How a fondness for both military themes and cats grew into a whole series of meme pictures seen all over the internet.

Alexander Zavaly is an artist of a wide profile. He was born in the harsh northern city of Vorkuta, then his family moved to the south, where, in 1978, he graduated from the art and graphic arts faculty of the Kuban University in Krasnodar.

During his more than 40 years of art work, he has taken on every kind of work - he has painted Lenin, Soviet propaganda posters and murals in schools, as well as painted portraits and book illustrations. Zavaly also worked as an artist in theater and cinema (for example, on the TV series 'Apostle') and even created military dioramas (as well as publishing a book titled: 'The Art of Diorama'). Zavaly holds solo exhibitions and his paintings in a variety of genres and themes are housed in museums in Krasnodar, Kaliningrad and in private collections.

But, the artist, ironically, became famous for his paintings of... cats. His characters often appear in military uniforms as hussars, paratroopers or even bogatyrs in armor. In his 'Epic Cats' series, the artist depicts sailor cats, Cossack cats and scout cats. There are even cosmonaut cats!

Two great passions of the artist came together - cats and military history (he himself served in the army in East Germany). Zavaly has had many furry friends; right now, he owns three cats.

Leib Hussar

Alexander Zavaly

Navy Cat

Alexander Zavaly

Furry Trooper

Alexander Zavaly

Timothy the cat is a complete cavalier

Alexander Zavaly

Vasily CapTyorkin

Alexander Zavaly

Apple tree on Mars

Alexander Zavaly

The Keeper of Dreams

Alexander Zavaly

'Behemoth the Cat' inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's novel 'The Master and Margarita'

Alexander Zavaly

Memories of East Germany (GDR)

Alexander Zavaly

Selfie with a black cosmonaut

Alexander Zavaly

Sing (and purr!) in St. Petersburg!

Alexander Zavaly

Vasily Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf

Alexander Zavaly

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