Paintings with cats by famous contemporary artists. A sad story about an artist who painted cats

12.02.2019

It is the most luxurious month in the yard, and therefore we have collected a large and fluffy March post.
All over our vast Earth, in every, even the smallest, country, there are so many artists who are terribly fond of cats.

They are touched by habits, expressions of faces and eyes. Lose vigilance. And cats, playing on feelings, imperceptibly and ruthlessly steal hearts. Forever.

But you can enjoy beautiful works art, imbued with love for these cunning faces.
We have collected the fluffiest and warmest collection of paintings from artists from all over the world whose hearts have been stolen by cats.

Richard Donskis, artist from Latvia



Rihards Donskis is an artist from Latvia who works under the nickname Apofiss. Richard creates atmospheric, slightly mystical illustrations, where the cutest cats reign. Delicate eyes with a piercing expression of muzzles win the love of the viewer at first sight.

Englishwoman Kim Haskins




Artist Kim Haskins was born in England. Kim mostly works acrylic paints on cardboard or canvas. Her shaggy multi-colored cats with round eyes invariably cause wide smiles. It is impossible to forget these touching striped heaps. Kim's cats easily, too easily, steal many of the hearts of those who look at them.

American artist Joy Campbell




American illustrator Joy Campbell lives in Winlock, Washington. Has been painting for over 30 years. Now she works in oil, and, of course, cats are her favorite theme of the canvases. Her cats are happy with life, self-sufficient. They are lounging on sofas and tables, playfully look into the eyes and completely control the hearts of people.

Lithuanian artist Norville




Lithuanian artist Norvile (Norvile Dovidonyte, Nora) is the mistress of the red-haired mastermind Elvis. She loves to draw cats, create inexhaustible source Have a good mood and a good smile. Nora creates cozy, simple life, conveys the funny habits of cute animals. She has long and dearly been in love with cats.

Vladimir Rumyantsev, artist from St. Petersburg




Vladimir Rumyantsev is a member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists and the St. Petersburg Society of Watercolorists. He is a member of the Russian Union of Artists. His work is in museum collections Russia, as well as in private collections in Germany, USA, UK, Finland and Sweden. His cats are romantic. They see angels, love flowers and the lyrical city on the Neva.

Japanese artist Makoto Muramatsu




Japanese artist Makoto Muramatsu creates incredible tenderness. Cute, velvet cats have long stolen his heart. And now they are stealing the hearts and souls of everyone who stops to admire the transcendent cuteness of Makoto cats. Muramatsu tenderly prescribes each cute muzzle, admires her soft pets. Romantic from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Moskvich Stepan Kashirin




Kashirin Stepan Vladimirovich was born in Moscow. Member of the UNESCO Federation of Artists. On his canvases, cats live like fluffy warm people. They drive cars, arrange gatherings, play weddings. Stepan creates life situations, filled with understandable and kind humor. Funny emotions are written on the faces of his cats.

Russian Valery Khlebnikov




Khlebnikov Valery Ivanovich was born in Vyshny Volochek, Tver Region. Now he lives in the Moscow region. Already at the age of three, little Valera drew the first picture. And it was, of course, a cat. His cats are like heavy, kind giants. It's great to cuddle with such a cat and not worry about anything. Valery's works are full of humor, kindness and warmth.

Vladimir Stakheev, born in Leningrad




The painter Stakheev Vladimir Yurievich was born in Leningrad. I have been illustrating for many years. The cats from his graphic series are very graceful, emotional and beautiful. Their faces convey feelings so vividly that the thoughts of seals can be read. Cats are angry, curious, surprised, they want something, they are afraid of something. They are endowed with a bright character.

Vasya Lozhkin from Solnechnogorsk




Vasya Lozhkin was born in Russia, in the city of Solnechnogorsk. He draws with inimitable humor, conveying the emotions of his red cats. Although, as he jokingly admits, he cannot draw. Vasya also admits that his paintings are actually fairy tales with good ending. So there is hope that there will still be enough sausage for everyone.

Sad story about the artist who painted cats">

A sad story about an artist who painted cats

Matroskin, Lepold, a kitten named Woof - all these cats, so beloved by us, owe their humanoid appearance to Louis William Wayne. It was this English artist who first endowed cats with human behavior and emotions.

Louis Wayne (1860-1939) had a cat named Peter, or rather, Peter the Great, named after our Emperor Peter the Great. Luis trained the cat to sit in front of a book with glasses on, as if he were reading, and follow other simple commands. Louis did all this in order to entertain his wife, who was dying of cancer.

