Tuong Tuong and the imagination sparked by Alex Colville's "Cat on Fence"
"Cat on Fence" by Alex Colville: The Magic of the Real in the Contemplation of Everyday Life
Alex Colville, a Canadian painter known for his Magical Realism style, presents in Cat on Fence (1956) a composition that, at first glance, seems quite simple: a scene of a cat perched on a wooden fence, fixed on a point in front. However, upon closer inspection, this everyday image transforms into something profound and disturbing, evoking reflections on the role of attention and silence in life.
Colville's style of Magical Realism is defined by the realistic depiction of ordinary scenes, but imbued with an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, as if each detail possessed an invisible and enigmatic charge. In Cat on Fence , this magic emerges in the tension that Colville creates by combining an ordinary scene with a sense of surveillance and isolation. The cat, a figure of serenity and alertness, seems to be deeply aware of the environment, becoming a mirror of our own search for meaning in everyday moments.
This use of elements from animal life is not a coincidence, but rather an artistic device to communicate universal feelings of observation and patience. The cat on the fence represents the very essence of Magical Realism: as a witness to the world, it is simultaneously an independent and attentive being, symbolizing the boundary between what is near and what remains unknown. This isolation is heightened by the clean composition and minimalist tones of the work, reflecting an almost meditative clarity. There is a contrast between the serenity of the animal and the possible presence of something we cannot see – perhaps prey, or simply the emptiness of the field before it.
Colville makes us wonder what this cat might be observing and what it tells us about ourselves. The work seems to remind us that even in our fast-paced, noisy lives, there are times when we need to pause and take a patient, attentive look. Like the cat on the fence, we too can find quiet richness in observing the simplest details of everyday life.
The context of his creation, in the 1950s, post-World War II, adds an additional layer of meaning. The desire to find beauty and depth in the mundane can be seen as an act of reconciliation and peace with everyday life. Colville’s Magical Realism is not fanciful, but rather anchored in reality; it is magical because it reveals the wonder and mystery of what is already here, before our eyes, if we are willing to look.
Cat on Fence is ultimately a reflection on the stillness and wonder of simply being present. Colville invites us into a space of introspection, where animal and human life meet in silence. It is a call to stop and see – really see – and perhaps discover, in the silence and observation, something profound and inexplicable that enriches and soothes us.