He is like a Schrödinger’s cat who is simultaneously both alive and dead. He looks surprised by this imaginary world. The cat in stuck between the world of abstraction and representation. At the same time, he is being watched by the eye of God in the upper half of the painting. His head appears too big for his torso and he is attentively looking out at us. The cat has to navigate through the human world.
Still, we can recognize windows, buildings, and a church. The geometrical shapes of the colorful zoo represent the artificial world, which fluctuates towards abstraction. Klee used animal images to express his vision of nature’s extremes. He even had his cats Fritzi and Bimbo make paw prints and cold-wet nose-kisses. Paul Klee (1879–1940), a Swiss-born artist, depicted his favorite animals in over 50 works. At the same time, he condemns cowards who need to arm themselves to become more courageous.Ĭats in famous paintings: Paul Klee, Zoological Garden, 1918, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland. Here Bruegel warns us against taking risky and vain actions. Therefore, such an undertaking makes no sense. It can no longer catch mice, thus bringing loss and misfortune to its owners. Once fitted with a bell, the cat will announce its presence. He wants to acquire courage but has overdone his armor because the cat seems rather placid.Ĭats in famous paintings: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany. Meanwhile, another man attempts to bell a cat without being scratched. For example, a villager who is banging his head against the brick wall is trying to achieve the impossible. 1525/1530–1569), a master of Northern Renaissance, managed to pack more than 120 proverbs and popular sayings in his “catalog of human folly.” Even today we can still guess the meanings of some sayings. Proverbial Cat – Pieter Bruegel the ElderĬats in famous paintings: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany. Still, Da Messina shows the alliance between intellectuals and cats, which becomes more significant from the beginnings of the Renaissance onward.ģ. As a result, over time the cat has become less pronounced. He added it at a later time, using less saturated colors. Initially, the painter had not planned to include the cat in this painting. Enjoying the shafts of sunlight, it might be asleep or possibly lost in contemplation. The cat is sitting at the far left-hand side of the platform. Jerome in His Study, 1475, National Gallery, London, UK. Cats in famous paintings: Antonello da Messina, St.
0 kommentar(er)
