Still Life with Cat and Goldfishes 1949

Editor: This print, “Still Life with Cat and Goldfishes,” made in 1949 by Bernard Reder, uses a fascinating combination of watercolor and printmaking techniques. I am struck by its kind of quirky composition – the cat seems to be peeking into this whole little world, full of these colorful elements. What's your take on it? Curator: You know, it’s interesting how Reder blends the domestic with a touch of the surreal. The cat, almost an afterthought tucked in the corner, creates a sort of voyeuristic narrative. The goldfish in their bowl are, of course, symbols of fragility, perhaps commenting on the fleeting nature of beauty, held precariously within art…and life, darling. The tilted perspective and layering make it feel less like a serene still life, and more like a dream. What mood does the coloring evoke for you? Editor: I can definitely see how you get a feeling of the surreal...I get a bit of a melancholy feeling, maybe due to the muted tones and slightly chaotic composition. Curator: Exactly! It's that tension between the mundane and the dreamlike, rendered in those colors, that makes Reder’s work so appealing, isn’t it? It invites us to find the beauty in the everyday but not to overlook the fragile, perhaps ephemeral, nature of even our stillest moments. Reder, so playful but aware, uses all these elements to pull you into considering your role in seeing what *is*, and what you are simply interpreting in your experience of life. Editor: That's a great perspective, the way the ordinary transforms into something surreal with the tension between the forms. It really reframes how I see still life paintings!