The miracle did not happen: the young woman died. But during this period, Louis made a lot of sketches of a cat, which became the basis of his future popularity. From the age of 23, he painted almost exclusively cats. Then they still did not walk on two legs and did not have human features faces, but a start has been made. Louis' drawings began to be published in books and magazines.

For us, as fans of cartoons, it is more interesting that period of Louis Wayne's work, which can be called "upright cat". It started in last decade nineteenth century. Since then, the artist's popularity has steadily grown, he painted up to six hundred cats a year.

Such performance can not boast of any contemporary photographer, but Louis did not just press the button, but created masterpieces with a pencil and brushes. He designed books, his illustrations were published in magazines, he even made his collection "Louis Wayne Yearbook".

The decision of the English Post, which in 1902 allowed the image to be printed on one side of postcards, can be called an epoch-making event for cat lovers. Here Louis turned to full. Postcards with his cats were popular then, and now they have become an object of hunting for collectors. Currently, their cost can be measured in tens of thousands of dollars.

Louis William Wayne's cats walk on hind legs, wear suits, smoke, play on musical instruments. In general, they conduct normal social life.

“I take my notebook to a restaurant or any other busy place and just draw people in their normal poses like cats, giving them as human features as possible. This gives my work a dual nature, and I consider them to be my best jokes."

Louis Wayne not only painted cats, but also tried to help them. He has been involved in all sorts of charitable societies that protect these tabbies and even became president of the English National Cat Club.

But the artist's life was not always joyful and cloudless. Louis was pathologically gullible and extremely uncalculative. In the tenth years of the last century, he was on the verge of poverty, having invested all his money in some kind of muddy event. In addition, Louis began to develop schizophrenia.

The image of a wild and domestically affectionate, cunning and ingenuously amazed cat is a favorite theme of many masters. It is impossible to ignore this graceful beauty, not to notice the smooth curves of her body, the mysterious twinkling of her eyes, the brilliance of silk wool. Paintings depicting cats occupy entire halls in famous galleries and private collections, cat sculptures adorn the streets of cities around the world. The cat "walks" on postcards, stamps, calendars, all kinds of household utensils, clothes and accessories.

The cat crept into great art only in XVIII century, however, even in ancient Egypt, tailed goddesses were sculpted from stone, painted on walls and dishes, and molded from clay. Jewelry, engraving, mosaic, metal figurines inlaid with carnelian, turquoise and lapis lazuli - there were cats everywhere. One of the temples of Heliopolis was decorated with a sculpture of a cat - the god Ra in the guise of a predatory beast. Depending on the time of day, the cat's eyes narrowed or expanded (apparently, the priests used a special mechanism to change the diameter of the pupils). Every hour, water flowed from the mouth of the sacred animal. However, cat worship was only part of the religion. The Egyptians did not glorify the cat itself, but the gods, speaking with the heavenly rulers through sacred animals.

Exhibit of the Louvre: Ancient Egypt, the era of the early dynasties, glyptic. In the center is the eye of Ra, the symbol of the Sun. Along the edges are the mustachioed assistants of the supreme deity. The lower part is night (cats kill the snake Apophis, symbolizing darkness and gloom), the upper part is morning (the ibis in the center is a sacred bird, a symbol of rebirth, renewal and wisdom).

Having settled all over the world and having won the love of the most respectable persons, for the masses the cat still remained only a useful animal, protecting barns from rodents. In the Middle Ages, in the era of religious cults, the Inquisition and the struggle against the diabolical chaos impending on the world, the cat turned out to be objectionable to mankind. Picture of a cat in art XVII century - an insignificant detail, modest background element"in the backyard".

Read also: Ailurophobia - fear of cats

Exhibits of the Louvre

Louis Le Nain A happy family”, exhibited in the Louvre, written in 1642. It reflects the mood of the people of that time: the cat is recognized as part of the family, enters the house, but keeps aloof.


IN late XVII And early XVIII For centuries, paintings with cats that skillfully complement the main plot are becoming increasingly popular: rural scenes, illustrations, playful cats in the company of children, affectionate pets of gentle ladies. IN mid-eighteenth century animalism as independent genre begins the conquest of Europe. At the beginning of the journey, it was a second-rate genre, existing more for entertainment than for profit. However, from this moment on, there is no doubt that cats will take their place in the world of painting. In the 19th century, a cat porter was no longer an oddity or a whim of the rich - a mustachioed pet fit perfectly into the life of a person, turning from a rat catcher into a dearly beloved family member. The nineteenth century gave the world Lewis Wayne, Frank Paton, Emile Brunier and other talented painters.

