If there is a black cat in the house. An independent symbol of bohemian Paris: everything you don't know about black cats! Bohemian black cat in Paris 6 letters

Passerby, stop!...
This building, protected
Black Cat,
dedicated to the Muses and pleasure.
Passerby, be a modern man!

If you meet a black cat on the way, do not rush to run away from it. Stop and take a closer look. Perhaps this is the cat that will bring you fame and fortune. Remember the old one good fairy tale Charles Perrault "Puss in Boots". Who made the poor miller's son happy? Cat! But it is not known for certain whether this cat was black. "Oh! It's just a fairy tale!” - you say. Just a fairy tale? Do you really think that a black cat cannot bring fame and success? How about opening a new path into the world of art? Don't believe me? Then listen!
Baron de la Tour de Nentre lived in the city of Paris. Many knew him as Rodolphe Salis.

And everything was going well for this tall, red-haired, energetic guy. How could it be otherwise when the father is a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages in Chatellerault? However, he himself - a merry fellow and a joker - spent a long time searching for himself. Rodolphe studied mathematics, wanted to become an archaeologist, then became interested in poetry, then began to paint...

For reasons of economy, on the outskirts of Paris, Rodolphe Saly equipped himself with a workshop in a former telegraph office on the Boulevard Rochechouart... in Montmartre. Montmartre is now synonymous with art. And then, back in 1881, it was just a rural area with the windmills that are famous today. Chickens, ducks, goats walked calmly along the unpaved streets... Who lived in Montmartre then? Respectable bourgeois called them “canaille”. The area was considered very unsafe.

The moon left spots on the walls
Obtuse angle.
Like the number five bent back
Black smoke rose above the sharp roof.

The wind languished like the groan of a bassoon.
There was a firmament
Colorless grey. He was calling someone on the roof,
Meowing pitifully, the frozen cat...

One dark evening, Rodolphe Saly was walking along Rochechouart Boulevard to his workshop and suddenly... on the roof he saw a skinny black cat meowing all over the area, which immediately fell silent and unceremoniously stared at Saly with an unblinking, piercing gaze. Rodolphe jokingly asked the cat: “Will you come and live with me? I hope you bring me good luck.” Unexpectedly for Sali himself, the cat, as if understanding the meaning of his words, jumped from the roof and followed him along the road, and then through life, becoming his talisman.
Later, Sali and his friends decided to convert their workshop into a modest artistic cafe, where bohemians could gather, show their works, and talk about art. The establishment was given the name “Chat Noir” (“Black Cat”). How else? In addition, the sophisticated and mysterious black cat began to symbolize art. The first logo of this artistic cafe depicted a black cat with its paw on a goose - a symbol of the stupid man in the street.
The establishment opened on November 18, 1881.

Gradually the small cafe became a real cabaret. It was Montmartre, where bohemia and “canaille” merged, that Sali decided to turn into the most fashionable place - a center of art and entertainment. In the era of naturalism, it was no wonder to do this. Stories from the bottom of society graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines. It was becoming fashionable among the rich to live in Montmartre next to the poor and disadvantaged. However, there were few real people from the cabaret. Perhaps only Jules Jouy. By and large, the aristocrats and bourgeois were only playing at loving the people.

If the theater begins with a coat rack, then “The Black Cat” began with a doorman dressed in the red uniform of a church porter embroidered with gold. In one hand the doorman held a cane with a silver knob, in the other - a medieval halberd. The doorman did not let in only military men and priests. For the creative personalities - artists, poets, musicians, entertainers, entry was free. No wonder! After all, Sali lured young gifted poets, musicians and artists to his establishment. Knowing that many were not at all averse to drinking, he bought their creations for alcohol, which then decorated it establishment. Poets, singers, musicians performed practically for free. The main condition was the element of surprise and theatricality. The keeper of the establishment himself, a black cat, slept on a real palm tree.

The cabaret even had a V.I.P. - a zone for the intellectual elite, served by waiters in academic robes purchased for the occasion from a junk dealer. It was Sali who was the first to abandon the use of a grand piano on stage, replacing it with a piano that was more accessible for daily music playing. This truly innovative idea in Chat Noir marked the beginning of the tradition of performing chanson in cabaret to this, although chamber, but not at all refined in sound instrument. The motto of the institution was the words: “Let's build a commune of art and education!”

Being a talented businessman, Sali actively advertised his establishment everywhere. So, a promotional trailer with a sign moved around Paris Cabaret Chat Noir, postcards were issued with the image of a black cat and the address of the place of entertainment, and for 30 centimes you could buy souvenir programs for the performances, which also contained the address and an inviting inscription: “Have you climbed Montmartre?” Rodolphe Saly began publishing a weekly literary and satirical newspaper, Chat Noir. “Do you have a “Black Cat?” - like a magic password, the readers of the newspaper said to the newsstands. The issue cost 15 centimes, this publication was extremely democratic, Sali provided cabaret clients with the opportunity to express themselves on the pages of the newspaper. They published their crazy texts and humorous poems there. Things got to the point that one day Rodolphe Saly himself announced his death through a newspaper, and then personally, being in good health, met clients who came to say goodbye to him at the funeral service. Then a sign “Open due to death” appeared in front of the entrance to the cabaret. and in the middle of the hall there was a huge cello case, symbolizing a coffin - these are the origins of bohemian performances and installations.

The four-page weekly, published every Saturday from January 1882 to September 1897 with a circulation of twenty thousand copies, embodied the “spirit of the end of the century.” Such masters of words as Alphonse Allais, Guy de Maupassant, Victor Hugo, Edmond de Goncourt, famous composers and literary and musical critics Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet collaborated with the newspaper.

Théophile Steinlen and Charles Leander worked on the decoration of the newspaper. Adolphe Villette drew comics with stories about Pierrot and Columbine, and Caran d'Ache - on military themes. Where does such a strange name come from - sounding aristocratic in French? Russian word"Caran d'Ache"? The fact is that this is the creative pseudonym of a Frenchman by origin, Emmanuel Poiret, who was born and graduated from high school in Moscow. Much later, one of the fans of his work founded a brand of exclusive writing instruments and accessories and named it in honor of the cartoonist, which is today known throughout the world.

