Why This Artist’s Cats Became Electric ⚡️

Описание: So, what do you think of Louis Wain's story? Do you see genius or madness in his final paintings?

Before you read the full history below, make sure to like, subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss powerful art stories like this! It truly means the world to me and helps the channel grow ❤️

The reason Louis Wain began to draw cats was not born of commercial ambition or artistic exploration; it was an act of profound love and a desperate attempt to bring light into a time of great darkness. His entire famous career began with his marriage to his sisters' governess, Emily Richardson. Their union was a happy one, but it was short-lived.

When Emily fell ill with cancer and became bedridden, their sole comfort became a stray kitten they named Peter. To entertain and cheer his wife, Louis would spend hours drawing Peter in amusing human-like poses: wearing glasses, pretending to read. It was Emily, delighted by these touching sketches, who convinced her husband to show them to the world. After her tragic death, a grief-stricken Wain fulfilled her wish, and that step would forever change his life and the history of art.

His very first major commission, "A Kittens' Christmas Party," published in 1886, caused a sensation. Soon, all of Victorian England was captivated by his anthropomorphic cats, who drank tea, played cricket, and subtly parodied human society. Wain became a superstar, the president of the National Cat Club, and the man who single-handedly transformed cats from utilitarian mousers into adored household pets. However, behind his public success lay private tragedy. Being completely impractical in financial matters and responsible for supporting his mother and five sisters, he constantly struggled with poverty. Gradually, his mental health began to deteriorate.

It was then that his art underwent a radical transformation. The cute and comprehensible cats began to disappear, giving way to entirely different, anxious creatures. Their figures became angular, their fur turned into vibrating patterns, and backgrounds exploded with fractal, psychedelic ornaments. Wain claimed to see the world as being permeated by "electricity," and his later works were a desperate attempt to capture this energy on paper. Eventually, he was declared insane and committed to a psychiatric hospital where, however, he never stopped drawing until his death in 1939.

Louis Wain, born in London in 1860 and burdened since youth with the responsibility of being his family's provider, left behind a unique legacy. He began drawing cats out of love for one person and ended by trying to depict the very structure of the universe as it was revealed to his altered consciousness. His story is not just the biography of an artist, but a powerful testament to how art can become a reflection of love, grief, and the mysterious depths of the human mind.

#arthistory #louiswain