Cats in Art: Prelude to a Concert (Gerard)

 From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.  You really should check out and/or own both of these wonderful works, easily available on Amazon or eBay (and I have no financial interest).

This is second of several posts on the art of Marguerite Gerard.

Image credit National Museum of Women in the Arts, Prelude to a Concert, Marguerite Gerard, ca 1810, oil on canvas, 22" x 18", held by National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC.

And the kitty close-up.  Look very closely at this dark image to see the dark calico kitty on the table beside the sheet music:

Tool bad that Gerard did not throw a little of the light that illuminates the lady's bosom over onto the cat!  And as for the cat, making out her features is next to impossible, but I can detect that the cat's ears are pricked up and the eyes seem focused and intent, likely on the dog over there at the bottom left.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts website tells us about this painting:

Here, the female singer is clad in a sumptuous white satin gown, attire often seen on Gérard’s female subjects. She pauses to gaze up at her male accompanist, perhaps in response to a romantic overture. The tension of an erotic narrative is further supported by the guitar, often compared to the female body; the dog, a traditional emblem of fidelity; and the cat, a symbol of sexual promiscuity.

Really?  Cats are a symbol of sexual promiscuity?  That's news to me, but maybe my affection for cats explains why I am such a deviate.

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]