Snobbery and cheap comedy, harsh satire and ridicule, cynicism and irony aimed at ridiculing the bourgeois public were the norm in the “Black Cat” cabaret. In conferences, satirical couplets, and parodies, official art, the then existing order, politicians, and the bourgeoisie were openly ridiculed. A newly coined word, “chatnoiresque,” ​​by analogy with “humoresque” and “grotesque,” ​​came into fashion.
Sometimes Rodolphe Saly personally greeted guests with a mockingly respectful bow and the words: “Your dear electoral highness!” As a brilliant master of improvisation, he himself often acted as an entertainer, delighting the audience with his monologues and satirical pamphlets against the bourgeoisie and deputies. But at the same time, in Chat Noir The most interesting literary discussions took place. Cabaret became a platform for the proclamation of a new artistic movement - symbolism. Through art, the process of searching for new ideals and renewal of society was launched.

“Good evening! Have your Lordships been on the pleasure train? If not, then take your seats!” - Sali himself greeted his guests. “Aristocrat”, “nobleman from the cabaret” - this is how Rodolphe Saly was called behind his back - pulled out a lucky ticket. All of Paris wanted to taste “Sali’s honey”! Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Daudet, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Alphonse Allais, Emile Goudeau, Jean Richpin, Maurice Rollina, Charles Cros, Jean Morea, Edmond Harocourt, Jean Lorrain, Jules Jouy, Maurice McNab, Maurice Donnet, Claude Debussy, Charles Cros, Maurice Rollin, Aristide Bruant - this is far from full list famous regulars of the “Black Cat” cabaret. The guests of the cabaret were asked throughout the evening to support the art with whatever contribution they could, i.e. drink to him. The favorite drink in those days was absinthe; in creative circles there was a belief that inspiration comes after the eighth glass, so the creators fearlessly surrendered to the “green fairy”. Ladies, dressed in tight corsets that did not allow them to eat or drink much, consumed this 70-degree nectar undiluted.

By the way, the most famous and scandalous chansonnier of Montmartre, Aristide Bruant, wrote a cabaret anthem. The cry of the black cat instantly became a classic, which the public sang in unison in the evenings: “I am looking for fortune at the Black Cat, in the evening in Montmartre, when the moon is shining.”

Oddly enough, the texts of productions and performances in Chat Noir were not subject to official censorship. Why? After all, at that time the censors did not give rest to other institutions where they banned performances for the mere illegal name of the police “spy” or “pharaoh”. Perhaps the enterprising Sali was simply paying off the controllers. Sali’s biting jokes hit not the eyebrow, but the eye. And in the cabaret there was an atmosphere of ease, freedom of morals and rejection of conventions. Thus, the now world-famous composer Claude Debussy conducted the orchestra using a tablespoon instead of a baton, and singer Yvette Gilbert performed wedding songs based on funeral melodies. Once, riotous cabaret visitors grabbed a random passerby on the street, wrapped him in a tablecloth, dragged him into the cabaret and forced him to sing songs with them. Even the doorman in the cabaret recited poetry in a staged voice, sometimes bringing drunken young ladies to tears:

So the bride's bouquet has faded,
So you and I will grow old together...

And in Montmartre the slogans are already heard with might and main: “Montmartre is a free city! Montmartre is a sacred hill! Montmartre is the salt of the earth, the navel and brain of the world, the granite breast that quenches all those thirsty for the ideal!” Do they remind you of anything? You were not mistaken, Rodolphe Saly even participated in the parliamentary elections, putting forward a demand for the separation of Montmartre from the state. "What is Montmartre? Nothing. What should it be? Everything!" Naturally, Rodolphe Saly did not win the election, but with this advertising campaign he attracted even more people. And they were far from being among the people. The local residents of Montmartre did not like the cabaret visitors, to put it mildly. Therefore, they unceremoniously visited the “Black Cat”. However, the resourceful Sali passed off the hooligan attacks as a performance. After another showdown, when the waiter died and Sali himself was disfigured, it was decided to move. The need to move has been brewing for a long time - during the three and a half years of its existence, Chat Noir has become very popular. The small halls could no longer accommodate everyone. The move served as an excellent occasion for another show; Rodolphe Saly would have betrayed himself if he had not used this opportunity for a loud performance and promotion of “Black Cat”.

June 10, 1885. Wednesday. Midnight. Full moon. Montmatre. Silence. And suddenly! Sounds of music! Torches! An amazing procession in strange costumes, singing and dancing, moved along Rochechouart Boulevard to Victor-Massé Street. Just 500 meters. But how grandiose! Hooray for Montmartre!

In the new location, “Black Cat” was the trendsetter of bohemian nightlife for 12 years. Even the Prince of Wales, albeit under a false name, often visited this cabaret. Rodolphe Saly was not ashamed in front of the prince. After all, his cabaret was decorated like a king. The medieval mansion sparkled with multi-colored stained glass windows. The facade of the cabaret was decorated with a huge panel depicting a cat figure against the background of a solar disk, which was illuminated by two large lanterns, and the rooms were decorated with paintings by contemporary artists of Montmartre.

It was here that “The Black Cat” became a real “synthesis of all arts” also thanks to the shadow theater (Theatre d’Ombres) by the artist Henri Rivière. Each premiere was a sensation, which was spoken and written about with delight far beyond the borders of France. The play of light and shadow, drawings and applications on glass and paper, organ, choir, orchestra - it was not just a performance, but practically cinema. The shadow theater was born almost by accident. One day Henri Riviere was relaxing at Chat Noir. Watching the performance with glove puppets, he cut out figures of gendarmes from available cardboard, suitable for the plot of the performance, and joined the action - he pulled a white napkin, illuminated from behind by a lamp, and moved the figures across the resulting screen. The public liked this improvisation so much that the issue of creating a shadow theater in the Black Cat cabaret was decided without delay.

