English artist Susan Herbert has made a long series of cat paintings of famous works of art. Now Edgar Degas' ballet lesson from the year 1871 has been replaced by cats in place of the ballerinas and their teacher. The painting follows Degas' painting quite closely. The reflection of light from the right edge is present in both versions. The poses and expressions of the cats practicing ballet are also similar. The difference is perhaps that the dancer with her back to the front has a large, thick, furry tail visible from under her dress. Similarly, a cat's tail hangs from under the teacher's coat.
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toukokuuta 26, 2025
Kissakortti: 623 / Cat Card: 623
English artist Susan Herbert has made a long series of cat paintings of famous works of art. Now Edgar Degas' ballet lesson from the year 1871 has been replaced by cats in place of the ballerinas and their teacher. The painting follows Degas' painting quite closely. The reflection of light from the right edge is present in both versions. The poses and expressions of the cats practicing ballet are also similar. The difference is perhaps that the dancer with her back to the front has a large, thick, furry tail visible from under her dress. Similarly, a cat's tail hangs from under the teacher's coat.
helmikuuta 13, 2023
Kissakortti: 504 / Cat Card: 504
Susan Herbertin (1945-2014) versioissa kuuluisista maalauksista on vuorossa Renoirin Sateenvarjot. Värit ovat melkein samat, sateen sinertävät. Renoirin maalauksen naisten pyöreät kasvot sopivat hyvin kissoiksikin. Pieni kissatyttö vanteensa kanssa oikeassa alakulmassa on tosi hellyttävä.
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In this series of Susan Herbert's (1945-2014) versions of famous paintings is here now Renoir's Umbrellas. The colours are almost identical, rainy bluish. The round faces of the women in Renoir's painting fit fine as cat faces. The small cat girl with her hoop in the lower right corner is especially cute.
tammikuuta 01, 2023
Kissakortti: 498 / Cat Card: 498
Susan Herbertin (1945-2014) kissaversioita tunnetuista taideteoksista minulla on laatikollinen. Tässä niistä tulkinta William Blaken kohopainosyövytyksestä The Ancient of Days / tunnettu myös nimellä Ennustus, kirjankansi vuodelta 1794. Aika dramaattisessa kuvassa puhtaan valkoinen kissa mittaa harpillaan maailmankaikkeutta polvistumalla kuun pinnalla. Avaruustuuli puskee oikealta. Katse on kaikkivaltiaan tietäjän. Värit kissakuvassa ovat kylmemmät kuin Blaken aika keltaisessa työssä.Kissa on tyylikäs.
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I have a box full of Susan Herbert´s (1945-2014) cat versions of famous art works. Here is an interpretation of William Blake´s letterpress etching The Ancient of Days (also known as Prophecy), a book cover from 1794. In this rather dramatic picture a pure white cat is measuring the universe with his compass kneeling on the surface of the moon. The space wind is blowing from the right. The look is that of an omnipotent seer. The colours in this cat version are colder than in the quite yellow Blake one. The cat is stylish.
Happy New Year 2023!
lokakuuta 24, 2022
Kissakortti: 488 / Cat Card: 488
toukokuuta 16, 2022
Kissakortti: 465 / Cat Card: 465
Englantilainen Susan Herbert (1945-2014) on maalannut joukon kissakortteja kuuluisia teoksia mukaillen. Tässä on Claude Monetin impressionistinen Unikkopelto mallina. Äitikissa olkihatussaan ja auringonvarjoineen sininen mekko päällään pitelee hienostuneesti häntäänsä. Pikkukissallakin on olkihattu ja valkoinen paita ja se melkein hukkuu unikkoihin. Lainehtiva pelto ja kumpuilevat pilvet on hienosti maalattu. Mutta kuvan keskipiste on oikeastaan valkoinen talo pellon takana kuten alkuperäisessäkin Monetin maalauksessa.
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English Susan Herbert (1945-2014) has painted quite a few cat paintings after famous works of art. Here we have Claude Monet´s Impressionistic Poppy Field as a model. Mother cat with her straw hat and parasol wearing a blue dress is sophistically holding her tail. The baby cat has also a straw hat and white shirt, and he is almost lost in poppies. The undulating field and rising clouds are finely painted. But the center point of the picture is actually a white house behind the field as it is in the original Monet painting.
syyskuuta 27, 2021
Kissakortti: 432 / Cat Card: 432
Englantilainen Susan Herbert (s. 1945) on maalannut pitkän sarjan kissakuvia, joissa mallina on joku maailmantaiteen suurteos. Nyt kohteena on Rafaelin eli Raffaellon 1500-luvulla maalaama fresko "Galatean voittokulku". Alkuperäisen kuvan tyyli on mahtipontinen ja tässä kissakortissa se näkyy siinä, että kaikki kissat ovat hyvin vakavia nuolilla tähtäävistä kerubeista alkaen.Toisiinsa kietoutuvat kissat näyttävät hiukan vaivautuneilta. Vauhti ja liikkeet on kuvaan saatu mukaan.
