Tashkent-based Uzbek artist Eldar Zakirov digitally painted portraits of cats for Hermitage Magazine as though they are refined gentlemen in royal attire. Styling his whimsical renditions like classic oil paintings, there is an unbelievably realistic quality to them that makes the viewer question whether they’re actually looking at accurate depictions of cats dressed in formal uniforms.
Cats have always had an air of regality about them and now Zakirov’s digital paintings heighten that sense of elitism and prestige. Fitfully clothed in what appear to be fine fabrics, intricately patterned and designed with embellishments, each of these whiskered figures exude an imposing (though also amusing) confidence. They represent a feline court where even the “waiter cat” is in a three-piece tuxedo.
