No discussion of Anderson’s work is quite complete without the murals. Cats from two of Anderson’s major murals are featured in this exhibition: the Little Room and the Ocean Springs Community Center. I think it is safe to say – Walter Anderson loved cats.
The Little Room, a mural depicting twenty-four hours of a Gulf Coast day, contains two very different cats. The first, we call the “Morning Cat” as it is on the wall depicting the sunrise, the “Evening Cat” is on the wall depicting late afternoon as the sun is setting.
Morning Cat
Walter Inglis Anderson
C. 1953
House paint
Gift of the Family of Walter Anderson
Morning cat is not your typical house cat. According to its relative size, form, and markings, we believe that Anderson is depicting an ocelot in this image. Although these creatures have been pushed to the southernmost point of Texas, until the 1970s they still roamed the woods of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.
Walter Inglis Anderson
C. 1953
House paint
Gift of the Family of Walter Anderson
Morning cat is not your typical house cat. According to its relative size, form, and markings, we believe that Anderson is depicting an ocelot in this image. Although these creatures have been pushed to the southernmost point of Texas, until the 1970s they still roamed the woods of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.
Evening Cat
Walter Inglis Anderson
C. 1953
House paint
Gift of the Family of Walter Anderson
Evening cat is a black cat fit for slinking through the night. Its bright green eyes study each visitor to the little room, carefully weighing whether they be friend or foe. Walter Anderson had a particular affinity for black cats. According to family stories, there was a momma cat that would bring her three kittens (two striped and one black) to get treats from Anderson. Walter Anderson was especially fond of the little black kitten and related to him, thinking of them both as social outcasts.
Walter Inglis Anderson
C. 1953
House paint
Gift of the Family of Walter Anderson
Evening cat is a black cat fit for slinking through the night. Its bright green eyes study each visitor to the little room, carefully weighing whether they be friend or foe. Walter Anderson had a particular affinity for black cats. According to family stories, there was a momma cat that would bring her three kittens (two striped and one black) to get treats from Anderson. Walter Anderson was especially fond of the little black kitten and related to him, thinking of them both as social outcasts.
Community Center Cat
Walter Inglis Anderson
1950-51
House Paint
Ocean Springs Community Center
Walter Inglis Anderson
1950-51
House Paint
Ocean Springs Community Center
