DescriptionTempera on board, 1957. 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’.*Here we have two tabby and white cats, their limbs touching in perfect repose – luxuriously stretched out on the warmth of the russet, brown, yellow and red ground.This painting was made for the photographer Joan Leigh Fermor – Patrick (‘Paddy’) Leigh Fermor’s wife. All three were good friends, and lived near each other in Greece. Craxton would go on to celebrate Fermor’s travel books by creating very successful cover art: Craxton cover art ‘A Time of Gifts’ Patrick Leigh Fermor. Craxton painting ‘Two Cats’ in 1957.*Andrew Lambirth: Craxton (2024) T&H.
