Saturday 14th December - A Cat Standing on Its Hind Legs

 Blimey, only 10 days left of Catvent! I'd best crack on, although to be honest I have a fairly quiet day planned.  I need to sort out my front garden after the storm, which gives you an idea of how rock and roll my lifestyle is...

Today's entry is one of the first I thought of when assembling the list of cats in art, but it is also one of the hardest to talk about because it is so unusual. Whilst Louis Wain did loads of images of cats, the one I think of (and gives me a certain amount of nightmares) has to be this one...

A Cat Standing on Its Hind Legs (c.1925) Louis Wain

The complete title of this trip is A Cat Standing on Its Hind Legs, Formed by Patterns Supposed to be in the 'Early Greek' Style, which is catchy. I remember seeing this in the exhibition at the Museum of the Mind in 2021 and it dazzles and puzzles in equal measure.  In comparison to some of his cuter output, it is hard to know where to start with this psychedelic feline.

Three Cats Performing a Song and Dance Act (c.1920s)

Okay, so even the cuter stuff is somewhat disturbing but there is nothing about these anthropomorphic moggies that hints they are connected to the Paisley explosion above. And A Cat Standing on Its Hind Legs wasn't the only one, as there was an entire series of what Wain called Kaleidoscope Cats...

Kaleidoscope Cat IV (1920s)

These are undoubtedly some of the most extreme cats you will see this Catvent, and since the exhibition and film in 2021, Louis Wain and his cats are now well known as more than just Victorian oddities. His work marks the progress of cats from working creatures to fancy pieces in a way that can be difficult to mark, as we have discussed before. His art moved the discussion of cats from 'hearth and home' to obsession, which I think can be seen reflected in pet ownership today. I heard on the news yesterday that we are spending a titanic amount on presents for our pets this Christmas, more than ever by a massive percentage. How you feel about that is beside the point (honestly, yes, people are starving and charities are on their knees, but it is people's own money and I bet the people spending big on Mr Fluffles are also donating to food banks) but it tells you that our pets are members of the family and we include them in a major way.

Still from The Electric World of Louis Wain (2021)

I don't think anyone is surprised that the biggest collection of Louis Wain pictures in public hands is owned by the Wellcome Collection, a museum that looks at the history of health.  Further to that, the exhibition was at the Museum of the Mind at St Bethlehem's hospital or 'Bedlam', where Wain spent some time. If you search for Wain on Google, the suggested additions to 'Louis Wain' include both 'cats' and 'schizophrenia' only one of which he had in his lifetime.   Wain has become a member of the 'mental health artists' club, with Van Gogh and Richard Dadd, where their art and lives are very much entangled and up for constant debate.  Now, you know me, I love a bit of biography in work, but problems arise when all we have to work with are outdated terms, the accounts of their peers and the biases of the modern art historian.  Given the information I can find, I would say that it was possible Wain was autistic, what with the utter absorption in cats and inability to deal with the pace of modern living, but obviously that term did not exist in the early 20th century and those writing about him, let alone diagnose him did not have that framework to apply so it is absolutely impossible to say.  He also sustained a head injury later in life, before he was committed, and his sister Marie spent a considerable amount of time in an asylum too. He was widowed within three years of marriage to his sister's nanny, and his constant and beloved companion during thie time was the couple's kitten Peter.  

I Am Happy Because Everyone Loves Me (1920s-30s)

Just reading a brief summary of Wain's life is exhausting as he had so much energy and talent but it was all hyperfocused on cats which made him unique and, to the modern eye, mentally ill. He was beset by familial deaths and dependence and all the time he is drawing cats in clothes.  He made a living and a legacy, not just for himself but for cats.  He became the president of the National Cat Club, elevating cats forever from being mousers to being objects of pride and competition.  Let's be honest, the Cat Standing on Its Hind Legs isn't off catching mice, it is art, presence and electric power. It is the 1960s psychodelia in the 1920s. 

My Beautiful Hairy Son...

There is a bit in the film of Wain's life where he says the lines in a tabby cat's fur are made by the lightening that struck their mother. I could draw the connection to genetic mental health conditions but I won't because I think Louis Wain, Van Gogh and all the other artists that ever had differences that made them and their lives different possibly deserve to also be appreciated simply as amazing artists. Hannah Gadsby's Nanette discusses mental health and art in far more eloquent ways than I can, so I'll just leave you with this - thanks to the work and passion of Louis Wain, Chairman Meow is treated like an absolute king in our household because he is beautiful, not because he is useful. I'm sure the Chairman would like to thank him especially because he is a happy cat because everyone loves him.

I'll see you tomorrow.