Untitled (cat in boxing ring drinking beer) 1948

Editor: This photograph, "Untitled (cat in boxing ring drinking beer)," is by Lucian and Mary Brown. It’s a small black and white photo, and the first thing I notice is the absurdity of the image: a cat in a boxing ring, wearing gloves and a necklace, getting beer poured into its mouth. How wonderfully strange! What strikes you about it? Curator: The beauty of the absurd, precisely! It's a playful jab at the performative aspects of masculinity, wouldn't you say? A feline Rocky Balboa, down on his luck, needing a cold one. The Browns seem to ask, what does it really mean to be a champion? And isn't there a bit of the underdog in all of us? Editor: That's a funny take; it definitely gives me a lot to think about. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art is like a good joke; it should make you think and maybe spill your beer a little.