What cats, magpies, and willows tell us about happiness, family, and a long life
One cat sits beneath a tree and watches a small bird. Another cat climbs up a branch. Still others lie beneath a willow with their young.
At first glance, such scenes look like quiet observations of nature. Yet in traditional Korean painting, animals often tell us more than one might initially suspect.
A cat is not simply a cat. A magpie can announce good news. A tree can symbolize life and renewal. And a group of animals can express wishes for health, harmony, and family happiness.
This connection between image and wish becomes particularly clear in Korean folk painting, Minhwa (민화).
This article explores three Korean paintings of cats that show in very different ways why cats remain so fascinating in Korean art to this day.
Minhwa—when paintings make wishes visible
The Korean word Minhwa (민화) literally means roughly “paintings of the people” and refers to traditional Korean folk painting.
Minhwa developed particularly during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and was closely connected to people’s everyday lives and beliefs. Unlike many courtly works, Minhwa was not intended exclusively for the royal court or a small elite. The paintings found their way into private homes and became part of the domestic environment.
It was not just about making a room look beautiful.
The motifs could express wishes and hopes for happiness, health, prosperity, a long life, success, or family harmony. The Korean cultural website Korea.net accordingly describes Minhwa as an art form in which the motifs have a symbolic character and make people’s thoughts, wishes, and feelings visible.
It could therefore be said that Minhwa is not only painting about the world—it is also painting about the world as people wish it to be.
That is precisely why it is worth taking a closer look at the animals in these paintings.
🐈 Why is the cat a symbol of a long life?
One of the most interesting meanings associated with the cat lies in a linguistic wordplay.
The Chinese character for cat is 猫 (māo), and in Korean 묘 (mio). In Classical Chinese usage, it sounds similar to 耄 (mào), in Korean 모 (mo), a term associated with old age or a very old person.
This phonetic similarity gave rise to a symbolic connection between the cat and longevity.
The National Children’s Museum of the National Museum of Korea also explains this traditional connection: In Classical Chinese, the word for cat sounds similar to the term for a person of advanced age. For this reason, cats were associated with longevity in depictions from the Joseon period.
This makes the cat in a traditional Korean painting a particularly beautiful motif for a living space.
Behind the seemingly simple image of an animal, there may be a wish: May life be long and healthy.
🐦 And what is the bird doing beside the cat?
In Korean paintings, cats often appear alongside small birds.
Depictions of magpies are particularly well known, but sparrows are also popular motifs in traditional animal painting.
The magpie has a particularly positive meaning in Korean culture. Traditionally, it is regarded as a messenger of good news and joyful events. For this reason, it also frequently appears as an auspicious motif in Korean folk painting.
In Cats and Sparrows, however, there is an additional appealing contrast:
- The cat is calm, attentive, and focused.
- The small bird is light, quick, and constantly on the move.
This encounter alone creates a small story. Perhaps the cat is watching the bird. Perhaps it has just spotted it. Perhaps something will happen in the next moment. It is precisely this vitality that makes traditional Korean animal paintings feel so immediate to modern viewers as well.
1. Byeon Sang-byeok – Cats and Sparrows
A Master of Korean Animal Painting
When discussing Korean paintings of cats, Byeon Sang-byeok (변상벽) cannot be left out.
The Joseon-era painter is particularly known for his depictions of cats and chickens. The National Museum of Korea lists him as the artist of the work “Cats and Sparrows” and describes the cats and sparrows as depicted with exceptional realism.
His powers of observation are immediately apparent. The animals’ fur, posture, movements, and gazes are depicted in such detail that the cats appear almost alive.
In fact, Byeon Sang-byeok was so closely associated with depictions of cats that he received the nickname “Byeon Goyang” – “Byeon, the Cat”.
A Quiet Moment Full of Movement
The contrast between the animals is particularly fascinating.
The cat moves slowly and deliberately. The small sparrows sit on the branches and bring movement to the composition. The scene feels calm—and at the same time, something is happening. It is easy to imagine the cat watching the bird, while the bird remains alert in turn.
It is a quality that many people still love about cats today: They do not have to do anything to tell a story.
One glance is enough.
Why This Image Still Feels Modern Today
Although the motif comes from Korean art history, it feels remarkably timeless. Anyone who lives with cats will recognize something very familiar in the animal’s posture and attentiveness.
The cat observes its surroundings. It waits. It decides for itself when to move. This combination of historical art and familiar everyday experience is precisely what makes the depiction so appealing.
“Cats and Sparrows” is therefore not only a piece of Korean art history, but also an image for people who love cats’ unique personalities.
→ Discover “Cats and Sparrows” as a poster
2. Byeon Sang-byeok – a Cat and Sparrows
A Single Gaze, an Entire Story
Another cat motif associated with Byeon Sang-byeok focuses attention more strongly on a single cat.
While several animals in one image can create a lively scene, a single cat changes the effect of the entire motif.
The gaze becomes calmer. The cat becomes the focal point. The sparrows create a contrast while also giving the scene a natural frame. The impression is of a brief moment captured by the painter.
Perhaps this is exactly what defines a cat: apparent calm combined with the utmost attentiveness.
The Beauty of the Everyday
One special quality of Korean animal depictions is that they do not necessarily require spectacular scenes.
- An animal on a branch.
- A bird nearby.
