Cats have appeared in art for thousands of years, but you don’t see many animals with the same meaning as the black cat. It can either stand for good luck or danger, depending on where and when you look. But it can also just be purely about style.
Either way, with Halloween around the corner, we’ve taken a look at how some famous artists have used it.
Lucky or unlucky? It depends where you are
Cats were sacred back in ancient Egypt. Linked straight to Bastet, the goddess who protected the home. They took a bit of a darker turn by the Middle Ages, however, since black cats in Europe had the reputation of being witches’ familiars (which are animal helpers with supernatural powers). Hence why they’re such a Halloween favourite.
But here in Britain and in Ireland, a black cat crossing your path was traditionally good fortune. Prosperity, if you were in Scotland. You’d even see sailors keeping them on board for luck.
Goya’s witches
Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos, however, depicted cats a lot differently. It was a series of 80 prints from 1799. In Allá vá eso (There it goes), there’s a witch riding a winged devil, accompanied by none other than a black cat.
Now, Goya didn’t believe in witches himself, so his use of them was to satirise the superstition.
Here, the cat is a part of that dark, supernatural world. Far from good fortune.
Allá vá eso, 1799 by Francisco Goya
Manet's Olympia
Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863) actually caused a scandal when first shown at the 1865 Paris Salon. Manet drew on Titian’s Venus of Urbino, but swapped Titian’s little dog (which was a symbol of loyalty) with a black cat with an arched back and its tail up.
Black cats were linked with the night and promiscuity during this period, so this one’s pose left the viewers disturbed and unsure what to make of the scene.
Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet
Le Chat Noir
But it wasn’t long before black cats became fashionable in Paris, as just 36 years later, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen painted Le Chat Noir. He designed it as a poster to advertise a cabaret’s touring show. It’s since appeared on everything from postcards to merchandise.
Tournée du Chat Noir (1896) by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen
Black cats in modern art prints
Even today, artists are still musing black cats. Oxford-based Lizzie Wheeler shows one in Ember, a limited-edition collagraph (a print made from a plate built up with textured materials).
We can see the black cat as less of an omen and more of a subject in its own right here.
This Halloween, find black cats and other symbolism in the art prints at Hancock Gallery, including more of Lizzie Wheeler’s work.
