Cat in a Child Arm

Paula Modersohn-Becker was a German Expressionist painter of the late 19th and early 20th century, who focused on portraits of women and girls. She is considered one of the most important representatives of early Expressionism, producing more than 700 paintings and over 1,000 drawings during her active painting life. Between 1902 and 1905 she depicted chil­dren with animals numerous times. Today we present one of these paintings, where the artist captured a moment that could be gone in the blink of an eye, when the cat, held clumsily by a girl, appears almost to be sliding out of her grip. 

Three years before creating this painting, Modersohn-Becker left for the first of four trips to Paris, each of which would have an impact on her ambitions and artistic trajectory. Especially impressed by the luminous palette and expressive brushwork of the leading members of the French avant-garde, including Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh, she began to incorporate more color into her painting, distinguishing her as one of the first German artists to work in a style that would soon be known as Expressionism.

P.S. Are you a cat lover? Here are cats hidden in famous paintings. Check if you can spot the cat on them!

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