DescriptionPolyvinyl acetate paint and oil paint on board, 1959. Craxton knew his cats – their inner lives. As his partner Richard Riley pointed out: ‘Craxton was so familiar with the vocabulary of cat moves, gestures and stances that he could capture them with utter conviction in a few strokes of the pen or brush’.*But here we have something more deliberative. This was painted on the island of Hydra whilst Craxton stayed with his friend, the Greek painter Nikos Ghikas. And there’s drama and excitement. Two cats are attempting burglary on a grand scale. Not only do we have cuttle fish and squid and sea urchins galore, we’ve a whole lobster – in full sight, openly displayed. But they’ve been caught mid act by a child all too aware of their quietly covetous intentions. Nikos Ghikas, Craxton, Barbara Hutchinson-Ghikas, Patrick Leigh Fermors, Joan Leigh Fermors, Lydia Aous, 1958.*Andrew Lambirth: Craxton (2024) T&H.
