Head of sleeping Cat
Ca. 1885. Oil on canvas attached to panel.Not on display
Spanish painters of the 19th century often depicted cats in various attitudes and there are numerous drawing examples. Domingo Marqués painted this tiny work during his years in Paris. It focuses on the head of a white-haired cat with brown and grey spots around its ears, while it asleep on a fabric decorated in reddish tones. The artist executed the work on a very close plane, with a loose, expressive brushstroke, which gives the composition a great sense of immediacy. With its barely perceptible drawing, this painting indicates the artist´s growing interest in colour and reveals his knowledge of Parisian Impressionism without falling into its excesses. The inscription at the bottom indicates the inventory number given to it at the Museo de Arte Moderno
Mena Marqués, M.; Albarrán, V., Azúa, F. de, La belleza cautiva. Pequeños tesoros del Museo del Prado = La bellesa captiva. Petits tresors del Museo del Prado, Barcelona, Museo del Prado - Obra Social "La Caixa", 2014, p.201
