Girl with Cat, 1937 by Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) (1908-2001, France) Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) | WahooArt.com

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Girl with Cat, 1937 by Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) (1908-2001, France) Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) | WahooArt.com

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[H2]Introduction[/H2] Balthus, born Balthasar Klossowski, was a French painter known for his provocative and erotic paintings of adolescent girls. One of his most famous works is 'Girl with Cat' (1935), which features a young girl in a suggestive pose with a cat. This article will explore the artist, the painting, its style, date, and series, as well as how it fits into the tradition of salacious images of women in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century painting. [H2]The Artist[/H2] Balthus was born in 1908 in Paris to a Polish father and a Russian mother. He began his artistic career at a young age, studying under Rene Crevel and Pierre Bonnard. Balthus's early works were influenced by Surrealism, but he later developed his unique style, which combined elements of Symbolism, Realism, and Romanticism. [H2]The Painting[/H2] [A href='https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/Art_EN?Open&Query=girl+with+cat,girl,with&']Girl with Cat[/A] (1935) is a painting that features a young girl in a suggestive pose with a cat. The girl is depicted in a state of undress, with her legs spread apart and her body turned towards the viewer. The cat is positioned between her legs, adding to the eroticism of the scene. [H2]Size, Style, Date, and Series[/H2] The painting measures 88 x 78 cm and is executed in oil on canvas. It belongs to the Symbolist style, which emphasizes the use of symbols and metaphors to convey meaning. The painting was created in 1935 and is part of a series of paintings called 'Balthus: Cats and Girls', which explores the origins and permutations of the French artist’s focus on felines and the dark side of childhood. [H2]Salacious Images of Women[/H2] The genre of salacious images of women, which Balthus's 'Girl with Cat' is aligned traditionally, includes a small animal: cat or lap dog. The most famous examples perhaps are Jean Antoine Watteau's Lady at Her Toilette of 1716/17 and Edouard Manet’s Olympia of 1865. These paintings, like Balthus's 'Girl with Cat', use the presence of a small animal to add to the eroticism of the scene. [H2]Conclusion[/H2] Balthus's 'Girl with Cat' is a provocative and erotic painting that fits into the tradition of salacious images of women in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century painting. The use of a small animal, in this case, a cat, adds to the eroticism of the scene. Balthus's unique style, which combines elements of Symbolism, Realism, and Romanticism, makes 'Girl with Cat' a fascinating work of art that continues to intrigue viewers today. [B]To learn more about Balthus and his works, visit:[/B] [A href='https://WahooArt.com/@/Balthus']Balthus[/A]. To explore the series 'Balthus: Cats and Girls', visit: [A href='https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/Buy?open&RA=8XYFFG']Balthus: Cats and Girls[/A].