Research in Progress-

Design: Theory, Making and Meaning

Louis Wain
(1860-1939)

Charlotte Johnson
Wahl
(1942-2021)
"Should the work of Louis Wain
be considered an expression of
himself or viewed as an
expression of his illness?”
Louis Willaim Wain
(1860-1939)
 "Tragedy and disappointment
seemed to follow him through his
life, often as a result of his inability
to come to terms with reality."
(Hitchman, Simon. 2020)

“example of the
thin borderline
between genius and insanity,
and in his way, he was
a genius”.
 Cat's Nightmare
(1890)
➢ The cats are snuggled in the bed experiencing the rather human

problem of nightmares.

➢ Louis Wain suffered from nightmares as a child.

➢ Louis Wain had said to be bothered by spirits day and night.

 Transition to 'Kaleidoscope Cats'
1924-1939

"His paintings and drawings became increasingly abstract. Dynamic,

highly patterned designs started to overtake the archetypal ‘Wain cat’,
inviting viewers into a new, vibrant world where felines became
frenzied and jagged, sometimes disappearing into kaleidoscopic
shapes”
(Bryony, Benge-Abbott. 2020)

"Wain’s progression into psychedelia is just one

aspect of his creative identity."
(Kennedy, P. 2016)
Kaleidoscope Cats
"intricately detailed, fractal
shapes full of unnaturally bright
colours."
(Milton, Joseph. 2011)

"demonstrate the
progression of the
schizophrenic mind. His
theory was that as the
sequence of cat
illustrations became more
fragmented, so too had
the artist’s mental state
deteriorated."
(Bryony, Benge-Abbott. 2020)

"Represents psychotic
deterioration and they've also
come to represent the notion of
mentally ill peoples work"
(O'Flynn, David. 2012)
 Ceramic Series
• "it offered a thrilling, intuitive method of exploring his favourite subject […]
'I never knew from one moment to another exactly what I was going to do. It
was the expression of a mood and it all came out as a surprise to me.”
Charlotte
Johnson Wahl
Ask, And Get, No Reassurance –1974
 Is the work of Louis Wain representative of himself or his illness

"Louis Wain’s life and

work deserves a wide-
ranging interpretation
that stretches far beyond
‘psychotic’ or ‘tortured
artist’.
(Kennedy, P. 2016)​

Shortears Began And Sung A Solo. “Cat with a cat necklace”.

Then All The Cats Joined And Sung (undated)
The Chorus To Madame’s Satisfaction
(1886)
 ▪ Bryony, Benge-Abbott. (2020) Louis Wain’s cryptic cats (no date) Wellcome

Bibliography
Collection. Available at:
https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/Xrqh1BAAACMAhHcl
▪ Beetles, Chris. (2021). Louis Wain's Cats, 2nd edn. United Kingdom, Canongate
Books.
▪ Cristina, Maria (2021) ‘Spooky Art: Cat’s Nightmare by Louis Wain’ Medium[online]
Available at: https://maria-cristina.medium.com/spooky-art-cats-nightmare-by-louis-
wain-interpretation-and-analysis-affee17a24c8 (Accessed: 30 October 2023)
▪ Dale, Rodney; Beetles, Chris. (2000) Louis Wain - The Man Who Drew Cats, 2nd edn.
London: Chris Beetles Ltd
▪ Hitchman, Simon (2020) Lost in Catland: the life of Louis Wain, Simon Hitchman.
[online] Available at: https://simon-hitchman.com/2020/04/21/lost-in-catland-the-life-
of-louis-wain/. (Accessed: 5 November 2023)
▪ Kennedy, P. (2016) Cute Cats and Psychedelia: The Tragic Life of Louis Wain -
Illustration Chronicles [online] Available at: https://illustrationchronicles.com/Cute-
Cats-and-Psychedelia-The-Tragic-Life-of-Louis-Wain. (Accessed October 28 2023)
▪ McGennis, Aidan. (1999). ‘Louis Wain: His life, his art and his mental illness.’ Irish
Journal of Psychological Medicine, 16(1), 27-28.
▪ Milton, Joseph. (2011) ‘How a mental disorder opened up an invisible world of colour
and pattern’. Creatology [online] Available at:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/creatology/how-a-mental-disorder-opened-up-an-
invisible-world-of-colour-and-pattern/ (Accessed 9 October 2023)
▪ O'Flynn, David. (2012) 'Two Men and Eight Cats: Louis Wain, Walter Maclay and the
Kaleidoscope Cats.' Bethlem Musuem of the Mind [online] Available
at: https://museumofthemind.org.uk/blog/two-men-and-eight-cats-louis-wain-walter-
maclay-and-the-kaleidoscope-cats (Accessed 2 November 2023)