Woman with a black and red cat

by Lina van Oers

Three pairs of eyes look straight at you in this striking portrait. A woman is holding two cats close to her: a large black cat and a smaller reddish-brown cat. The combination of their different colours immediately gives the composition a strong impact, particularly against the warm coral-pink background.

The painting has a simple, graphic quality. The shapes are clear, the colours are applied in relatively flat areas, and black lines lend the portrait extra character. Yet there remains enough visible brushwork to retain the feel of a genuine painting.

The black cat immediately catches the eye due to its size and bright yellow eyes. Beneath it, the smaller cat with its ochre-yellow coat provides a warm contrast. Together with the pink clothing, gold earring and dark hair, this creates a colour palette that feels playful and modern.

This is typically the sort of artwork that immediately reveals something about the homeowner. For cat lovers in particular, it’s a lovely way to hang animal art on the wall without opting for a realistic photograph of a cat.

The inclusion of the human figure also gives the piece more of a modern figurative art feel than that of traditional animal art. As a result, it fits just as well in a colourful, eclectic interior as it does amongst other portraits on a gallery wall.