Cat as Art

I have two cats, beautiful examples of the American Shorthair. I try to take time to watch them as they go through their day. I’ve come to understand why they are the subjects of many fine art paintings. When they don’t know you are watching, they proudly pose. I love when they are sleeping curled curvaceous, sometimes with paw over their eyes. Waking up they strike the most incredible visual of that “cat stretch”—their butts in the air, shoulders low and that enviable long body extension.

My illustrative talent not fully developed, I tend to use the camera as my medium of choice. Cats sometimes mysterious and playful, are oft-times difficult to photograph. Unless you are patient, quiet and quick with locating, turning on and focusing a camera, the best shots you’ll get are the cat moving quickly out of the shot or looking perturbed directly into the camera.

Midnight is a rich black cat who is hard to find (because she enjoys hiding in dark places). She is most extremely challenging to photograph. I can’t seem to ever catch the right moment in time. Because of this I have very few pictures of her.

When I think of the perfect image of my black cat in my head, the work of Théophile Alexandre Steinlen comes to mind. I visualize Steinlen’s poster La tournée du Chat Noir avec Rodolphe Salis, when she is sitting still and statuesquely. The poster’s cat is pictured chest high, curved yet angular, a bit reminiscent of the Maltese falcon. All that is visible on the face are bright yellow eyes staring out. A circle halos the cat’s head silhouetting whiskers at the nose and eyebrows, which explode outward. Now if I could only get that shot.

As you can see by the picture above, my gray cat, Neitzsche is a bit easier to capture on camera. She’s still not too pleased with me getting in her face.

(Tip of the hat to my friend Jennifer and her two cats. )