Katsonarock (Portrait of V.X.) 1941

Hedda Sterne conjured this curious portrait of V.X., a cat, with what looks like ink or diluted paint, rendered in delicate washes of warm browns and tans. I imagine her, leaning in close, letting the image emerge stroke by stroke, guided by intuition and chance. The composition is odd, isn't it? The cat seems split in two – a long, upright body with a watchful eye perched above a detached head, floating in the lower half of the painting. It’s as if Sterne is exploring different facets of her subject simultaneously. That dividing line has the appearance of torn paper! The thinness of the paint allows the white of the support to breathe through, creating a sense of lightness. Look at the wispy lines around the cat's head – they’re so delicate, like a whisper. It reminds me of the Surrealist practice of automatic drawing, where the artist relinquishes control and allows the subconscious to guide the hand. Sterne, who was briefly associated with the Surrealists, would have known all about this. It makes you wonder, what other artists was Sterne looking at, and what conversations were they having about the possibilities of representation?