the elegance of good grooming

Takeuchi Seihō [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

A plain, everyday tabby cat comes to radiant life in this 1924 painting on silk by Takeuchi Seiho (Japanese, 1864-1942).  If you think you see a curious feel for Western form in this work, you do.  Seiho traveled to Europe in 1900 and studied there before returning to Japan, where he became a major early force in the nihonga style.  Nihonga, "Japanese-style paintings," are made using traditional materials - such as the silk upon which this piece was painted - and organic pigments.
A last word: I can't let you go without letting you see his 1901 Lion, apparently painted after a trip to the Dresden Zoo.