Over time, various devices were invented: for lighting effects, glass filters of different colors were placed in front of the lantern - up to five at a time, their combinations created different shades of screen illumination. Clouds and waves were painted on the glass with paints, suspended from a special structure, they slid along the screen. A system of mirrors was used to simulate sunrise or storms. The figures and scenery were first cut out of cardboard, later all images began to be made of zinc, and they were transported around the stage on special rails. 10-15 people took part in the performance. It was real theater! Behind the stage, platforms were installed on three different levels: the first one housed the orchestra, the second one housed the lighting crew, and the third one housed the puppeteers.

It was in the shadow theater that the artistic talent of the caricaturist Caran d’Asha, who created 50 paintings for the play “Epic” (about the War of 1812), truly revealed itself.

This performance, like many others, was a huge success. But the most beautiful shadow theater performance was considered “Procession with a Star.” Ten paintings on a gospel theme were written for this performance by Henri Riviere himself. The performance began with the scene of the birth of Jesus: a long line of people walked across the screen to bow to the baby, and a bright star pointed the way to his manger. Then came pictures of Jesus’ path to Golgotha ​​and his crucifixion. The performance ended with the ascension of Christ to heaven. The lighting effects used made a lasting impression on the audience. To this day, the Henri Riviera Theater is the most famous French shadow theater.

Every evening after the performance of the shadow theater, the selected society retired to the creative laboratory, where young poets, artists, writers, musicians showed their new works and learned from the masters. And this, according to Rodolphe Sali, was the most important function of the cabaret. Not everyone was allowed into this creative laboratory, so rumors spread that the “Black Cat” cabaret was a secret esoteric and political center in which an international Masonic organization was hiding. They looked for secret meaning in the works of young artists, poets and composers. The medieval interior of the building, the X-shaped mustache of a cat and the wings of a mill - a symbol of cabaret and Montmartre, contributed to a riot of imagination.
Cabaret “Chat Noir” has become an alternative to official secular culture. In 1896, Théophile Steinlen, a regular at the Black Cat, illustrator and master of poster art, painted the famous “Tournee du Chat Noir” poster, which to this day remains not only the hallmark of the cabaret, but also one of the symbols of Paris, and Théophile Steinlen himself is still considered an unsurpassed “cat” master of the brush. Many of his works are dedicated to these graceful animals.

Once in the cabaret “Black Cat” Rodolphe Saly exclaimed: “God created the world, Napoleon established the Order of the Legion of Honor, and I founded Montmartre!” And it was true. Following the success of Chat Noir, new cabarets sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Even the well-known “Moulin Rouge” appeared at that time. Alas! Gradually, modernist cabarets with the extravagances and whims of bohemia became a thing of the past. They were replaced by more vulgar establishments. Today, when we hear the word “cabaret,” many of us, at best, remember the film “Cabaret” with Liza Minnelli or “Moulin Rouge” with Nicole Kidman. “The Black Cat” could not compete with “Moulin Rouge”, but it fulfilled its historical mission: it turned an ordinary tavern into a platform for experiments in art, revealing new artistic forms and new talents to the world. Sali broke the medieval stereotype of fear of the black cat, making it a symbol of art, intelligence and satire. When the “Chat Noir” cabaret became history, the black cat set off to travel the world to inspire people to be beautiful. Merci beaucuop, Monsieur Chat Noir, for Paris, Montmartre, cabaret and art nouveau!... Thank you, dear Black Cat, for high art!

Do you want to become part of the bohemians, regulars at the cabaret? Then Rene Prevost's recommendations are for you!

1. Whenever possible, be late for the start, so that those who arrived earlier will understand that you have other things to do.
2. Upon entering, hand your coat to the cloakroom attendant: let everyone see that you are not up to anything bad and that your coat is new.
3. When sitting down, try to make as much noise as possible. Change seats several times until you find a chair that completely satisfies you with its shape.
4. Read the menu and wine list loudly and expressively to your companion. If you can, memorize them, and tell the waiter succinctly: “Later!”
5. Having taken care of your physical well-being in this way, join in the performance. First, give the entertainer a long, contemptuous look. Being, without a doubt, an ass, he must feel your spiritual superiority.
6. Time the noises you make so that they occur at moments when they are least expected. Such subtle calculation on your part will greatly enliven the program.
7. If you are a woman, be bold and witty in criticizing the actress's dress. (When looking at the details, do not forget to use a lorgnette.)
8. During song numbers, direct the smoke from the cigarette towards the stage. Inhaling it, the singer will enjoy it, and his voice will become softer and more velvety from the smoke.
9. As the performance progresses, casually clink your glass and tap your cutlery. These pleasant sounds will make up for the absence of an orchestra.
10. Tired of a long, boring program and outraged by the bill brought, leave the room noisily as you entered it, and with the consciousness of a pleasant evening.

We dedicate this issue of the cat almanac to Paris -
beautiful, beloved, eternal.

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In the second half of the 19th century, Paris was gripped by real cat mania, and it only intensified with each decade. It can be said without exaggeration that a good half century of French culture has passed under the sign of the cat. For Parisian bohemians there was no animal more important than a cat. What kind of symbols - philosophical, poetic, mystical - were not seen in it!

Henri Charles Gerard. Black cat. 1883

The first herald of cat mania was Champfleury’s collection “Cats,” which was extremely popular in its time, released in 1869. Chanfleury's collection is a kind of prototype of our cat almanac "Cats Through the Ages", or vice versa - this book has become an unattainable ideal, to which we, with modest strength, strive.

