Cat on a roof

Painted in 1951, Cat on a Roof is a vibrant yet dark image from Appel's days in Paris, at the end of the CoBrA movement. It was at the end of 1950 that Appel had finally moved to Paris. Many of his friends and associates were already there, however almost all of them had a huge advantage over Appel in that they spoke French. Appel found himself relatively isolated in the French capital, unable to communicate to the extent he would like, and so gave himself wholly to his art. During this time, his work became much more painterly and expressionistic. In some sense this was due to the access to new materials that Appel found in Paris. Until then, much of his existence had been relatively hand to mouth, and his art, especially his reliefs incorporating scraps of wood found on the street, had reflected this. Despite finding himself poor in Paris, Appel now found a mentor in the art critic Michel Tapié, to whom this painting was dedicated. Tapié not only cultivated the artist's mind, but also supplied him with better painting materials. Appel found himself granted both the kudos of appreciation and the means to tap into that kudos in his art. Indeed, from the beginning of their friendship, much of the stress that had marked Appel's earlier work in Paris disappeared as, under the guidance of his friend, he developed his unique iconography and expressive style. Cat on a Roof is a perfect example of this, as it is filled with the lurid red paint that came to feature in many of Appel's finest works. This was one of his favourite colours, not least for its emotional content - it reminded Appel of a gleaming piece of plastic he found in the street which seemed to dazzle him, as plastics were then extremely uncommon.

In Cat on a Roof, the colossal cat towers above the cityscape. The figure underneath serves to underline the strange sense of distorted scale in this work. The cat, seemingly Appel's favourite animal, is an overbearing creature, not only in its scale but also in the amount of darkness it brings to the canvas, as it takes up almost half of the picture. There is a menacing feel, the cat a strange and demonic creature stalking the Parisian rooftops, and the viewer can almost hear its scream in the night. The figure below appears to have been attacked by this huge cat, and yet is perhaps inside one of the buildings being kept awake by the howling feline or, more inoccuously, a pet, the picture an image of happiness and, importantly, collaboration, a fitting theme for a gift to his friend. The violent brushstrokes that came to characterise his work during this period tell of the artist's frenzied activity in painting this work - the act of painting is in some way a celebration of life itself, Appel's movements filled with enthusiasm. Cat on a Roof is Appel's existential howl in the night.
This work is registered in the Archive of the Karel Appel Foundation.