Cat with a White Front 1910 - 1915

Gwen John made this drawing of a cat with ink and wash on paper. Can you imagine her watching this cat, trying to capture its essence with just a few strokes? I love the muted palette - browns, whites, and that soft, sandy background - it's like she’s filtered the world through a quiet lens. The washes of color create these beautiful transparent layers, while the delicate lines sketch out the cat's form, capturing its posture and the fur. I wonder if she was thinking about Japanese prints, you know, where the empty space is as important as the thing itself? There’s a real tenderness in how she renders this cat, a kind of quiet observation. I love how artists have always looked to the world around them - to each other, to the past - borrowing, stealing, and riffing to make something new and personal. And that’s the story of art, isn’t it? A constant conversation, a game of telephone, evolving through time.