- A tree.
- A brief glance.
- Sometimes, nothing more is needed.
That is precisely why such a motif can be integrated so well into modern living spaces. It is decorative without losing its cultural origins.
Anyone who would like to get to know Korean art but prefers a rather calm and minimalist visual style will find a beautiful introduction in this depiction.
→ Discover “Cat and Sparrows” as a poster
3. “Cats Under the Willow Tree” – Yuha Myodo (유하묘도)
A Cat Is Not Always Just a Cat
The third motif tells a completely different story.
Under a willow tree sit two adult cats and three kittens. A magpie joins them. At first glance, the image looks like a peaceful family scene. And that is precisely where its special beauty lies.
Because in traditional Korean understanding, the individual elements can be interpreted symbolically. The two adult cats can represent harmony and family unity. The three kittens can be understood as expressing a wish for offspring, growth, and a happy future for the family.
A simple scene with five cats thus becomes a painting about life itself.
A Family Beneath the Protection of the Willow
The willow is more than just a background.
Trees and plants often play an important role in Korean art because they can symbolize nature, growth, and vitality. With its long, curving branches, the willow also creates a special atmosphere. It seems almost to embrace the cat family. This creates an image of protection, peace, and togetherness.
The scene thus conveys an idea that remains immediately understandable today:
A happy home is a place where family comes together and can grow together.
🐦 A Magpie as a Sign of Good News
A magpie appears beside the cats. Its presence, too, is not accidental.
The magpie is one of the best-known auspicious motifs in Korean folk art. It is traditionally associated with good news and joyful events.
Together with the cat family, these elements create a particularly positive ensemble:
- Cat – longevity
- Kitten – family and descendants
- Willow – life and renewal
- Magpie – good news and good fortune.
The painting can therefore be read as a quiet blessing:
May the family be happy, stay healthy, grow, and experience many good tidings.
A Painting as a Wish for One’s Home
This perhaps reveals the most important difference between traditional Korean folk painting and a purely decorative image.
A Minhwa painting could make a wish visible. Anyone who hung a painting with a particular auspicious motif in their home was not merely decorating their living space. They were surrounding themselves with a symbol of the life they wished for.
This idea is remarkably modern. Even today, we do not choose paintings for our rooms solely by color and style. We hang paintings that we like.
Paintings that evoke memories. Paintings that create a particular mood. And sometimes paintings that express something important to us.
In this sense, traditional Korean cat paintings can once again become a personal form of home art today.
Three Cat Paintings – Three Different Moods
The three motifs are connected by the cat. Nevertheless, each painting tells a slightly different story.
🐈 “Cats and Sparrows”
Lively and observant
Here, the fascinating portrayal of the animal takes center stage. The cat appears alert and full of personality, while the sparrows bring movement to the scene.
Ideal for anyone who loves cats and detailed traditional animal painting.
🐈 “A Cat and Sparrows”
Calm and focused
A single cat becomes the focal point of the painting. The pared-down scene feels calm and elegant, yet full of life.
A beautiful choice for rooms where a subtle, timeless motif is desired.
🐈 “Cats Beneath the Willow”
Family, happiness, and longevity
Two adult cats, three kittens, a willow, and a magpie come together in a motif full of positive meanings.
Especially appealing to anyone who wants a painting to do more than decorate, but also express a wish for harmony, health, and family happiness.
Why Korean cat paintings fit so well in modern spaces
Perhaps it is precisely the connection between tradition and everyday life that makes these images so interesting.
Korean folk painting does not have to be displayed in a historical setting.
A cat motif from the Joseon period can hang just as well beside a modern sofa, in a minimalist bedroom, or in a bright home office.
Because the cat itself is timeless.
Their posture, gaze, and quiet presence work regardless of whether the image was created several centuries ago or viewed today.
At the same time, a traditional Korean motif brings something that many modern art prints lack:
A story.
Those who look at the image see more than just a cat.
You can discover Korean art history in them, learn about the symbolism of minhwa, and gain a small insight into the wishes and ideas of past generations.
A small piece of Korean culture for your own home
Perhaps that is the most beautiful reason to explore Korean folk painting.
You do not have to be an art historian to understand these images. You can simply begin with a cat. With its gaze. With a small bird on a branch. With a family beneath a willow.
And then gradually discover that behind these seemingly simple motifs lies an entire world.
A world full of wishes:
Health.
Longevity.
Family.
Harmony.
Good news.
Happiness.
That makes Korean cat paintings more than decorative motifs.
They combine the aesthetics of traditional Korean art with something deeply human: the desire for a good life.
Discover Korean cat art for your home
Whether you are a cat lover, interested in Korean art, or would like to give your home a special cultural motif—each of these three images tells its own story.
Byeon Sang-byeok – “Cats and Sparrows”
A lively cat motif from Korean animal painting.
→ View the “Cats and Sparrows” poster
Byeon Sang-byeok – “Cat and Sparrows”
A more tranquil motif featuring a single cat and its feathered companions.
→ View the “Cat and Sparrows” poster
“Cats Under the Willow” – Yuha Myodo (유하묘도)
A symbolic image about family, longevity, growth, and happiness.
→ Discover the “Cats Under the Willow” poster
Perhaps among these three cats you will find exactly the motif that not only suits your home—but also expresses the wish you would like to convey there.
