Winter Garden

Wanda Gág sketched this jumble at the home of her friend, the American painter Alfred Maurer (1868–1932). When she eventually turned the sketch into a print, she added the cats. The pair at left echo the sinewy stems above their heads, and the striped cat echoes the giant leaves. Gág sought painting tips from every painter she met, and she befriended Maurer after corralling him at a gallery opening to ask about preparing canvases and grinding pigments. After this encounter, the reclusive Maurer sent her a spatula and a bottle of his prized oil to mix with her colors.