Arty Cats

by Vicky Cox, David Baird

With amusing artwork and witty text, Arty Cats told the story of how cats have shaped the course of art over the centuries. An angst-ridden cat, plagued by a mouse, was the original model for Edvard Munch's The Scream. Stroking a sleeping tabby on Mona Lisa's lap made her smile for Leonardo da Vinci. And a sleeping gang of alley cats terrorized Edward Hopper's lonesome late-night diners.

Now, these images and others from the book can be enjoyed in postcards. Fifteen portraits of fabulous felines who inspired the world's greatest works of art can make all of your correspondence clever.

Yorkshire-born artist Vicky Cox has had her work exhibited in the United States, Britain, Poland and Sweden. She lives in London.

Genres: Art, Humor

95 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 1999

Reviews

[Karen Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun. The author sets the record straight about the origins of some of the world's most iconic paintings. Unsurprisingly, most began as paintings of cats, the world's most beautiful, intelligent and mysterious creatures. Alas, most people refuse to believe that humans are not the most intelligent species on earth. A refusal to acknowledge this has led to the terrible state the world is in now.

[Joanne Pascoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun diversion. Think "Fractured Fairy Tales" -- what if well-known works of art were inspired by cats? One page spreads -- picture and story, so it's easy to pick up and read at random. Quite a few made me smile and/or laugh.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book with famous paintings reworked with a cat theme to them and text to go with each piece that 'explains' each piece as if it were a long lost original. Some of the artists I had not heard of, some of the artwork was unfamiliar to me, and some of the text was way too far fetched, even though the book was very tongue in cheek. I did enjoy it, however, and had a few favourites like the Holbein image.

[Artlab]

Animals

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun.