Mischievous Cat

                                                         Artist:  Louis Wain

Title: Mischievous Cat 
Media: Colored Crayon 
Dimensions: 9"x6 3/4" 
   Date: 1902

Title: Paisley Pattern Cat
Media: Pencil
Dimensions: 10"x7"
Date: 1929

Background Information on Artist:  Louis Wain (5 August 1860 – 4 July 1939) was an English artist best known for his drawings, which consistently featured anthropomorphized, large-eyed cats and kittens. In his later years he may have suffered from schizophrenia(although this claim is disputed), which, according to some psychiatrists, can be seen in his works.

Background Information on Work:
The image with the cat with the blue background was created in 1902 while Louis was struggling to support his dying wife. The Paisley Pattern Cat was created in 1929 after Louis' wife died and he was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia. 

Richard Metzger, author of DangerousMinds.com, compares many of Wain's later work to modern art of the 1960's. Saying that both works have similar psychedelic themes.

How It Relates to the Theme:  I connected these two images to our theme "Landscape of the Mind" because these images show how drastically Wain's mind changed over time.