new qualities: lewd, lecherous, malicious, seductive," Sophie wrote. In contrast to the previous layout where cats were banished to the kitchen or to the edge of the entire picture, cats wandered and sneaked in women's boudoirs, or sat in the arms of high-society women. However, the subject of cats will never be confined to a narrow range. In some paintings, cats are also the companions of the poor. In a figure painting "Two Beggars" by Italian painter Zerluti A beggar is comforting a lost cat. During the French Revolution, cats were a symbol of freedom.
Impressionist painter Renoir and American female painter Cassatt like to paint a group of kittens, surrounded by some cute children. In the art of painting in the 20th century, the graceful lines of Art Nouveau, the rough lines and corners of Cubism are all well borrowed from the painting skills of cats. Picasso loved dogs, but he also admired the untamed qualities of wild, untamed cats.
In the final chapter of his book, Zoffi summarizes some of the masterpieces of painters who persevered in depicting the image of the magical cat, from the Spanish painter Goya's painting "Wonder" to the British mathematician and fairy tale author Lewis Carroll's cat. While cats may be an animal that has been domesticated by humans, they will never be fully domesticated.
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