catwrap

I really am quite fond of Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). If you ask someone "What's French Rococo painting like?" the first example you're steered to will likely be one of his, all pink, ribbony, delicate and often a little naughty. A society painter par excellence, he made the beautiful people of his time look as precious as the times and mores allowed.

Yet he also loved to portray children doing all the crazy things that children do, such as dressing up the cat whether Puddy likes it or not. This gently rendered drawing from the Louvre, The Wrapped-Up Cat of 1777, shows just that, with the cat doing that stiff-kitty-no-not-digging-it thing, and a couple of other kids and dogs larking about getting a look. The expression of the dog on the right is priceless. Here's the closeup.