"Art History in 21 Cats" Book Published in Turkish

VakıfBank Kültür Yayınları publishes "21 Cats in Art History," guiding readers through art history in an unconventional journey. The book uses cats designed in connection with art movements and artists to accomplish this. In "21 Cats in Art History," brought to readers by VakıfBank Kültür Yayınları (VBKY), information is provided about cats—symbolized in many cultures throughout history—and their presence in artists' studios. The book conveys how art movements emerged and what influenced artists. Illustration was done by Nia Gould, with the Turkish translation by Ebru Berrin Alpay.

In Byzantium: Purpose Was Spiritual Atmosphere

The journey through art history beginning with cats in ancient Egypt continues to the Young British Artists of a few years ago. At the end of the book is a timeline summarizing artists and movements at a glance. Black cats symbolized rebirth in ancient Egypt. In Byzantine art, cats were pampered and even deified. Faces were depicted with serious expressions and exaggerated physical features. Reflecting the subject's true nature was not among the artists' aims. The book explains this stemmed from artists wanting to place their subjects in a spiritual rather than worldly atmosphere.

In the Renaissance: Closer to Reality

The Renaissance was the period of ascendancy in the history of art, science, literature and philosophy, when great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Vermeer lived. In Renaissance art based on realism, depicting a human or cat as closely as possible to reality held far greater importance than religious imagery. Artists such as Michelangelo and Tiziano distanced themselves from such conventional tendencies, preferring instead to use new techniques to show forms in three dimensions.

Picasso Painted with an Unusual Perspective

Cubism emerged in the early twentieth century and created major upheaval in the art world. The book states: "Rather than seeking to create a sense of depth by using perspective, tone and color, Cubist artists presented their subjects from several different viewpoints simultaneously by arranging geometric forms in unexpected configurations." It is noted that Picasso frequently painted cat forms from odd angles and was the most famous Cubist.

Kahlo: Naked Reality Intertwined with Fantastic Elements

The book provides information that Frida Kahlo was one of the best-known practitioners of the Magical Realism style. It is stated that she brought together naked reality with fantastic elements to represent a symbolic reality that she felt existed at the intersection of ordinary and extraordinary worlds: "Other artists such as Franz Radziwill and Alberto Savini created their works by joining objects in improbable relationships to one another, bending space, and employing allegory and symbols."

Warhol and Consumer Culture

Pop Art, which became a movement in the 1960s, saw artists employing mechanical techniques such as serigraphy in their works while drawing from advertisements and comic books: "Though Pop Art's irreverence drove the guardians of the classical art world to distraction, this movement offered the public a fresh and liberating perspective on what art could be… Andy Warhol frequently used fluorescent colors in his serigraphs, printing the same image countless times in various contrasting colors. These works reflected his view regarding mass production and the age's consumer culture."   PUBLICATION DETAILS Publisher: VBKY Book Title: 21 Cats in Art History Illustrator: Nia Gould Translator: Ebru Berrin Alpay Page Count: 96 Price: TRY 32