Every "Caturday," the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art facebook page highlights a cat in an archival object in their collections. The array of their examples is vast, showcasing how artists have found inspiration and solace in their feline companions over the course of the history of contemporary art. What do such examples of interactions between cats and their artists demonstrate about the relationships of these two peculiar types of animals? How do artists celebrate or immortalize their cats?
Fascinating topic. Perhaps some attention could be paid to the relations between cats and artists of other mediums aside from the visual arts. To quote Robertson Davies, “Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.” That said, I'd understand if this broadens the scope too far beyond the specific Caturday event. – ProtoCanon7 years ago
I love it! A topic I would never have thought of in a million years (excuse the hyperbole). There's really nothing I can add to ProtoCanon's comments, so a thumbs up from me. Plenty of scope for cat-puns too! – Amyus7 years ago
What a fascinating topic. It would be really interesting to look at the different cultural significance of cats throughout history as this will be reflected in art also. It is also perhaps interesting to consider that cats may not have been always portrayed in a positive light. Also might be worth looking at animal imagery and the meaning behind the choice of cats in a particular artwork. As Amyus said, I would never have thought of this as a topic - very interesting choice. – SaraiMW7 years ago
