Louis Wain at the Quackadero

Recognize this image?

No, it is not the little drawing in my banner, but it is remarkably similar!

It is a drawing of acrobatic cats, by an artist who single-mindedly made his whole career out of drawing cats: the amazing Louis Wain!

I first heard about this artist from another wonderful artist, the animator Sally Cruikshank, back in 1981. I had come to Los Angeles to meet with her, as one of the many hats I was wearing back then was as a distributor of short films to cable television, and her short "Quasi at the Quackadero" was one of my most popular titles.

Sally was married to a great guy, producer Jon Davison, who was famous at the time as the producer of "Airplane", the Zucker Brothers' hit comedy. He was one of the first "real" producers I met in Hollywood, and he was very gracious and generous with us "just off the boat" kids from Chicago. The thing that impressed me about both Sally and Jon was just how "real" they were; coming from the Midwest, Hollywood could often seem like the phoniest of places, so it was reassuring to meet people who weren't just reciting box office grosses, but were talking with passion about an obsurce, instiutionalized 19th century children's book artist!

Wain was born in 1860 in London and went to the West London School of Art as a young man. He married a woman ten years his elder, but tragically she died of cancer only 3 years later. He did most of his major work as an illustrator in the years before World War I, publishing books and postcards and games, all of his uniquely human cats which became his obsession.

He had a run of employment and fame and modest fortune from his cat art (starting in 1901 there was even a Louis Wain Annual!).

But by 1916 he was almost flat broke and in increasingly desperate circumstances. Never one to play to current vogue, his drawings were out of fashion and were slowly getting weirder.

By 1924 he was committed to the Middlesex County Asylum for the Insane. He continued to draw, and in some ways did some of his most astonishing work there.

It was a cat named Peter, whom he nicknamed Peter The Great, that was given to he and his wife as a gift by his sisters, that he spent hours studying and sketching during the long hours and years of his wife's illness. In retrospect, this tragedy was the formative event of his life, being both the wellspring of his genius, and the fount of his obsession and madness.

Louis Wain died on the 4th of July in 1939. His work is only known today among a certain circle of afficianados; both cat people, outsider art fans, and anyone like myself lucky enough to have known Sally Cruikshank back in the early 80's in Los Angeles!

It's great when people share their personal passions and obsessions. We learn so much about the vast world we live in.

william

Comments

[Margaret Oomen]

I was introduced to this artist in the context of how mental illness can be reflected in a person's art. My brother in law is a psychiatrist who practices psychodrama and art therapy. Wain's art is often used to show the progression of a person suffering from schizophrenia. Here is a link that explains it briefly http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/163/4/599.pdf . A young friend of my eldest daughter became increasingly symptomatic of schizophrenia in the later years of high school and he used to bring his drawing over to show me. he drew human shapes with the same colorful wavy lines layered around them just like Wain's cats. He and I thought he was seeing the fields of energy around every living thing. These are very real but most of us can't visualize them. Some people call it our aura is a quasi paranormal way. I am going off on a tangent so I will tell you the comment I really wanted to make . My favorite anthropomorphized cat is a literary one. Behemoth the huge black cat that comes to Moscow to wreak havoc in the 1930's from Mikhail Bulgakov's novel the Master and the Margarita.

[bluemountainsmary]

I cannot comment on the literary aspect of these cats - only what strikes me from an artistic viewpoint. Two things - firstly that even the earlier cats have a loopiness /darkness to them.

Secondly - and most striking to me - is that I am strangely reminded of Van Gogh's works - the later ones - as he descended into madness himself...

[Lelah]

Hi there Bill! I am a huge fan of your wife's work, as well as her blog. Thank you for starting a blog, I love reading about you and Elsa's creative processes and dedication to your children. :)

[Christine]

Hello Bill,
Thanks for mentioning the fabulous Sally Cruikshank and her films. I still show "Quasi" in my History of Animation class. It is an important and wonderful film. Her DVD and other fun stuff is available at her website http://www.funonmars.com/
Best,
Christine

[Lynn]

I lOVE the Louis Wain cats. I have purchased several of his "cats" postcards when I could afford them...mostly on eBay. I never knew much about Wain himself...very surprised to find out about his mental illness. Thanks for the wonderful article.

I found you through your fabulous wife's blog. Welcome to blogland.

Lynn :)

[waterrose]

I linked to your blog from Elsa's. The colors are so vivid in this artwork. So many things going on and the last picture is just wild. One might think this was created in the 1960s rather than the early 1900s. I've enjoyed reading all of the previous posts will stop back to read the newer posts. Have fun with your blog!

[Maria HLobo]

may your words be mine:
"It's great when people share their personal passions and obsessions. We learn so much about the vast world we live in." that's blogosfera, that's about sharing. thank you, Bill, thank you Elsita for helping him entering this "new world" (!) such a precious contribution to blogland. todo o amor para a bela família, Maria.

[Lois Collins]

Hi Bill, great to see your blog. Elsita has inspired me to write my own. I've been following hers since day 1! :0)I've just seen some of Louis Wain's work in an exhibition in london, Eloquent Obsessions,(including the last pic of his that's in your blog post!). Absolutely amazing work, you'd love it! I've only just found out about his mental illness!!!! Out of the most heartbreakingly difficult times come some of the worlds most magical works of art!

[Paul hussey]

May I invite all Louis Wain fans to my hobby website.

I have one of the largest collections of Louis Wain art which I have on display at my website and also I have written his life story which is also on display at my website.

http://www.fabprints.com/LW.html

http://www.fabprints.com/LWLIFE.html