Cat against the backdrop of Montmartre
The author of the photo could not be identified

Chanfleury (1821-1889, real name Jules Husson Fleury) was a well-known writer and short story writer in the circles of Parisian bohemians; together with his friend Gustave Courbet, he advocated the return of painting to realism, was interested in folk art and wrote essays on a variety of issues - about theater, caricature, Japanese prints and ceramics; for 17 years he was the curator of the Serves porcelain manufactory.
If this bright and versatile person is remembered now, it is primarily thanks to his book “Cats. History, customs, observations, anecdotes” (Les Chats, histoire, moeurs, observations, anecdotes). There is no need to guess for a long time what “muse” inspired Chanfleury - it was the same black cat that Edouard Manet depicted in the corner of the canvas in his infamous painting “Olympia” (we talked about this in the cat almanac). That is why the lithograph of the same Manet “Cats at a Rendezvous” was used for the advertising poster of Chanfleury’s book. It is not difficult to recognize the black cat on the roof as a prototype from Olympia.

Poster of Chanfleury's book "Cats" with Edouard Manet's lithograph "Cats at a Rendezvous". 1869

The popularity of the book was so great that after the first edition in 1870, two more followed, and then two more - more luxurious and significantly supplemented with texts and illustrations. Chanfleury's book was a real cat encyclopedia, which talked about cats in ancient civilizations, about the traditions of different peoples associated with cats, about cat heraldry, about cats in art and literature. The book has chapters on cats' friends and enemies, as well as many wise sayings about cats.

Edmond Morin. Friendly cartoon on Chanfleury. Illustration from the book "Cats". 1869

The illustrations for the book are an invaluable collection of cat images of all times and peoples. In addition to “Cats at a Rendezvous,” the fifth edition of the book included a magnificent etching by Edouard Manet “Cat and Flowers,” which depicts a cat on a balcony next to a ceramic vase. In the etching, Manet's passion for Japanese engraving is clearly felt. Japanese prints, of course, had a place in Chanfleury’s book! Let us take as an example the work of Ando Hiroshige, whom we have talked about more than once in. Vignettes with cats printed in Venice coexist in the book with the Russian popular print “How mice buried a cat” and with an old French engraving “Cat Concert”.

Etching by Edouard Manet "Cat and Flowers" from Chanfleury's book "Cats". 1870

Among the great cat lovers of France and other countries, Chanfleury presented Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Hoffmann, Baudelaire and Victor Hugo. Talking about the Parisian catmania, which, if not provoked, then at least strengthened by Chanfleury’s book, we continue his traditions.

Book frontispiece Chanfleury "Cats" with a portrait of Victor Hugo's cat Chanoine
and a quotation from Joseph Méry, written in Hugo's hand:
“God created the cat so that man would have a tiger to pet.”

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Mei Belfort's lunch menu design. 1896

The word “cabaret” that excites us so much, in which beauties dance, translated from French simply means “zucchini”. The first Parisian cabaret, “The Black Cat” (Le Chat noir), was opened in 1881 by Rodolphe Salis in Montmartre. However, for this idea we must also thank Louis Napoleon, who, upon becoming Emperor of France in 1852, banned the singing of traditional songs - chanson - in public places, that is, on fairgrounds and crowded city streets. Café-chantant or cafe-cabaret became a refuge for chansonniers.

Theophile Alexander Steinlen. Cabaret poster " Le Chat Noir" . 1886
The poster has become one of the symbols of Paris.

It would seem that the chansonniers found a new home for themselves, but then another ban followed. The authorities banned piano playing in such establishments, as the police believed that the music could drown out unwanted conversations on political topics. However, Salis was able to get this ban lifted for the Black Cat, installed an instrument in the establishment and invited such famous composers as Debussy and Satie there. And the competitors could only envy. The popularity of the "Black Cat" grew, and in 1885 the cabaret moved to another, more spacious premises, in which its regulars were even able to organize a shadow theater.

Cabaret" Le Chat Noir" on Boulevard Clichy

Running cabarets turned out to be a profitable business, and they began to spring up throughout France. The "Black Cat" has competitors, for example, "Mirmilton" by Aristide Bruant, in which the famous artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec drew his inspiration. Bruant himself started in the Black Cat. Even before the singing began, he surprised visitors with his costume: a red sweater, a black velvet jacket, high boots and a long red scarf. He performed under the stage name Astrid Bruant - the star of Montmartre and sang songs about the life of Paris at night not in classical French, but in Parisian argot.

Aristide Bruant. Poster from 1892

It is clear that with such a background, cabarets and cafés were surrounded by the aroma of forbidden fruit, bohemianism, but also civil protest. To visit there very soon became practically the duty of every, as they said in the nineteenth century, “thinking” person. And if you add that absinthe was served there, it becomes clear why all the bohemians of those times gathered at the Black Cat. According to Salis, here you could “pat the most famous people in Paris on the shoulder and meet foreigners from all over the world.” Regular visitors included Maupassant, Caran d'Ache, Paul Verlaine, Claude Debussy, Eric Satie, Jules Laforgue, Alphonse Allais, Charles Cros, Leon Blois, Jean Moreas, Maurice Rollina, Aristide Bruant, Albert Samen, Jean Lorrain, Paul Signac, Jeanne Avril, Yvette Guilbert, August Strindberg and others. The French critic and novelist Paul Bourget wrote about “The Black Cat”: “This is a fantastic gathering of poets and artists, journalists and students, office workers and just revelers, not to mention models, ladies of the demimonde and noble ladies seeking thrills."

Cabaret Party " Le Chat Noir"
Pay attention to the cat motifs in the decoration of the hall.


In the cabaret " Le Chat Noir"

To maintain the prestige of the cabaret, Salis published a bi-weekly magazine, The Black Cat. The first 688 issues were published between January 1882 and March 1895. After this, 122 more issues were published, the last one appeared on September 30, 1897. The magazine embodied the fin-de-siècle spirit. Poets and chansonniers who composed for the cabaret itself, as well as those who created the scenery for the cabaret, took part in its creation. It was in this magazine that the first articles by Jean Lorrain, one of the scandalous writers of the Belle Epoque, appeared; Paul Verlaine and Jean Richpin were also published there.

Magazine " Le Chat Noir"

After Salis’s death, the cabaret existed for another two years, then the establishment was sold, but its memory remains to this day, and artistic cafes similar to the “Black Cat” began to appear throughout Europe. Especially many of them appeared before the First World War: in Berlin, St. Petersburg and, of course, in Paris. Even the leader of the world proletariat V.I. Lenin visited these establishments. True, as N.K. Krupskaya recalls, he went there exclusively to listen to the progressive chansonnier Montagus, and did not even look at the dancers. But that's a completely different story.

