The Kittens’ Recital 1908

Carl Reichert painted this charming oil on canvas of kittens at a piano sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, and it's just so adorable! Looking at the rendering, you can see the artist built up the forms with layers of thin glazes, especially on the piano and the furry bodies of the kittens. It's not about thick, gestural strokes here, it's about smooth surfaces and capturing details, like the way the light catches on the edge of the sheet music. The whole painting shimmers with a kind of gentle, muted light. The little kitten with the red ribbon pawing at the keys is my favourite part. It’s funny and a little bit absurd, but it’s also about process, about the way that we learn through experimentation, and make a mess in the process. There is something utterly wonderful in the tension between realism and humor! It reminds me a bit of the work of someone like John Haberle, but with a warmer, more sentimental touch. It's the kind of painting that makes you smile, and maybe even think about the way we make art, and the way we see the world.