Behemoth from The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Contemporary Delft Blue painting featuring the mystical black werecat framed by ornate floral motifs and a scarab symbol, created in tempera, watercolor, and gouache on cotton rag paper.

Behemoth

Tempera, watercolor and gouache on 100% pure cotton rag paper

Exhibited in Cat Art Show LA

Part of the Literary Cat Compendium. Contemporary Delft Blue series exploring literary symbolism and magical realism.

Inspired by the character from the dark satire The Master and Margarita by M. Bulgakov, the artwork depicts the werecat Behemoth. His appearance as a giant black cat is deceptive, as is the origin of his name.

Full of sarcasm, this furry shapeshifter has a hypnotic look that causes chaos and hallucinations. He can be brilliant, philosophical, and at the same time full of roguishness.

Detail of the Behemoth painting in progress, showing the expressive black cat portrait emerging from layered Delft Blue watercolor washes, ornamental patterns, and mixed-media techniques.

The frame is decorated with a scarab, a symbol of rebirth, eternal power, and renewal, which is characteristic of Woland's entourage.

Exploring themes of transformation and transgression, we encounter all the heroes, including Behemoth, at the end of the book in their unforeseen true nature.

The artwork combines beautifully drawn, symbolic, almost idyllic imagery with a slightly visible sinister and darker undertone.

The etymology of Behemoth's name dates back to the biblical chaos monster and his pair, Leviathan. In modern Russian, the word sounds the same as the name for a hippopotamus (“Begemot"), making it a satirical wordplay.

Artist painting the Behemoth artwork with a brush, developing the black cat portrait and decorative Delft Blue frame using watercolor, tempera, and gouache on cotton rag paper.

Literary Cat Compendium

→ The White Cat
→ Tomcat Murr
Behemoth
→ Persephone