Thursday 12th December - The Awakening Conscience

I can't believe we are half-way through Catvent already! Thank you everyone for your comments, messages and general smashing-ness.

I'm intense and so is my cat

I really wanted to include a proper Pre-Raphaelite cat in this Catvent, but my mind kept wandering to all of Millais's dog, which was no good.  Then I was suddenly reminded of the Perfect Pre-Raph Pussy! (apologies, that sounded so less weird in my head...)

The Awakening Conscience (1853) William Holman Hunt

How could I not include this painting? It is also a rarity amongst the paintings that I found for these posts, as the cat is being a right little sod.  I love the Chairman dearly but I'm under no illusions that he has a liking for catching little squeaky, chirpy things.  Actually, these days he prefers to sit on top of the hen house and look at the birds rather than commit carnage, as it is far too much effort. I also suspect that someone else left me the giant dead rat outside my door the other day, as he doesn't tend to kill things, instead he prefers to play with them which is worse in my opinion. Yikes.

Look at that little swine - you know his name is Monsieur Fluffles or some such nonsense, but he is known as Satan to his friends.  He has caught what appears to be a sparrow and is tormenting it.  The action is meant to mirror the fancy man and his feckless mistress above, but does it?  The sparrow clearly knows it is in massive amounts of danger and distress, but the girl rising from Lover Boy's knee looks hopeful and filled with salvation.  Of course, that is not the original face on our lass...

Someone had a glow-up...

It is one of Pre-Raphaelitism's greatest mysteries - what did the original face on The Awakening Conscience look like? I will merrily admit that The Awakening Conscience is one of the paintings that got me hooked on the Pre-Raphaelites as it is such a rich narrative not only within the picture but about the picture.  We all know now that the shining face of one of the Waugh sisters (I want to say Fanny) is not the original face nor expression that our lass is meant to have.  Like the sparrow, she is meant to be rising in horror at being trapped. It also struck me that if the bird is not a pet bird (I can't see any hint of a bird cage in the room) then, like the girl, it is just a common bird that strayed somewhere it didn't belong and is now in danger.

On that note, both cat and man are in the same position, with their right arm extended, catching their prey, while looking up.  I knew that the cat and bird mirrored the man and woman in meaning but looking again, their pose is identical, his arm preventing her from escaping through the open window.  The painting is meant to be displayed with The Light of the World so that the girl is rising and reacting to Jesus knocking on the door, but without that context, the girl and bird are both looking towards the window in hopes of escape, but neither have a good chance. First of all, she's in her underwear, which might hamper any flight from her sin-shack in St John's Wood.  Secondly, little Satan under the table has no intention of letting his bit of fun escape any time soon and the bird will not be leaving alive. No wonder the girl originally looked horrified.

From Pre-Raphaelite Cats (2014) Susan Herbert

There is a note of hope - Chairman Meow can be a little hapless with his rat-presents which are brought to me alive (so that we might play with it together, oh joy) and they invariably escape (with much screaming from me, I must admit) so maybe Satan will get cocky and the bird will get a chance to escape.  Likewise, maybe our feckless heroine will just take off in her undergarments through the open window and get away, although I am struggling to know what she would end up doing for the better.  Maybe it's best she sits back down and enjoys her St John's Wood Sin Palace (sorry Jesus) and starts saving her money so that she can affect a proper escape. Actually, I'm sure Jesus would understand as he was a decent chap.  Good luck to you, Love.

I'll catch up with you all tomorrow...