Cats, Study IV
Artist: Louis Wain · Undated
Cats, Study IV: high-resolution image, free to copy
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Open high-resolution image on Wikimedia CommonsLouis Wain. Wikimedia Commons.
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The complete story
The story About 1 minutes to read
A dense symmetrical pattern surrounds a cat's head, with the face almost hidden inside the design.
The composition is built around a central vertical axis. Small curls and leaf-like shapes repeat on both sides, and the cat's features sit inside the symmetry rather than above it.
The study belongs with Wain's other pattern cats. It shows his willingness to let decoration take over the space around a familiar subject.
The result can be read as a playful design exercise. It does not need a biographical explanation to work as an image.
The story and its sources
Historical claims are linked to the records below. Close looking and interpretation are identified in the passage notes.
- Passage 1Article text
- Passage 2Article textWikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzen4.jpg
- Passage 3Article textWikipedia: Louis Wain
- Passage 4Article textWikipedia: Louis Wain
Artist portrait Image credit
Unknown photographer. Image source · Public domain
About the artist
Louis Wain
5 August 1860 to 4 July 1939
Wain was a British illustrator and painter best known for his anthropomorphic cats. Born in Clerkenwell, London, he trained at the West London School of Art and taught at Camberwell before building a career in illustrated papers, children's books and postcards. His cats move through theatres, clubs, shops and family celebrations, and his later patterned images have become some of his most discussed work.
- Born
- 5 August 1860
- Died
- 4 July 1939
- Nationality
- British
- Birthplace
- Clerkenwell, London, England
- Died in
- St Albans, Hertfordshire, England
Biography sources
The research & record
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The artwork record
Research catalogue
Catalogue information and detailed research, with references that link to the bibliography.
Identity and catalogue
Link- Title
- Cats, Study IV
- Artist / attribution
- Louis Wain
- Date
- Undated
- Medium and support
- Watercolour and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Not recorded in the source
- Culture / place
- British
- Period
- Victorian and Edwardian illustration
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Subject and iconography
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Visual observation
The composition is built around a central vertical axis. Small curls and leaf-like shapes repeat on both sides, and the cat's features sit inside the symmetry rather than above it.(Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzen4.jpg, n.d.)
Historical context
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The source file is titled Katzen4 and does not record a date or medium. The display title is descriptive.
Wain's cat world
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The study belongs with Wain's other pattern cats. It shows his willingness to let decoration take over the space around a familiar subject.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Reading the image
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The result can be read as a playful design exercise. It does not need a biographical explanation to work as an image.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Details to carry with you
- The source file is titled Katzen4
- The source does not record a date
- Watercolour and ink on paper
- A symmetrical pattern surrounds the head
Bibliography
Sources and further reading
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Source notes updated .
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- 01
Image-record
Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzen4.jpg (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons.
Citation text
- 02
Secondary
Wikipedia: Louis Wain (n.d.). Wikipedia.
Citation text
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