Family of Cats 2003

Aldemir Martins made this painting of a 'Family of Cats' with bright colours and clear lines sometime in the 20th century. I imagine Martins starting with a vague idea, maybe a sketch, then diving in, letting the colours and shapes emerge. He’s laying down these solid blocks of colour, but with a twist. It’s not just about representation; it’s about feeling, about capturing the essence of cat-ness. The red cat standing tall, the blue one hunched in the middle, the yellow cat, relaxed and reclining – each a study in personality. I wonder, was it a painting of the actual cats he knew, or was he just using cats to think about colour, shapes, or maybe even family dynamics? Painters are always riffing off each other, knowingly or not, and here, I see a link to Matisse, that same joy in colour and simplification. It’s as if Martins is saying, "Here’s my version, my love letter to the world, painted one cat at a time." And really, isn’t that what art is all about, a never-ending conversation across time?