I couldn't make this up. I am sitting at Borders near the calendars and caught a glimps of a cat with a painted face on the front of one. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I read the title, "Why Paint Cats". I searched Amazon for it and this is what I found. Click on the picture above for the Amazon link or go to http://www.whypaintcats.com/ for the official website of the book and art movement that inspired the calendar. Here is an excerpt from the book....
"Why did a woman in California pay an artist $15,000 to paint her cat to look like a pig? What made a New York stockbroker spend more to have Charlie Chaplin painted on his cat's posterior? Why Paint Cats reveals that, far from being an amusement for the idle rich, this seemingly aberrant behavior is part of a new art movement that claims to promote a better understanding of the cats in our lives."
and here is a paragraph from the calendar...
" Following on the astounding success of WHY PAINT CATS, we’re pleased to announce the accompanying 2004 wall calendar. Though practiced by Eastern cultures for centuries, the notion of the cat as canvas is just now gaining attention in the West. In this delightful and practical calendar, Silver and Busch touch on the ethical concerns surrounding this emerging art form and feature 14 of the most popular felines from the book. Alongside each full-page kitty portrait, you’ll find a biography of the artist responsible for the kitty’s coiffure and paint job and a brief bit of painted-cat art criticism from noted art critics. An ideal gift for the cat or art lover in your life, this calendar is sure to entertain, delight, and inspire."
it gets even better...
"Silver details all the latest trends including Transmoggificationism, Neo-Totemism and the controversial Retromingent Expressionism, drawing conclusions that will provoke, amuse, startle, and enlighten. Exhaustively researched and lavishly illustrated, this insightful and engaging book raises important ethical questions and explores the rights of cat owners to reinvent their feline companions in the name of art."
and here's an actual review of the book...
"...celebrates an exciting new art form that challenges us to redefine the feline in our lives. A must for cat lovers and all those concerned with art." L.A. Art Times
I've gotta get some comments from everyone on this one. I'll post some later myself.
1 comment:
How bored and/or stoned do you have to be to look at a cat, and think, "Man, wonder what that cat would look like as a pig?"
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