Barber's work

Charles Burton Barber (1845-1894) - honorary member art institute Great Britain. His works adorned the palace of Queen Victoria. Realistic, meaningful paintings were in incredible demand during the life of the author. The image of the mustachioed in art, offered by Barber, absolutely corresponds to the true appearance of these animals. Perhaps this is the secret of the success of the paintings. British artist.

A young girl and a young harlequin cat. Both beauties are full of still timid grace, in the poses the grace inherent in female gender. sacred meaning- submit or die. Looking down from above, a tiny kitten personifies the union of a man and a mustachioed pet: a cat loyal to a man allowed himself to be tamed, but remained undefeated. A much stronger predator died, refusing to compromise, and its skin, thrown at the feet of a man, now adorns the living room floor.

Works from Holland

Henriette Ronner-Khip (1821-1909) is a hereditary artist from Holland. She became interested in painting cats in the 1870s, just at the time when a mustachioed fidget settled in her house. Received orders from the kings of Belgium, Prussia, Portugal.

The picture of a cat with kittens: warm colors and soft lines, very "home", soothing work.


Charles H. Van den Eycken II (1859-1923) is the most popular Belgian realist painter. One of the leading animal painters of the 19th century.

A classic Persian tortoiseshell color surrounded by books. Playful posture, warm positive energy. It symbolizes the curiosity of cats and their attitude to life - the craving for knowledge is commendable, but it is much more interesting to learn the world through play and fun.

Read also: Don't want to, don't know how, don't have time? Check out the grooming salon!

Modern Art

Artists of the 20th century never cease to love cats. Paintings depicting cats become as realistic as possible, the masters achieve an almost photographic similarity. Many artists decide to deviate from the usual clichés - works in which a cat is endowed with anthropomorphic features or made in the genre of abstraction, fantasy, caricatures are gaining popularity.

Stunning detailing and juicy shades catch the eye: honey eyes, shiny hairs, a flirtatious stroke of the nose, chic mustaches. Nature showed itself to be a real artist, painting Leonardo's cat coat, Geoffrey Tristram captured the splendor of the marble color with brushes and paints.


Mi Chunmao is a board member of the China Artists Union. His works are known not only at home, but all over the world. The canvases are exhibited in prestigious galleries, many works have replenished private collections. The work of a cat with kittens, created using the guohua technique - writing with ink on silk or paper, has existed for more than five centuries.


Looking at the work of Suellen Ross, it is hard to believe that the paintings were painted by hand without help. computer programs. Suellen paints in watercolor, using ink and colored pencils. Below is fantastic. beautiful cat whose emerald eyes are full of life.


Portrait of a cat by Herbert Susan. British self-taught artist paints paintings that repeat the plots of the works famous masters. The beautiful "lady" in a sky-colored dress in the original is Princess Elizabeth.

Artists of the 21st century

Artists who paint cats in the 21st century continue to experiment not only with genres, but also with techniques: prints, computer graphics etc. Anthropomorphism flourishes: many masters emphasize the similarity of pets and their owners, in fact, all people in general. At the peak of popularity, light, positive stories, full of fun or light sadness. There is a growing interest in oriental motifs.

Paintings by Debbie Cook radiate positive energy, Debbie's cats are affectionate, good-natured, curious and funny. Her motifs can be found all over the world on napkins, mugs, clothes, accessories, dishes. Works with pastel, watercolor, acrylic, pencils.

Moscow artist Alexei Dolotov draws different animals in his own, well recognizable style. Particularly popular are the pictures of the artist Xenopus (the nickname under which Alexey communicates with users on his blog). Romance, lightness, almost weightlessness, tenderness.





Contemporary art connoisseurs pay tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars at auctions for Picasso's cubic women, for Malevich's Suprematist compositions, for abstract painting Kandinsky. However, there are canvases in the art of painting, for which collectors are also ready to pay a considerable amount. These are paintings depicting cute cats that have become favorites of many people. This review contains the top 6 most expensive paintings with cats sold at global art market auctions.

Since ancient times, artists have often turned to the images of cats, cats and kittens, depicting them on their canvases. Whatever we are used to seeing in pictures: independent and graceful, soft and affectionate, narcissistic and treacherous, sweet and wild, stunningly realistic and human-like. And since cats from prehistoric times have always lived next to people, few of the artists bypassed them with their attention.

