Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Le Général, 1728. Detail. |
Academia is
gradually turning to more “open access” methods of publishing rather than
depending on stuffy, expensive journals. Instead of the usual expensive subscription needed
to enjoy the latest research, the general public can now browse for themselves recent
scholarship free of charge. I’ve had the pleasure of discovering this week one
such resource: Journal18, described
as “the first journal dedicated to the field of eighteenth-century art history”.
Each issue has a theme, the latest one as of this writing being “Animals”.
Well, dear
cat lovers, I would invite you to read this excellent article which reflects on
the evolution of the cat as an allegory in 18th century art. It is a
fascinating journey through period representations of felines, the early days
of biology, philosophy, and political theory.
Freund, Amy, et Michael Yonan, « Cats: The Soft Underbelly of the
Enlightenment », Journal18: A Journal of Eighteenth-Century Art and
Culture, Volume 7, (Spring 2019). Online: http://www.journal18.org/issue7/cats-the-soft-underbelly-of-the-enlightenment/