Cat
1989
- Medium
- ink and gouache on paper
- Measurements
- 137.5 × 68.5 cm (image and sheet) 191.7 × 90.0 cm (overall)
- Place/s of Execution
- China
- Inscription
- inscribed in brush and ink in image (in Chinese characters) u.l.-u.r.: (Warmth, sadness and happiness all at the same time, During the cultural revolution, [we were] frightened with the fear that some crazy fellow [red guards] would break our doors, search our house and confiscate our property. Whenever we heard the slightest noise, we were filled with fear and immediately jumped to a high place at the roof top of the house. Together with our family and our animals, we suffered anxiety and fear, [painted in] the year 1989, [by] Huang Yongyu.)
- Accession Number
- 2010.126
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Jason Yeap OAM and Wong Min Lee through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2010
© Huang Yongyu
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Chinese artist Huang Yongu’s 1989 Cat depicts a sleeping cat, which would usually suggest a sense of peace. However, the inscription on the work states ‘Warmth, sadness and happiness all at the same time’. The artist is referring to a time during the Cultural Revolution in China when political unease placed many people at risk. An intensely personal painting, the work is also inscribed with the words ‘Whenever we heard the slightest noise, we were filled with fear and immediately jumped to a high place at the roof top of the house. Together with our family and our animals, we suffered anxiety and fear.’ The cat here plays both a literal and symbolic role, ironically reflecting the anxious state of mind of the artist.