BALTHUS
French 1908 - 2001
Nude with cat
1949
oil on canvas
65.1 x 80.5 cm
Felton Bequest 1952
2949-4

The work of Balthus does not fit neatly into an art historical category and he deliberately discourages the classification, preferring each viewer to appreciate his paintings directly. This does not imply that he worked in a vacuum, free from discernable literary and artistic influences, but more his desire to be considered as an individual rather than a member of a movement or part of an established style.

A number of themes or subjects do recur in his art, the most important being depictions of prepubescent female figures. While such works are not devoid of an erotic content they are actually a coherent examination of burgeoning sexuality. Nude with cat is a study of unselfconscious sensuality, and whether the intimacy is regarded as overly confronting is very much left to the viewer, as the artist intended.

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© Balthus, 1949/ADAGP
Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2000