Natasha Pokrovchenko

[Archaeology & Art @archaeologyart]

Black Cat. An 18th-century scroll painting by Min Zhen. Ink on paper. The painting measures 78.5 x 38.5 cm, with a total length of 231 cm including its full mounting. It's currently in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum (USA)**

Looking at the painting's background, we notice the space has been left completely blank (except for the signature - seal). There's no ground line or any surrounding object to indicate where the cat is standing. By using this empty space, Min Zhen keeps the viewer's focus entirely on the cat.

The artist was born in Nanchang in present-day Jiangxi province, China, and spent most of his life in Hubei. He was orphaned at the age of twelve. Contemporary sources write that he developed a reputation for being a strange, reclusive figure. He'd sometimes paint directly with his fingers instead of using a brush.

Min Zhen is traditionally associated with the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou (Yangzhou Ba Guai) group (though the core list varies). During the Qianlong era (1735-1796), this group openly rejected the emperor's principle that 'poetry and painting must adhere to ancient models.' Instead of academic polish, they championed individuality, wet brushwork, and abbreviated strokes.

In traditional Chinese society- especially from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and continuing through the Qing period -cats were a very important part of daily life. They held a prominent place, especially for their roles in catching mice and protecting homes and books. When bringing a new cat into their homes, people didn't just make an ordinary purchase; they performed a ritual known as pin mao / na mao, meaning 'betrothing / welcoming the cat.'

The prospective adopter would complete the betrothal gift by presenting salt (which was a state monopoly and quite expensive ++ sometimes tea or sugar was given instead) to the owner of the mother cat, or, if the kitten was taken from a stray, by offering a string of fish directly to the mother cat.

[.stuff @vintagestuff4]

Will Barnet
1970

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

"Murmuration over Lanhydrock Park", 2020 by Annie Ovenden, English painter #WomensArt

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Oleksandr Hubarev, Girl with edelweiss, 1967

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Vasyl Yermylov, Female portrait, 1923

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Jacques (Jakiv) Hnizdovsky, Cabbage, 1983

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Oleksii Shovkunenko, Marynka, 1942

[Marysia @marysia_cc]

Crouching triumvirate
drawing by Christina Malman, ca. 1937

[Mordecai @MenschOhneMusil]

Inari Krohn - The Owl.

[T. Talin d'Eyzac @Ttalindeyzac]

‘Juliet with Peacock Feather and Red Leaf’,
György Kepes, 1937

[Marysia @marysia_cc]

Maria Niedzielska (Polish, 1876–1947)
Spring, 1904

[Mordecai @MenschOhneMusil]

Cathy Cullis.

[Musk_daily__news 🚀 📡 @Musk_DaiIy_news]

Forest with Gooseberries’
William Hammer (1821-1889)
Danish painter.

[Ramin Nasibov @RaminNasibov]

Sally Muir, Scribble dog

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Kateryna Bilokur, Beetroot (Buryachok), 1959

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Kateryna Bilokur, Abundance, 1944-1947

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Viktor Zaretsky, Loneliness, 1988

[Сім глеків сикери @chovnovyi]

Тред про те, як насправді святкували Великдень у старосвітській Україні. Що додавали у паски, яка вона була за формою, найдавніший склад великоднього кошика, чому купити паску - теж давня традиція, скільки яєць йшло на паску/крашанки/писанки, як взагалі люди проводили Великдень

[ukrartarchive @patsulanastya]

Petro Levchenko, Festive table, 1890-1900

[Art Encyclopedia @artenpedia]

Walter Anderson - Two Cats, circa 1940.