Regular readers of the cat almanac remember how quickly cats worked in the city, promoting a variety of products. In France at the end of the 19th century, when advertising posters were increasingly emerging as an independent genre, cats occupied a prominent place on posters.

Henri Gerbaut. Hot chocolate advertisement

This happened largely thanks to the exceptionally cat-loving poster master Alexander Theophile Steinlen. Although the compositional center of Steinlen’s posters remains the human figure (in product advertising this is most often an adorable, elegant child), it is the cats that give the poster dynamics and drama. A beautiful silhouette, bright contrasting color spots, entertainment, the charm of a cozy home, a feeling of happiness - cats bring all this to Steinlen’s posters.

Theophile Alexander Steinlen. Poster
"Pure sterilized milk." Late 19th century

Let's look at the poster “Sterilized milk”. A girl in a red dress drinks milk from a saucer, colorful cats at her feet are impatiently waiting for their turn. On a poster advertising tea and cocoa, a cat is eager to try a hot drink from a cup, and a girl protects the cup with her hand.

Theophile Alexander Steinlen. Advertisement for tea and cocoa. 1895

Theophile Alexander Steinlen. Advertising for the veterinary hospital "Sharon"

Théophile Steinlen

Theophile Steinlen. Poster for an exhibition of animal artists. 1909

To choose the main cat lover among the Parisian artists of that time, you don’t have to think long: this is, of course, Théophile Alexander Steinlein (1859-1923). The name of this artist has already been mentioned in our edition of the cat almanac. A native of Switzerland, Steinlen turned into a true Frenchman and was his own man among the Parisian bohemia. He started in Paris as an ordinary draftsman, and became one of the “fathers” of the modern poster. It was Steinlen, who adored cats (friends called his Parisian home the “cat house”), who created the famous poster for the Black Cat cabaret with a yellow-eyed, graceful, completely black cat. In addition to posters and posters, Steinlen created many illustrations for newspapers, magazines and books, but his talent was most clearly manifested in countless paintings, drawings and sculptures dedicated to cats. Depicting cats, Steinlen brilliantly combined realistic persuasiveness with the whimsical decorativeness of the Art Nouveau style.

Poster for the Théophile Steinlen exhibition. 1894

A sheet from Steinlen's large-format album "Les Chats" with scenes from the life of cats. 1898

Cat on the railing. 1896

A child in a Pierrot costume with a cat. 1889

Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon (Marie-Clementine Valad, 1865 - 1938) - muse of Montmartre, illegitimate daughter of a washerwoman who became an artist. A seamstress, nanny, waitress, vegetable seller, circus performer, she has been drawing since childhood. Model of Puvis de Chavannes, Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, Amedeo Modigliani, depicted on dozens of famous paintings. Mother of the artist Maurice Utrillo, the only lover of the composer Erik Satie. Her portraits and self-portraits can be used to create a solid exhibition; her life is material for an unrealistic novel about Parisian bohemia.

Suzanne Valadon with her son Maurice Utrillo ,
husband Andre Utter and cat Raminou. 1919

Marcel Leprin. Suzanne Valadon and her cat. Early 20th century

The self-taught Valadon hid her paintings from her artist friends for a long time; she worked on other canvases for years, trying to bring the work to perfection. And when she finally dared to consider herself an artist, she was accepted into the National Society of Fine Arts in 1894. In 1915, her first personal exhibition took place. Valadon kept a goat at home, which she instructed to eat unsuccessful works, and pampered her many cats - on Friday, a fast day, they “like good Catholics” ate exclusively caviar instead of fish. Cats - and above all her favorite Raminou - found a place on the hostess’s canvases in the mature period of her work. Raminou was extremely lucky - he firmly entered the history of art. This tabby ginger cat, judging by the dates of creation of the paintings, posed for his owner throughout his long cat life. Most likely, in the photo with her son Maurice Utrillo and her husband Andre Utter, Suzanne Valadon is holding Raminou in her arms.

Jane Fill with a cat. 1919

Two cats. 1918

Cat on a chair. 1918

Miss Lily Walton with her cat. 1922

Louison and Raminou. 1920

Raminou sitting on the carpet. 1920
Raminou with a bouquet. 1919

Raminou. 1922

Raminou and a jug with carnations. 1932

Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) - writer, poet, playwright, artist, film director - dearly loved cats, dedicated poems and drawings to them. Cocteau has one of the most heartfelt statements about cats: “I adore cats because I love my home and because they gradually become its visible soul. This is a kind of active silence emanating from fluffy fur, deaf to commands, calls and reproaches.” And one more thing: “I prefer cats to dogs, if only because there are no police cats.”

The spirit of imaginary tenderness lurks under a bushel
His crystal eyes, burning emerald.
He lies and seems to have forgotten about everything around him,
Purrs in his sleep, and this quiet sound
More and more gives off vague anxiety.
And now he stretches and little by little
Trying out how to play with the beam.
Then he stands up, his back arched, his mustache erect,
And suddenly, having sat down, he washes himself, agile,
And the pink tongue slides over the black fur.

Jean Cocteau
(Translation by M. Yasnov)

Parisian Cat Friends Club brooch based on a design by Jean Cocteau

Cocteau's painting in the Church of Saint Blaise des Simples in Milly-la-Forêt, where he was subsequently buried. 1959


Exclusive gold brooch based on a sketch by Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau and Leonard Fujita at a cat competition sponsored by the Parisian Cat Friends Club.
Fujita holds in her arms the crowned winner of the competition - the queen of feline beauty.

Leonard Fujita

Tsuguharu Fujita (1886-1968), aka Leonard Fujita, - Japanese artist, conquered by Paris and conquered Paris, a great lover and friend of cats. We once dedicated our 2014 cat calendar to Leonard Fujita, so today we publish several of his characteristic works and refer readers to the cat calendar.

