Saturday, August 05, 2006

Balthus, King of Cats

"Nude with Cat" 1949, copyright Balthus
A year or two ago, the Portland Art Museum sponsored a show of paintings from the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. I was fortunate enough to get to see this painting by Balthus that I would never have seen otherwise. It certainly is one of my very favorites: the composition of angles, the spontaneity, the look on the girl's face, the unselfconscious pose, the delighted cat, the lighting and the solidity of the forms. It has it all.
Read the museum's description of Balthus and his art:
I did a tribute to Balthus maybe 5 or 6 years ago in a painting called
He's been an artistic inspiration for a long time now. A true original.

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