Russian Artist Finds an Unexpected Muse in Fat, Orange Cat

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By Andrea Romano2014-06-03 03:24:51 UTC

Behold Zarathustra, his purr-fect catness, lounging his way into history's greatest masterpieces.

The tubby tabby is house pet and muse to Russian artist Svetlana Petrova, creator of Fat Cat Art. According to an BBC news interview, Petrova was given the cat after her mother passed away in 2008. Out of a period of grief, an Internet star was born.

"By chance a friend asked me 'why don't you make an art project with your cat because he's so funny'," Petrova told the BBC.

By Petrova's use of digital imaging, Zarathustra has traveled across dozens of artistic time periods and countries, from the Italian Renaissance masters like Botticelli to modern artists like Edward Hopper. If we ever wanted to know what made the Mona Lisa smile, it's because she had a cute kitty in her lap.

Petrova and Zarathustra have an exhibition of their work in the UK through June 5. Fans of Fat Cat Art can see all of their feline masterpieces on Petrova's website.