The 25 cats who inspired Andy Warhol’s Great Pop Art
Andy Warhol is famous for many things but is renowned for owning several cats. And they all had the same name — Sam.
Cat and Artist Chemistry
Cats symbolize freedom and individuality, even when they’re domesticated and tamed by humans. Cats don’t usually follow instructions; they follow the flow and do what they want. There’s even an expression, “Like herding cats,” meaning that trying to herd cats together is impossible. Each cat is independent and unique, and while they can get close to people, they can never be obedient. According to some sources, cats can make up to 100 sounds to express their emotions freely and actively. This unique, free-spirited, and emotional nature of cats is why they are so compatible with artists like Andy Warhol, and the activism artist Ai Weiwei often features his love of cats in his artwork and social media.
I never met an animal I didn’t like.
- Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol’s cats are of the Siamese cat breed and are the subjects of a series of silkscreen prints from 1954 called “25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy”. The series was from early in Andy’s career when he tried his hand at commercial illustration. Each cat has its personality, depicted in different colors, poses, and facial expressions. Like watching a soap opera, a sense of drama and companionship keeps you returning for more. The work is characterized by Andy’s signature style of bold, repetitive imagery, foreshadowing the iconic Pop Art style for which he would later become famous. The repetition of the cat image in each print also hints at Andy’s interest in mass production and consumer culture.
Pop Art at the Factory
These cats reminded me of Andy at the Factory, the art studio he ran. Always surrounded by famous people, living a glamorous lifestyle, and being the center of attention, Andy did many things against society’s grain. One of them was the Pop Art movement, which opened up noble works of art to everyone which were only accessible to privileged people and, challenging traditional artists who dug the same well, Andy utilized a variety of mediums, some of which may or may not have been called art, and presented them as art. Pop art emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, utilizing everyday consumer products, famous brands, and contemporary media, and Andy was instrumental in popularizing it. His most famous works include silkscreen paintings on Campbell’s Soup Cans, portraits of Marilyn Monroe, and Brillo Boxes(Soap Pads). He explored themes of social fame, celebrity culture, consumerism, and the commodification of art.
Arting like herding cats
Andy has created sketches, illustrations, oil paintings, silk prints, sculptures, installations, performances, photographs, films, television commercials, and even a music band called the Velvet Underground. Like 100 different cat cries, Andy was an all-around artist who could express his emotions and thoughts in a unique, varied, and accessible way. And yet, like a cat who doesn’t smile, you’ll rarely find Andy smiling, so the Sams he painted look a lot like him. It occurred to me that “25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy” might represent 25 different characters under one name, Andy Warhol, as 25 cats. It was his first Pop art portrait.
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