Self-portrait in the studio

Drawing from the "Book of Cats", published jointly
with poet and writer Michael Joseph. 1930

Place Vendôme. 1951

Palais Royal. 1951

Leonor Fini

Leonor Fini (1907-1996), a French surrealist artist, designer and illustrator originally from Argentina, was a capricious and charming woman, like a magnificent cat, and even considered herself a cat. “The cat next to us is a warm, fluffy, mustachioed and purring gift from a lost paradise,” said Leonor Fini. She kept several Persian cats at home (in total there were 19 cats in her long life!), often drew them, loved to take pictures with them According to the recollections of friends, Leonor was surrounded by cats day and night. Collectors joke that Fini’s works are easy to attribute - cat fur stuck to the canvases, they are always scratched cat claws. The cats in her house were allowed everything: to sleep in the mistress’s bed, to participate in meals, looking for the tastiest morsels on the dish, and woe to the guest who expressed dissatisfaction with this.

Photo by Martin Frank

Photo by Dora Maar. 1936

Studio Leonor Fini. 1990

Student

Ideal life. 1950

Feeney's cats look more like aliens than animals. Look at the painting “Sunday Afternoon”: huge, strong cats with intelligent faces and otherworldly eyes treat people as equals. This picture makes you shiver: who is the boss here and who is the pet? Fini never parted with the original painting and always took the canvas with her.

Sunday afternoon. 1980

Kill. 1979

Colette

The legendary French writer Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, 1873 - 1954) adored cats all her life. In many of her novels cats appear as companions of the heroes or as independent characters. Colette has wonderful sayings about cats, for example: “The love of cats can only enrich you. Is it not for this reason that I have been seeking their company for half a century now?” ("Vine"). In the novel Colette "The Cat" the action develops around a love triangle: she, he and his cat named Saga.

Cats accompanied the writer (who, by the way, in her youth made money by acting in music halls, including as a cat in love) not only on the pages of her works, but also in life. In any city, in any apartment, with each of the husbands or beloved Colette was surrounded by cats: Nonosh, Bijou, Musette, Seraya, Kiki-la-Doucette and many, many others. Colette named the Chartreux cat, which became the prototype of Saga from the novel “The Cat,” the Last. This name became prophetic, because after the death of her favorite (and they say that the latter helped the writer in literally everything, and constantly followed on her heels), Colette stopped having cats and was content with the company of stray cats near her house.

Jacques Nam

Among Parisian cat-loving artists, a worthy place belongs to the graphic artist and sculptor Jacques Lehmann Nam (1881-1974). Already at a young age, he began drawing cats in his parents' house. While studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Jacques spent long hours in the zoological garden, making sketches of animals. If Nam once cheated on his favorite topic - animals, and especially cats - while working as a cartoonist in newspapers, he did it only for the sake of earning money. Having met Colette, he quickly found a relationship with the writer mutual language and in 1929 he illustrated her book “Seven Dialogues with Animals”, and in 1935 - the novel “Cats”. He himself wrote poems about cats, and in 1960 he published the collection “Eux mes Chats,” which included 45 poems with 70 illustrations. In 1971, at the age of 90, Nam presented his works at an exhibition in London, along with the works of his famous compatriot Théophile Steinlen.

Siamese cat. 1920

Cat behind the toilet

Illustration from "Le Sourire". 1911

Life of a Parisian. 1913

Cat tenderness: steel claws on velvet paws.

Pages from the collection "Eux mes Chats"

To be continued!

“Passer, stop!...

This building, whose patron

is the Black Cat,

dedicated to the Muses and pleasure.

Passerby, be a modern person!”

If you were lucky enough to visit the capital of France, then probably one of the souvenirs that you brought back in memory of this unforgettable city was Black cat (Sha Noir from the French Le Chat Noir), which has become as famous a symbol of Paris as the Eiffel Tower or the Moulin Rouge cabaret.

Thousands of his images can be found on a wide variety of souvenirs - from clothing, posters and postcards, to magnets and mugs.

And this story began in the second half of the 19th century, when Paris was gripped by real cat mania, and about half a century of French culture passed under the sign of cats.

Only by the beginning of the 19th century, attitudes towards cats in France, and in Catholic Europe as a whole, began to gradually change for the better. Previously, they were exterminated and humiliated for many centuries.

Cats have lived in Paris since the Roman era. About 700 years ago, the powerful Catholic Church began the merciless extermination of cats, which were held in high esteem in the East.

The love of cats for night walks, their mysterious and silent movement, eyes glowing at night and freedom-loving character have become the reason for the identification of these independent and graceful animals with witches and evil spirits.

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII declared that cats were “pagan beasts in league with the devil” and issued a decree condemning heretics, witches and their cats to torture and torment in the dungeons of the Inquisition throughout Europe.

Various tortures were invented for cats: they were burned at the stake, drowned, and thrown from towers.

Cats were regularly burned alive en masse on the sinister Place de Greve, which was the site of public executions that attracted crowds of thousands during the Middle Ages.

Such ruthless destruction of cats led to a decrease in their numbers in Europe by 90%, as a result of which a huge number of rats multiplied in the cities and towns of Europe.

Rats were spreaders of fleas, carriers of a terrible disease - bubonic plague, which in the Middle Ages was called the “Black Death”.

Fleas are carriers of bubonic plague. But in the Middle Ages, the Black Death was believed to be caused by witchcraft and was blamed on heretics, witches and their cats.

In the 14th century, the bubonic plague swept through Europe and parts of Asia, destroying from a quarter to half of the population. While the Black Death was raging, people had no time for cats and the number of animals increased. The cats began to kill the rats and stopped the spread of the disease.

However, the extermination of cats different ways continued for several more centuries, and plague epidemics repeatedly devastated European countries.

The turning point in attitudes towards cats was the refusal of the powerful Cardinal Jean du Plessis Richelieu (1585–1642, cardinal from 1622) from the medieval church theory that linked cats with diabolical forces.

