Cats in Art: Girl With a Cat (2 variations, by Perronneau)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from 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).

The bride and I just returned from a wonderful vacation in France where we were privileged to see both the Louvre and Orsay Museums.  Of the two, the Orsay was much better--less crowded, could get closer to the paintings, more cats. 

I ran this original post back in 2012, and in recognition of our trip to the Louvre this fall have chosen to trot it back out.  This pair of paintings is pretty cool.  That said, our time at the Louvre was rather limited and so I did not physically lay eyes on this painting.  I guess I'll just have to go back there.

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Today's post is somewhat different.  When I went to the net to snag an image of Perronneau's Girl With a Cat, I found another version, and will reproduce both here.  I've encountered this several times previously, where apparently an artist will do multiple versions of a painting.  Or we have an original, then perhaps a student paints a slightly different study.  Regardless, it's fascinating, and with these paintings in question having been done some 250+ years ago, the truth of the matter will likely never be known.

So, first the Zuffi version called Young Girl With a Cat, held by the Louvre (although Zuffi omits the initial word "young"):

Image credit Wikimedia.org, Young Girl With a Cat, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, 1757, pastel on parchment, 18" x 15", held by Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.

And the kitty close-up:

 Zuffi's comment:

In this adorable girl, and in the little gray cat that peeps out from a corner of the picture, Perronneau's gifts for intimacy and precise definition, along with the notable sense of color that characterize his work...are clearly visible.

And the second version:

Image credit National Museum, A Girl With a Kitten, attributed to Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, 1745?, pastel on paper, 23" x 20", held by The National Gallery, London, England.


My comment: Same girl, same clothes, different poses, and most importantly, different cat.  Whichever work came first, and whether both were by Perronneau, the first cat must have misbehaved and needed to be replaced by a better cat.

I think the second image must have been the first one painted, because that cat just looks bad.  The cat in the first image actually looks like it is enjoying being held by the girl.

Pets in Art: Gay Paree

I suppose I must for one week call this post "Pets in Art" (I just can't bring myself to go so far as to call it "Dogs in Art").

The glued felt and paper masterpiece below was created by one of the heirs to the Gary and bride estate.  Well, actually she's a granddaughter, age 7, but that's all the info I feel comfortable sharing.

This little sweetheart created this piece just prior to our excursion to France in Nov 2017 where we were privileged to see some of the finest paintings on the planet at the Louvre and the Orsay Museums in Paris, and at Claude Monet's estate in Giverney, Normandy.

Even as a 7-year-old, she exhibits a good understanding of geography, countries, and their iconic claims to fame as evidenced by the piece below.

Image credit Jane Doe, Gay Paree, 2017, felt and paper on paper, 8" x 10", held by Gary, a relative of Mister Tristan.

Forget all the analytical comments: I LOVE this piece and will treasure it always.

Cats in Art: The Geese of the Capitol (Motte)

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).

The bride and I just returned from a wonderful vacation in France where we were privileged to see both the Louvre and Orsay Museums.  Of the two, the Orsay was much better--less crowded, could get closer to the paintings, more cats.

This is the second of a pair of posts on the art of Paul-Henri Motte.

Image credit Wikimedia Commons, The Geese of the Capitol, Henri-Paul Motte, 1889, medium, size, and ownership unspecified.

And the kitty close-up, very reminiscent of the lion in The Fiancee of Belus featured here a couple of weeks ago:

Wikimedia Commons tells us this:

While the Roman soldiers and watch dogs slept, Juno's sacred geese on the Capitol warned Rome of the Gallic attack in 390 BC.

And that terse statement is about all I could ascertain about this painting.  It is a fascinating work, true to Mott's inclination towards historical realism in his paintings.

The poor lion seems revulsed by the water spouting forth from its mouth.  Can't say that I blame him.

[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!]