6th place: Jan Feith (1611-1661). "Still life with a hare, game and a cat" - $ 221,000

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219419590.jpg" alt=" "Playing kittens". (1898). Oil on canvas. 91 x 73 cm. Author: Henriette Ronner-Knip." title=""Playing Kittens" (1898). Canvas, oil. 91 x 73 cm.

Dutch animal artist Henriette Ronner-Knip began painting at the age of 5, and by the age of 6 she became a diligent student of her father. And very soon she had to become his indispensable assistant, since her father began to go blind very quickly and could not prescribe small parts. And from the age of 16, she already took care of their daily bread big family on one's own.

At the beginning creative career Henrietta painted mostly landscapes and still lifes. But then animals began to appear on her canvases. She gave preference to dogs, and when a cat appeared in the artist's house, she enthusiastically began to draw her and cute fluffies. And these paintings brought a very good income. Henrietta had solid customers among the royal families of Portugal and Belgium.

Her painting of a mother cat and frolicking kittens was sold at an art auction in 2006 for $429,000 to an unknown buyer.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0kotiki-0041.jpg" alt=""Meow".

Representatives of the modern Chinese art undoubtedly today occupy a significant place in world culture. So, the artist Liu Ye from Beijing draws animated pictures with slightly strange plots. Some of his works are reminiscent of illustrations for children's books, while others are made in the style of abstract art. All the artist's work is focused on the emotions of the master himself, on the inner perception of the world around him.

One of his most expensive creations was the painting - "Meow", depicting a girl with a kitten. The plot of this work is very strange, but this did not stop it from being sold at an art auction for 601,000 dollars.

3rd place. Andy Warhol (1928-1987). "Cats and Dogs (Broadway)" - $701,000

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0kotiki-0047.jpg" alt=""My wife's lovers". (1891-1893). Author: Karl Kahler." title=""Lovers of my wife." (1891-1893).

A huge canvas with 42 cats depicted on it belongs to the brush Austrian artist Carl Kahler. In 1891, Kate Birdsall Johnson, a wealthy cat lover, wanted to immortalize her pets on a huge canvas. More than 300 cats lived in her mansion in California, but only forty-two of them were honored to remain in history. The artist spent 3 years writing this canvas.

In 2015, a painting weighing 100 kilograms and very impressive in size: 2.6 meters long and 1.8 meters high was sold for 826 thousand dollars to a buyer who wished to remain anonymous.

The initial price of the lot was $500,000. It is interesting that the organizers of the auction could not attach this canvas to the wall due to its heavy weight. They had to build a special structure for this exhibit.

1st place. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). "Dora Maar with a cat" - $ 95,200,000

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0kotiki-0051.jpg" alt=" "The Cat and the Lobster". (1965).

This is such a huge amount of money art lovers are willing to pay for paintings with cats. And looking into the history of painting, we can make sure that these lovely creatures have captivated a huge number of masters, from antiquity to the present day.

Amazing canvases by the Dutch animal artist Henriette Ronner-Kniep depicting touching fluffies, on which she spent 30 years of her life in

Don't forget to tell your friends


Louis Wain (1860-1939) famous English artist. He is famous for drawing cats. At some point, his wife becomes very ill and he is forced to spend all the time at the bedside of his sick wife. To entertain her, he draws his domestic cat in different funny poses and situations. The more severe became schizophrenia and the alienation of the artist from real world, the more the images of cats in his paintings resemble fractals. And before the transition to fractals, cats from charming all for the most part become angry and disheveled.


Vidio, which clearly shows how the myrlyks are shown.
There are so many funny details in the drawings of the British artist Louis Wayne that even just commenting on them, you can write a story. For example, "The game of cricket." I counted 36 characters there: athletes in full gear, with cricket bats, spectators in trees or at tables. The artist captured an unforeseen moment of the game: the ball landed on one of the tables, breaking a plate of sandwiches, overturning a sugar bowl and a teapot on the ground. What a nuisance! The closer to the epicenter, the stronger emotions characters. Curiosity, confusion, fear, indignation are written on their ... mustachioed muzzles. The whole honest company, with the exception of a dog that is not clear whose leash is torn from the leash, consists of cats.

