April 8, 1987

Cats and books is what this blog is about. These pictures are tidily timely then. They are by a Swiss artist, Francis Knopf. Not sure about his birth date but we do have his father's.





From the artist's website , I think, we learn his father's dates: April 17 1912 to April 8, 1987. And more about his parents, Georges and Lucette Knopf Knopf-Moreillon:

Jean Georges 17.4.1912-8.4.1987 in Lausanne. Accountant at Lavanchy in Lausanne, then secretary of the cervix.Masson, Intelligence Services during the 1939-45 war, and chief of staff and 1A contributor to the state General Staff in Bern, Colonel rank. Wife Lucette, born Moreillon. They have four children: David Jean Francois Daniel, Simone Agnes, Denise Suzanne.

There is more information about Knopf the artist here, and we excerpt:

"The wildlife painter François Knopf exposes his strange paintings: different kinds of animals, often of big size, moving in an unadapted world. Animals painted in a realistic way but atmosphe lightly surreal or in all cases strange. The bison at breakfast and bisons on a training way, the hippopotamus looking for the river, the elephant on the bank of a lake or in a field covered with snow, the bear on the railway or lying in front of a shop, the pig in the sand box, the cat on the butterfly, the horse and the chess game or the horse in the bedroom.....

The artist himself describes his life:

"I was born in 1939 in Lausanne (Switzerland) where I did work as an accountant during numerous years. Actually with my Dutch wife [Anneke] we are living in a lonely house, on the edge of a wild forest, in Ollon (Switzerland). We have two children. I start to paint around 18 year old. Up today I have done 19 personal exhibitions of my paintings. A striking event in my painter's life: an amateur bought all the 41 paintings of one of my exhibitions. And this just before the varnishing day!" 

Another Knopf, illustrating the artist's playfulness.