one cat, six views

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-Art}

Six studies of a cat circa 1765-1770, by the great British artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). Can you believe this is done in chalk on paper? I feel as though I could reach out and run my fingers through that stripy fur, maybe tweak those ears. But that doesn't surprise me. Gainsborough was as an artist sensitive to the natures of the creatures around him, whether they were fine ladies or a humble kitty napping on his floor.