Louis Wain and His Cat Worlds

Louis Wain (1860-1939) was a British artist who revolutionized the way we think about cats. Wain stopped drawing cats on four legs and made them upright, smiling, and dressed in Edwardian fashion. His characters played golf, smoked, drank tea, read newspapers, and skated.

Wain's style continues to inspire many artists and illustrators. Some modern internet memes featuring cats can be seen as a reference to the aesthetic of his works.

At the end of his life, Louis Wain suffered from a mental disorder, which led to his cats becoming more abstract and psychedelic.

The writer H. G. Wells highly appreciated Wain's art. When it became known in the 1920s that Wain was in dire financial circumstances and suffered from a mental disorder, Wells organized a fundraiser to support the artist.

Thanks to the efforts of Wells and other artists, Wain was able to spend the rest of his days in more comfortable conditions, continuing to create his art.

The Foreign Literature Department invites you to watch the video presentation "Louis Wain and His Cat Worlds."