Revolt of the Pets 1959

Desmond Morris's painting, Revolt of the Pets, unfolds with these peculiar creatures against a fiery red backdrop. The painting feels like peering into a dream—or maybe a playful, slightly unsettling children's book. I imagine Morris, brush in hand, conjuring these beings into existence. Are they pets? Monsters? Friendly aliens? That yellow bug-eyed creature certainly has a story to tell, and what's with the tower of critters on the left? The paint looks thin, almost like watercolour, which gives the image a delicate, ephemeral quality. I think the title is important too, evoking the work of other artists who embrace the absurd, like Miró or Klee, artists who weren’t afraid to let their imaginations run wild. Painting feels like a way of experimenting and playing, where the canvas becomes a space for invention, for bringing something new and strange into the world. It makes me want to pick up a brush, or a crayon, and see what kind of creatures I can conjure.