Mary Cassatt
On this day in 1844, Mary Cassatt, an American painter and printmaker, was born. She was one of the key artists who shaped French Impressionism. Although she was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, she lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar Degas and exhibited with the Impressionists.
In this loosely painted portrait, a pale-skinned woman is shown from the hips up, seated with an open, gold-colored fan resting in her lap. Visible brushstrokes give the work a soft, impressionistic quality, especially in the background and clothing, where some details remain indistinct. Her body is turned slightly to the viewer’s left, and she gazes off in that direction, her chin gently tucked. Her dark, unfocused eyes sit beneath faint brows, and her oval face is defined by a flaring, straight nose and closed, pale pink lips.
Her brown hair is pulled back and framed by a white scarf tied under her chin. She wears a high-necked dress painted with dabs and strokes of celery green and butter yellow, accented with mauve shading. The cuffs of the dress fold back over her forearms in vivid scarlet red. She sits on an upholstered sofa with a rounded back, rendered in similar tones of pale green, yellow, and hints of red.
Behind her, a framed mirror reflects the back of the sofa and the woman’s head, adding depth to the scene. The upper right corner of the composition is especially loose, with expressive strokes of white, red, green, and blue. It is a real Impressionist masterpiece.
You can learn more about Cassatt and her connections to the Impressionists group in our French Impressionism Mega Online Course; you will also enjoy some good gossip! As it's Mary Cassatt's birthday anniversary, today you can enroll with a -25% discount! :)
P.S. Discover the life and art of Mary Cassatt, one of the most important American painters!