"Elijah The Cat"

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on April 24, 2015 at 1:04pm

Curator’s Comments: 

 

Elijah the Cat is a wonderful image, capturing the pigment saturation and delicacy of wash possible in the watercolor medium.  The slight aerial vantage point of the viewer hovering over the figures and robustly patterned carpet sets up an interesting voyeurism.  The subject actually first reminded me of Philip Pearlstein’s models with still life, similarly positioned on intricately patterned Persian rugs.  But rather than presenting a formal, academic relationship in the scene, the interaction we witness is considerably more intimate and personal. The human figure’s posture next to her pet is one of protection, as the cat is positioned eating in the center open space of the room, and subsequently the resulting picture. The warm coloration of the animal’s coat against the wood floors nicely highlights the amber light moving across the image.  The strong diagonal movement in the piece also beautifully balances the dark shadows; a rich interplay between solidity of form and natural light.