Liggende kat 1876 - 1951

This drawing of a resting cat was made by Theo Nieuwenhuis, but we don't know exactly when. I can feel the artist's hand moving over the paper to capture the cat's form. The palette is limited—browns, grays, whites. It's like the cat is emerging from the grayness. I wonder what Nieuwenhuis was thinking as he made this? Was he a cat person? The marks are so economical. The artist has perfectly captured the cat's serenity and the curve of its body, its fur. The texture looks smooth like velvet. I am reminded of other artists who love cats, like Pierre Bonnard and his many paintings of cats in domestic interiors. It's part of a long conversation that artists have with each other across time, inspiring each other to see the world anew. Because painting is embodied expression, the ambiguity and uncertainty in art allow for many meanings.