Monday, February 20, 2017

The Cat Art of Susan Herbert

Susan Herbert (1945-2014) is an artist who specialized in cat art. However, unlike Louis Wain, who painted cats doing ordinary English things, Herbert inserted cats as substitutes for people in famous paintings, movies, and operas. 

Here she shows her sly humor in recasting Leonardo di Vinci's Mona Lisa. Doesn't she have an enigmatic smile?




Here's one taken after Vermeer's Woman with a Pearl:



Or, you might like this take on Edouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur L'herbe:



If you are shocked by the feline nudity in that one, try a kittenish Renoir:


This one is taken from Eighteenth Century portrait art. Madame Pompadour would be pleased:



Even Whistler's Cat's Mother was depicted:




Opera is a proper subject for cat art. Here's Canio from Pagliacci:


And there's the movies. Here's a German soldier, perhaps hoping it's quiet on the Western Front for a change.


A cat would make a wonderful Shakespearian King Henry V: 


Or a Cary Grant in a scene from North by Northwest:


Contrary to popular belief, cats can sing in the rain too. Or maybe that's meow in the rain:


Clint Eastwood as a tough cat in The Good Kitty, the Bad Kitty, and the Unpretty Cat:








10 comments:

Bilbo said...

Now, Angel, let's not be catty!

Cloudia said...

What a DELIGHT! [ now 4 something completely different...]

Birgit said...

I love it! She had quite the talent when you look at all the detail. This made me smile. The cat with no name is too funny

John A Hill said...

I'll share this post with my daughter. She is both an artist and a cat lover!

Stephen T. McCarthy said...

I particularly liked the one of 'North By Northwest', with the cat duster swooping down in background.

~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

Chuck the Grumpy Cat said...

Her paintings are an art apart. Excellent satire.

Banana Oil said...

Clever artistry, especially with the Clint Eastwood one.

Mike said...

Unpretty Cat? There are some cats out there that fit the original 'cat'egory.

Gorilla Bananas said...

Great stuff! A kitty dressed up as Jane Fonda in 'Cat Ballou' would be the cherry on the cake!

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer said...

Those were incredible!!!!!!