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Cat Art Across CulturesArtists have created cat art, or at least artistic pieces that include or feature cats, in Asia, Europe and the USA, over the centuries. Throughout history, people have responded to cats in various ways...sometimes idolised, sometimes detested.Asian cat art Oriental artists have regarded the domestic cat
highly for centuries.
The concept of cat breeds is a Western phenomenon, starting in Britain
in the 1800s. Asian artists, however, were influenced by the cats that
surrounded them. Japanese artists often portrayed bobtail cats, and
tortoiseshell and white cats, which was a common coat pattern there.The Magic cats of China depicted to the left are magical spirit-cats who stop the rats from eating the precious silk-worms by Mary Evans. Japanese artist - Utagawa Kuniyoshi |
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Cats started to appear in
European art in the 18th century, despite the
Christian Church's disapproval and stigmatization of them. European
masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Pierre-Auguste Renoir featured
cats in some of their works.
