01/02/21 - Since its opening to the general public at MALBA, we went three times to the exhibition Constelaciones dedicates to surrealist artist Remedios Varo, born in Spain in 1908.  In these visits we were surprised by a figure popping out constantly, represented in many different ways and, sometimes, in strange colors: cats.

The Fern-Cat, by Remedios Varo (1957)

Technique: oil on plywood 

It is said that it's not easy to draw cats, that's why Varo used to “invent them” for she found it hard to portray them. However in Vagabundo, the cat we see at the feet of the figure is the perfect depiction of the animal.

Vagabond, by Remedios Varo (1957)

Technique: oil on masonite

Technique: oil on masonite

In 1955 she described her painting Sympathy (Cat's Rage) as the cat of a woman who would climb to the table causing the kind of mess we must learn to tolerate if we love cats. And that seems to be the only nervous cat, since in Mimesis and in Cat's Paradise they look very peaceful. 

Technique: oil on masonite

The truth is that there seems to be a unique bond between artist and cats. And this feline, so full of energy and magic, in Sympathy is placed in a domestic space, very intimate, as intimate as dreams can be. If we stick to Christian iconography, cats represented lust and erotism. Maybe through them Varo wants us to see her deeper and more unknown being.