Victor Abeloos - Study Of Cats - Late 19th Or Early 20th Century

Victor Abeloos was a Belgian painter active in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th, born in Saint-Gilles, in the Brussels metropolitan area, and died in Ixelles. His body of work, which is quiteeclectic, lies at the intersection of the academic tradition and the pictorial experiments of the early20th century. Today, he is best known among art lovers for his portraits of women. His portrait ofMadame Huysmans, dated 1922, is housed at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium inBrussels. The Charlier Museum and the Ixelles Museum also house some of his works.

Against a light background left deliberately exposed, five studies of cats are arranged in tworows, spontaneously capturing the diversity of their poses. Sometimes curled up, sometimes sitting, thecats are distinguished by their tabby coats, their shades of brown, black, and ochre, and theunique brilliance of their yellow eyes. The free and lively brushwork emphasizes the contrasts of shadow andlight to suggest volume, while a few more incisive strokes highlight the ears, thewhiskers, and the outlines of the silhouettes. Far from a purely descriptive depiction, thiscomposition reflects a careful observation of the animals’ natural behavior, vividly capturingtheir familiar expressions and postures.