Mary Cassatt was an American artist born on May 22nd, 1844 to Robert Simpson Cassatt and Katherine Kelso Johnston in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. She was one of 7 children, and her father was a successful and wealthy land speculator as well as investment broker. Due to their affluent status, Mary was allowed a good education that included teachings in French and English. Throughout her lifetime, Mary Cassatt would travel in Europe for her studies of art and her own life decisions.
A member of the Impressionists in a time when women were discouraged from art and independency(even at art institutions such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Cassatt attended) Mary Cassatt was a rare female artist who focused on the social and home lives of women. As such, many of her subjects are mothers and their children, or simple female past-times. Her medium was painting in oils although she used other materials, and she was also a printmaker.
Famous pieces by Cassatt include Woman with a Pearl Necklace and the Boating Party.
I have been a fan of the Impressionists since I was a teenager, and my mother has always loved Cassatt. I love the colors, the soft lens through which these paintings let us view people and the world.
ReplyDelete