The Cat and the Birds 1912

Arthur Rackham made this drawing called, "The Cat and the Birds," in 1912, using ink on paper. The marks have a kind of wiry energy, look at the way he renders the cat's fur with these tight, almost nervous lines. I like the humour. The cat, dressed to the nines in a suit and hat, is ringing the doorbell - which is a little bird! There's a real darkness to it as well. The texture is created by the layering of lines, which gives the drawing a sense of depth and shadow. The blank page becomes a space full of dread and anticipation. Rackham reminds me a little of Edward Gorey, with his macabre sensibility. Both artists play with the idea of appearances, and the dark underbelly of polite society. They knew that a drawing, even one that looks simple, can hold a lot of complex ideas, inviting us to interpret, to laugh, and maybe, to shudder a little.