The Cardinal's palace, the Palais Cardinal, was inhabited by more than 20 cats. They were the only living beings to whom Richelieu completely trusted and was sincerely attached.

Moreover, the most favorite animal of the de facto ruler of France was the coal-black cat Lucifer.

Possessing an iron character, Cardinal Richelieu could not boast of good health from his youth. He was plagued by depression, headaches and joint disease, which confined Richelieu to bed for many weeks, despite all the efforts of the court doctors. Only cats, silence and semi-darkness were able to alleviate the cardinal's physical suffering.

Cat therapy also had a side effect - Richelieu’s clothes were always covered with wool. This circumstance was the reason for the breakup between Richelieu and Queen Anne of Austria, who had a severe allergy to animal fur.

Richelieu did not forget about his furry healers even before his death, leaving them the lion's share of his fortune and full maintenance.

However, immediately after the death of the cardinal, all of his furry companions were destroyed by order of the king.

In 1648, after the death of Richelieu, King Louis XIV, who hated the cardinal and cats in general, personally lit a huge fire on the Place de Greve, in which dozens of black cats were destroyed, after which he began to dance around the fire.

Willful and independent cats have always evoked conflicting feelings among different classes of society.

In the 17th-18th centuries, in rich houses in France, cats enjoyed the privileges of the master's favorites, and commoners often lived in worse conditions than domestic animals and transferred their class hatred to them.

At the end of the 30s. XVIII century happened in Paris on Rue Saint-Severin great cat massacre. The riot was started by two printers named Jerome and Leveiller, who protested that they were treated worse than cats.

And yet, attitudes towards cats in France gradually changed for the better. In the 17th century, cats began to appear in the paintings of French painters, as full members of the family.

Le Nain Louis (1598-1648), "The Peasant Family in the Interior"

Le Nain Louis, "Rural Family"

For the Parisian bohemians of the 19th century, the cat became a symbol of independence, creativity and freedom of morals.

Cats were endowed with philosophical, mystical and poetic symbols.

Created a furor among the French public black cat, which appeared in the painting “Olympia” by E. Manet (1832-1883), exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1865.

A great contribution to the promotion of love for cats was made by Champfleury’s extremely popular collection “Cats. History, manners, observations, anecdotes" (Les Chats, histoire, moeurs, observations, anecdotes), published in 1869.

Chanfleury (1821-1889, real name Jules Husson Fleury) was a well-known writer and short story writer in the circles of Parisian bohemians; together with his friend Gustave Courbet, he advocated the return of painting to realism, was interested in folk art and wrote essays on a variety of issues - about theater, caricature, Japanese prints and ceramics. But first of all, in our time, this bright and versatile person is remembered for his book about cats.

Chanfleury's book was a veritable encyclopedia that told about cats in ancient civilizations; about the traditions associated with them in the cultures of different peoples; about cat heraldry and cats in art and literature. The book contained chapters dedicated to the friends and enemies of cats and many wise sayings about these graceful and independent animals.

The popularity of the book was so great that the first edition was followed in 1869 by four more - more luxurious and significantly supplemented with texts and illustrations.

The illustrations for the book were a unique collection of cat images of all times and peoples.

Here are some examples.

Edmond Morin. Friendly cartoon on Chanfleury. Illustration from the book “Cats”. 1869

Etching by Edouard Manet “Cat and Flowers” ​​from Chanfleury’s book “Cats”. 1870

Book frontispieceChanfleury “Cats” with a portrait of Victor Hugo’s cat Chanoine
and a quotation from Joseph Méry, written in Hugo's hand:
“God created the cat so that man would have a tiger to pet.”

And so, in the wake of this growing popularity of Parisian cats, in 1881, Baron de la Tour de Nentre, better known as Rodolphe Salis.

The establishment was given a name “Chat Noir” (“Sha Noir” or “Black Cat”), in honor of the skinny stray black cat picked up by Sali on the night street of Montmartre.

The Black Cat Cafe by Rodolphe Saly soon became in bohemian circles a symbol of art, freedom and independence from stupid bourgeois foundations. Its first emblem featured a black cat with its paw on a defeated goose - a symbol of the stupid man in the street.

Soon the cafe turned into the first Parisian cabaret, where you could not only drink, but also listen to music, dance or watch dancing beauties.

In those days, the Montmartre area was not yet synonymous with art, it was a picturesque countryside with windmills and unpaved streets along which goats, ducks and chickens roamed.

This unsafe place had a bad reputation among the respectable bourgeoisie, who contemptuously nicknamed the local residents “canaille” (hence the canals), since Montmartre was then inhabited by poor people, thieves, prostitutes, and poor artists, actors, musicians and poets who could not afford to rent housing even in the cheap Latin Quarter.

Sali decided to turn the Black Cat into the most fashionable place in Montmartre - a center of art and entertainment.

Entrance was free for creative individuals - artists, poets, musicians, actors. Knowing that many were not at all averse to drinking, Sali bought their creations for alcohol, which then decorated his establishment. Talented poets, singers, and musicians performed at the Black Cat practically for free. The main condition is the element of surprise and theatricality. The keeper of the establishment himself, a black cat, slept on a real palm tree.

Cabarets and cafe-chantants were surrounded by the aroma of forbidden fruit, bohemianism, but also civil protest. To visit there very soon became practically the duty of every, as they said in the nineteenth century, “thinking” person. According to Rodolphe Saly, here one could “pat the most famous people in Paris on the shoulder and meet foreigners from all over the world.”

Regular visitors to the Black Cat were Maupassant, Caran d'Ache, Paul Verlaine, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Jules Laforgue and many others. French critic and novelist Paul Bourget wrote about “The Black Cat”: “This is a fantastic gathering of poets and artists, journalists and students, office workers and just revelers, not to mention models, demimonde ladies and noble ladies looking for thrills.”

It was a wonderful and creative time, a flourishing of the economy, culture, art and science in France and other European countries, called the “Belle Epoque” (“Belle Epoque” from the French. Belle Époque), a period of history starting from the last decades of the 19th century and 1914.

