Voor de katten

Koosje Wagenaar

Translating loosely from Dutch to For the Cats, this minimalist aquatint is executed in vivid red and cobalt, color choices that contrast with the softness of the scene and the ghostly figures of cats in the foreground (three full cats lounging in the front, with the outline of another’s ears placed sneakily along the sharp edge of the red hillside). A convergence of inspiration stemming from Japanese printmaking to the Pop art that dominated the contemporary 1960s art scene, Koosje Wagenaar’s “Voor de katten” is graphically strong, yet subtly playful.

Little is found on the life of the Dutch printmaker and designer, but Wagenaar has been active since the 1960s and, in addition to her prolific printmaking career, has also created three-dimensional works in collaboration with other artists, including the art for an updated metro station in Rotterdam and an interior wall of a government building in Zeewolde.