Author: SaraiMV
Published: April 7, 2018
Source: Artifice.com
Chances are you have no idea that cats have been leaving their paw prints all over the course of art history, with their first known appearance dated back to 1950 B.C.E., on the back wall of a limestone tomb discovered south of Cairo, Egypt. Yes! The very ancestors of that fur ball who, at this moment, is probably sleeping somewhere he isn't supposed to be, have inspired countless of historically important artworks and contributed immensely to our knowledge of our own existence. (Okay... that last one might be too much, but we'll give it to them because, let's be real, cats are pretty ameowzing!)
This article got me thinking about how my cat takes part in my creative process. My cat is an independent man who knows his boundaries. He leaves me alone when I'm painting, and occasionally sits somewhere close by surveilling, making sure no bad spirit or temptation interferes with my creativity and work flow. He gives me space to be creative. When he starts messing around with my brushes and the jar of dirty water that hold them, I know I have been working for too long and need to step out for some fresh air (or maybe to fill up his bowl). I feel like a bad guy for not acknowledging and appreciating his support this entire time!
Many artists have been known to have a (bunch of) cat(s) in their life, and I wonder how their presence influences the artists' creating process and routine. What are your thoughts on this? Is there a cat in your life that deserves some recognition? Leave a comment. I would love to hear about it :)
Hello Giao,
I thoroughly enjoy seeing the multitude of depictions of cats from artists of various cultural backgrounds and time periods. My favorites are the cats portrayed in a derpy or weird way. As a child, I was deeply fascinated with Egyptian mythology, especially the sacred treatment of cats in the culture. This is a great article! Thanks for sharing!
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- Jessica B.
If you create work within the vicinity of a cat, you should definitely add cat hair to the material list :P I have a cat named widget, she's a mainecooon, so she's big and fluffy!
Not really a cat person but it's interesting to learn so much about cats and their history. It seems that cats are a popular pet.
I had only really seen cats in Egyptian art. i didn't realized infiltrated cats are in so much art pieces.
A CSULB professor told me that many years ago the art history department offered a seminar about cats in Renaissance painting. I so wish I could go back in time and take that class! This article pairs perfectly with my blog post about Louis Wain. Cat Lovers Unite!!!