Some works of art are so famous that we recognize them almost instantly. The masterpieces painted by the likes of Van Gogh, Botticelli, Dalí, Vermeer, and Magritte have been admired and analyzed for generations. But artist Svetlana Petrova has found a rather unusual way to make us look at them with fresh eyes: by adding one very large, very orange cat.
Her ongoing project, Fat Cat Art, places her beloved ginger cat, Zarathustra, into iconic paintings and other instantly recognizable works of art. He rarely settles for a discreet appearance in the background, either. More often than not, Zarathustra looks completely convinced that the composition was missing him all along. His poses, expressions, and impressive proportions often interact with the original composition, transforming familiar masterpieces into something ridiculous while still keeping them instantly recognizable. Bored Panda has featured Petrova and her wonderfully chubby muse before. Since then, however, the artist has continued giving Zarathustra new opportunities to leave his mark on art history. We reached out to Petrova once again, and she kindly allowed us to share another fresh selection of her work.
Scroll down to see Zarathustra confidently inserting himself into some of the world’s best-known artworks, and be sure to upvote your favorites. Then tell us in the comments: which masterpiece do you think actually looks better with a cat in it?
#3 “A Sunday On La Grande Jatte With A Grand Cat”
Original artwork: “A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat
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12points
#4 “Flaming June, True Version”
Original artwork: “Flaming June” by Sir Frederic Leighton
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12points
#6 “The Kitchen Maid And The Cat”
Original artwork: “The Milkmaid” by Johannes Vermeer
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12points
#7 “Portrait Of Empress Eugénie, With Her Jewelry Stolen By Cat Burglars In Louvre”
Original artwork: “Portrait Of Empress Eugénie” by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
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11points
#8 “Great Wave Off Cat-Nagawa”
Original artwork: “The Great Wave Of Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai
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11points
#9 “Goundhog Day”
Original artwork: “Bill Murray as Mona Lisa” by Charles McFarlane
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11points
#10 “Madame X And Monsieur Z”
Original artwork: “Madame X (Portrait of Madame X” by John Singer Sargent
“Two exquisitely fashionable beings. Note how Zarathustra's paw fixes the controversial strap of Madame Pierre Gautreau's dress.”
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10points
#11 “Washington Crossing The Delaware In A Boat Piloted By The Fat Cat”
Original artwork: “Washington Crossing The Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze
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10points
#13 “Whistler's Mother With The Cat”
Original artwork: “Whistler's Mother (Portrait of Artist's Mother)” by James McNeill Whistler
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9points
#14 “The Siesta With Guardian Cats”
Original artwork: “The Siesta” by Vincent Van Gogh
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9points
#15 “Catzilla Pops-Up Under The Mannen Bridge At Fukagawa”
Original artwork: “Under the Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai
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9points
#17 “The Cat On Van Gogh's Chair”
Original artwork: “Van Gogh's Chair” by Vincent Van Gogh
“The commonly known version of the painting (last image) is supposed to be a surrogate portrait, representing the personality of the artist. But who can better express a human’s personality than their cat?
On the true version, you may see vast improvements: the pipe from the commonly known painting (last image) is pushed down on the floor, tobacco from the pouch is scattered, and the large ginger cat proudly occupies the liberated chair.
The noble beast looks bravely into the future, anticipating his servant’s return, his portrait created, and his tasty fee for modeling consummated.”
On the true version, you may see vast improvements: the pipe from the commonly known painting (last image) is pushed down on the floor, tobacco from the pouch is scattered, and the large ginger cat proudly occupies the liberated chair.
The noble beast looks bravely into the future, anticipating his servant’s return, his portrait created, and his tasty fee for modeling consummated.”
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9points
#18 “Music-Making Angels And Singing Cats”
Original artwork: “Christ Surrounded by Singing and Music-making Angels” by Hans Memling
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9points
#19 “The Cat In Christina's World”
Original artwork: “Christina's World” by Andrew Wyeth
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9points
#20 “The Blue Boy And The Ginger Cat”
Original artwork: “The Blue Boy” by Thomas Gainsborough
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9points