"Golf Game"
Wayne's other drawings also feature cats: sea bathers, waltzers, golfer cats, jockey cats, football hooligans, musicians. As a rule, they are representatives of the wealthy class, which allows them to dress up in the latest fashion, indulge in secular entertainment, enjoy opera arias smoking cigars, drinking whiskey.
Wayne's early works are pleasant to consider, but the later ones (by the way, they are valued much higher) evoke conflicting feelings. Still admiring the skill of the artist, you suddenly notice that the cat's faces have become angry. It was these late drawings that caught the eye at the 30th Annual Cat Art Show at the Chris Beatles Gallery in the fall. They came to a London gallery owner who specializes in the work of Louis Wayne after the wealthy Dublin psychiatrist who owned them died.
There is nothing surprising in the fact that psychiatrists are interested in Wayne's work. For physicians, Wayne's cats have scientific value. They show how schizophrenia changes the artist's personality.
The first child with a cleft lip, Louis was born to a textile merchant in 1860. Parents sent the boy to school late, instead of classes, he preferred to roam the streets of London. Classmates teased him. In his youth, to hide his flaw, Louis grew a mustache, and soon a woman was found who appreciated his external and internal attractiveness. Emily was the governess of Louis' sisters and was 10 years older than her lover. The young married in 1884, although the young man's family did not approve of his choice. By that time, his father was no longer alive, and Louis had to take responsibility not only for his wife, but for his mother and five sisters. He began to earn money by drawing scenes from rural life for magazines.
Then Emily was diagnosed with breast cancer. To entertain his sick wife, Louis drew their black-and-white cat Peter: Peter either wore glasses, or, like a man, read a book. These "stupid" sketches became the beginning of the famous cat epic. Dying Emily managed to rejoice for her husband. Success quickly came to him: the very first pictures of cats having fun at the ball, published in the Christmas issue of The Illustrated London News, were liked by both adults and children. Edwardian society was delighted.
In the 1890s Wayne produced nearly 600 drawings a year. They were published in newspapers, magazines, children's publications, on postcards. His first cats were still similar to representatives of the animal world, but very soon he made them walk on their hind legs, grimacing and gesticulating in a human way. The artist used for drawings sketches made during observations of people, it was difficult to find a field of activity or a situation in which he would not involve his anthropomorphic purrs.
Fashion for cats has swept the country. Never before have they been so loved by the English. Moreover, Wayne not only sang of these animals, he became their patron and was twice elected chairman of the National Cat Fanciers Club. His "Winking Cat" and three-pussy crest are still the club's emblems.
Material success, a pleasant consequence of popularity, gave Wayne the opportunity to provide for his relatives (the widowed artist lived under the same roof with his mother and sisters). But the first World War canceled the European fashion for pussies. The Americans showed interest, so he sent a large batch of ceramic "Cubist" cats to the USA. The idea went down the drain literally: the ship with the cargo was sunk by the Germans.
Money was becoming less and less, because Wayne did not take care of savings. He used to give his works or sell them for next to nothing, not thinking about copyrights. Meanwhile, the sisters, none of whom ever married, needed support. The gentle brother was worried about them and at the same time suspected that they were stealing from him. There is a line beyond which strange ideas turn into dangerous delusions. Louis finally crossed it in 1924, attacking one of the sisters.
Those who today see in Wayne only a "crazy cat person" call possible cause his insanity is trichinosis, which can be carried by cats. And experts who do not exclude the connection between trichinosis and schizophrenia help this version. Many are tempted to give the artist's tragedy a dramatic, almost theatrical finish. They also write that his mind was damaged due to the fact that Louis hit his head hard after falling out of the bus. Allegedly, the driver turned the steering wheel sharply, trying not to crush the cat on the road. Wayne suffered because of the creatures he had adored all his life.
In a detailed version of the biography, it is reported that the artist was strange even in his youth (he was known as an eccentric) and that there was a predisposition to mental disorders in the Wayne family (one of the artist's sisters went crazy at a young age). Luis was also locked up in crazy house. He would have died in that terrible bedlam for the have-nots, if not for fate in the guise of a talkative visitor: “You draw in the manner of Wayne!” - “I am Wayne...” Everyone who loved his work, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the royal family, joined the campaign to save the artist.
Herbert Wells, urging to collect money for Wayne, emphasized that three generations of English people grew up in the artist's drawings. It was difficult to find a nursery in the country where his reproductions would not hang on the walls. “He invented his own kind of cats, which had their own style, society, the whole cat world,” the writer said. “After Wayne, all English cats feel ashamed that they don’t look like his characters.”
The artist was transferred to a comfortable hospital, where he had separate room. He lived there until his death in 1939. A short film from the 1930s has survived, where a decently dressed gentleman strokes a cat, then draws a round muzzle on a large sheet of paper, resembling Cheshire cat from Alice.















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