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English Susan Herbert (b. 1945) has painted a long series of cat pictures where the role models have been masterpieces of world art. Now the target is Raphael´s mural "The Triumph of Galatea" from the 1500´s. The style of the original work is flamboyant, and in this cat card it means that all the cat look very serious beginning with the little cherubs pointing with their arrows. The hugging or interlaced cats seem a bit uncomfortable. The speed and movements are captured in the picture.
marraskuuta 02, 2020
Kissakortti: 385 / Cat Card: 385
helmikuuta 17, 2020
Kissakortti: 349 / Cat Card: 349
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Vincent van Gogh´s (1853-1890) self-portrait wearing a straw hat and artist's smock was painted in 1887, three years before his suicide in a mental hospital. The gaze in this portrait is desperate, stinging and anguished. the corners of the mouth are turned down. The big ear is red and the same colour is repeated on the hems of the smock. The background has been made airy with only a few hasty blue brush strokes. There is something stubborn and menacing in the picture. You can not say the same about Susan Herbert's interpretation of this painting. The cat has big bright blue and peaceful eyes, the ear is missing and the mouth is almost smiling. The background and straw hat are painted van Gogh style and that cat's beard is almost amusing. Susan Herbert has made quite lot of similar car variations of famous paintings, and there are better that this one.
elokuuta 12, 2019
Kissakortti: 322 / Cat Card: 322
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In Susan Herbert's series of Cats in Art it's now the turn for a version of Jan van Eyck's painting Man in a Turban, 1433. The red turban is quite a precise copy of the original picture. Likewise, both the man and the cat have a similar serious, suspicious and unyielding expression on their face. The eyes of the cat are glimmering bright blue, and the whiskers separate from the dark background. The yellow and white stripes on the face of the cat replicate finely the wrinkly face of the man .
lokakuuta 22, 2018
Kissakortti: 279 / Cat Card: 279
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English Susan Herbert (1945-2014) is known specifically for her cat paintings, in which the persons of world´s famous paintings are changed to cats. In this painting the yellow cat is replicating Johannes Vermeer´s art work "Woman with a Water Jug". The stained glass at which the woman is watching or perhaps opening has been left totally out of the card, even though the window surely might be in the Herbert´s painting. The expression of the cat is just as deep as on the woman. The one and only difference in the decoration of the room is the yellow tail of the cat visible on the card.
toukokuuta 07, 2018
KISSAKORTTI: 255 / CAt Card: 255
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Susan Herbert's cat card is one of her series of artistic cat imitations after famous paintings. The model for this picture has been James Tissot's October from the year 1878. Herbert's paintings copies beautifully the autumn leaves and colours and also the frilled dress, fur coat and hat. The cat's expression is a bit mystic after her role model.
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| James Tissot: October / Lokakuu |
helmikuuta 19, 2018
KISSAKORTTI: 244 / CAT CARD: 244
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Susan Herbert's series of cats in art continues. Now it's the turn of Jan van Eyck's painting The Arnolfini Family from 1434 of Giobanni Arnolfini and his wife. The painting is full of symbols, which fascinate still new interpretations by the viewers, say about the positions of the hands On the wall there is a round convex mirror, where you can see two shapes, perhaps the other one is the painter himself. Herbert's version of the original is quite loyal to the original version, colours and textiles are the same, but the animal (dog or cat?) on the bottom of the picture has changed into a strange round animal.
tammikuuta 01, 2018
KISSAKORTTI: 237 / CAT CARD: 237
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Susan Herbert's version of Johannes Vermeer's Milkmaid is loyal to its role model. All the details of the original painting have been repeated, even the mouse trap (?) on the floor. Only the face and hands have been changed to a cat like Susan Herbert's series of cat portraits after famous paintings. The colours are warm brown.
lokakuuta 09, 2017
KISSAKORTTI: 225 / CAT CARD: 225
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I have a series of Susan Herbert's cat cards. She has painted cats after some famous paintings. In this picture two cats are enjoying absinthe like in Edgar Degas's Absinthe (1876) painting. The brush strokes imitate finely Impressionist style. Especially the eyes of the yellow cat are resigned like in the original painting, but the cat has turned her gaze up ans curled her tail around a bottle on the next table.
heinäkuuta 31, 2017
Kissakortti: 215 / Cat Card: 215
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English Susan Herbert (1945-2014) is known of her cat paintings that take their subjects from famous paintings and persons. You could call these cultured cats. In this cat the inspiration has been Jan Vermeer's painting "Girl with Pearl Earring". The same deep yellow and the blue of the scarf are repeating in this picture. The eyes of the cat are melancholic, and the expression is a bit fearfully awaiting. Unlike in Vermeer's original work, the cat is looking over the artist painting the portrait. What ever is the cat seeing?
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Kissakorttini alkavat loppua! Auta minua ja lähetä minulle kesämökille kissakortti jos sellainen löytyy laatikostasi:
Maija Kanerva
Hiivalahdentie 79
37500 Lempäälä
Laita mukaan oma osoitteeesi niin lähetän sinulle kaksi omista linoleikkauksistani tehtyä korttia jokaisesta tässä blogissani julkaistusta kissakortista.
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My cat cards are expiring! Please, help me and send a cat card to my summer cottage if you find one in your drawer:
Maija Kanerva
Hiivalahdentie 79
37500 Lempäälä
Finland
Attach your own address and I will send you two cards made of my own linocuts for every cat card published in this blog.





