The popularity of the “Black Cat” grew, and in 1885 the cabaret moved to another, more spacious premises on the Boulevard Clichy in Montmartre, in which its regulars were even able to organize a shadow theater.

And Sali entrusted the creation of the advertising poster - a symbol of the cabaret, designed to attract visitors to the "Black Cat" - to his good friend artist Théophile Alexander Steinlen, also a former regular "Chat Noir" and belonged to the Parisian bohemia.

Steinlen was born in Lausanne, came to Paris and settled in Montmartre. He made his living by drawing advertising posters. It was a profitable trade because restaurants and taverns attracted visitors through advertising.

Steinlen was very fond of cats and quickly realized that if he made cute children and cats the main characters of his posters, they would undoubtedly attract the attention of sentimental Parisians.

Theophile Steinlen created many illustrations for newspapers, magazines and books, but his talent was most clearly manifested in countless paintings, drawings and sculptures dedicated to cats. Depicting cats, Steinlen brilliantly combined realistic persuasiveness with the whimsical decorativeness of the Art Nouveau style.

In 1896, Théophile Steinlen painted the famous “Tournee du Chat Noir” poster, which to this day remains not only the hallmark of the cabaret, but also one of the symbols of Paris, and Théophile Steinlen himself is still considered an unsurpassed “cat” master of the brush. Many of his works are dedicated to these graceful animals.

Copies of this lithograph were distributed throughout Paris, and the originals of his posters became collector's items and are sold in antique shops.

To maintain the cabaret's prestige, Saly published a bi-weekly magazine, The Black Cat, in which Steinlen contributed his illustrations until September 1897, when the Black Cat cabaret closed two years after the death of its talented creator, Rodolphe Saly.

Today, when we hear the word “cabaret,” many of us first of all remember the film “Cabaret” with Liza Minnelli or “Moulin Rouge” with Nicole Kidman.

“The Black Cat” could not compete with “Moulin Rouge”, but it fulfilled its historical mission: it turned an ordinary tavern into a platform for experiments in art, revealing new artistic forms and new talents to the world.

Rodolphe Saly broke the medieval stereotype of fear of the black cat, making it a symbol of art, intelligence and satire. When the “Chat Noir” cabaret became history, the black cat went with tourists to travel around the world to inspire creative people and remind beautiful city Paris.

On the Boulevard of Clichy in Montmartre, today you can go to the Black Cat tavern, although this is not the same cabaret that existed in the 19th century. A new establishment with the same name was opened in our time.

Cats now live peacefully alongside Parisians. No one would think of offending these mysterious and graceful animals, and if such are found, animal protection societies come to the defense of the cats. Cats calmly stroll along the streets, sit on rooftops, looking down on city life.

True, during the day, when noisy Paris is filled with tourists, cats prefer to relax in quiet courtyards and squares, but after dark, cats lead the most active lifestyle here.

A black cat observes the life of modern Montmartre.

And on September 15, 2013, the first cat cafe “Cafe des Chats” opened in Paris and immediately became one of the popular places among residents of the French capital and among its guests.

Now in Paris there are already two cafes belonging to the same chain “Cafe des Chats”, where you can communicate with animals, pet them and even pick them up, but you cannot feed them food from your plate and you cannot disturb them when they are sleeping.

In a cat cafe, people can not only drink coffee and relax in a cozy home environment, but also make up for the lack of communication with animals, which is especially important for those who, for some reason, cannot keep cats at home. Cats help relieve stress, normalize blood pressure and stabilize heartbeat. They also significantly improve mood and help people communicate more freely.

Each cafe “works” about a dozen specially trained affectionate cats (all were rescued from shelters), which attract more and more new customers and give them happiness :)

So good traditions "Chat Noir" continue, and my coal cat, who is exactly like his French brother, both in appearance and in his playful bohemian character, approves of this in every possible way :)

The best antidepressant and a container of vices, the embodiment of comfort and tenderness, grace and independence... Having overcome a long path from a demon and a deity to an ordinary representative of the city fauna, cats have turned into an unspoken symbol of Paris. The ZagraNitsa portal will tell how the Black Cat became the king of souvenir shops in the French capital

The drawn Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat) has long become one of the symbols of Paris along with, and the cabaret "". An image of a sitting black-haired cat can be found in almost every souvenir shop: on cups, T-shirts, sweaters, posters... We will now tell you where this image came from. But let's start from afar.

Domestic cats spread across Europe from Ancient Greece. Thanks to the Egyptian cult, animals were created comfortable living conditions. Cats were considered exotic and luxurious pets, they were groomed and cherished in every possible way. And in those days weasels were used to catch mice.

Everything changed during the Middle Ages. For European cats they have become a real hell! Because of the ability to see in the dark and other “strange” habits, church ministers attributed to the animals a closeness to evil spirits.

The Inquisition has declared a real war on the tailed creatures! So, in Paris, cats were publicly burned on the Place de Greve.

However, over time, keeping mustachioed striped animals ceased to be bad manners.

For example, the famous Cardinal Richelieu loved cats very much and bequeathed after his death to surround dozens of his favorites with care.

In France, cats accompanied their owners to salons. The aristocrats kept the ashes of their pets in exquisite urns, and their portraits were commissioned from famous medalists and artists.

The independent cat's disposition appealed to representatives of the bohemians of the 19th century: writers, artists, musicians who valued freedom and rejected bourgeois principles.

Free artists earned little, so they could only afford very modest and simple housing. One of the poorest areas then was Montmartre - home to the poor, prostitutes and criminals of all stripes. It was here, in the criminal heart of the capital, that the legendary image of the “Black Cat” was born.

On November 18, 1881, the Parisian impresario, the son of a wealthy brewer, Rudolf Saly, opened the Le Chat Noir (“Black Cat”) tavern on the Boulevard Rochechouart in Montmartre.

There were few visitors, and the owner realized that he needed bright and memorable advertising. Rudolf Saly entrusted its creation to his friend, the artist Théophile Steinlen. Thus was born the symbol of independence and free morals of Paris: Le Chat Noir.