women in art, part four: impressionist painter mary cassatt - the art of light

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briefly

Without a doubt, American painter Mary Stevenson Cassatt was a very important member of the Impressionist movement (painters who sought to depict on canvas the effects of light on 'objects' without elaboration of details). She developed her talent as a painter in Pennsylvania but honed it with great success in France where she traveled in 1866 and met French painter Edgar Degas. Cassatt inevitably was influenced by Degas particularly his fascination with prints and Japanese woodcuts.

Like all evolving artists, Cassatt's by-the-book Impressionist leaning - as evidenced by her 1879 work 'The Cup of Tea' (see below) which highlights the luminescence produced by the play of light on color - diversified as she experimented more with lines and symmetry and less with substance or form. As in the 1893 painting called 'The Boating Party' (see below), the sole objective was to depict less rigid gestures and informal positions and nothing more. She also 'specialized' in portraying mothers and children in domestic settings, focusing on the intimate relationship between them as in the case of the 'The Mirror' (see below) . In fact, she produced quite a number of "mother and child" paintings throughout her active years. Though majority of her works could be described as portraits, she seldom accepted commissions and used members of her own family as subjects.

Cassatt is regarded as a major contributor to the eventual popularity of Impressionism in America. And aside from her unyielding passion for art, she was also a great supporter of the women's suffrage movement and supported the cause both morally and financially.

timeline

• 1844 - Cassatt was born on May 22 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania

• 1861 - Casstt enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

• 1865 - Cassatt went to Europe where she lived for four years, travelling and studying in Paris, Rome, and Madrid

• 1868 - Cassatt's painting, 'A Mandolin Player' (see below), was accepted by the Paris Salon

• 1871 - Cassatt studied at the Academy Raimondi in Parma

• 1877 - Cassatt settled in Paris where she met and became friends with Edgar Degas

• 1879-81, 86 - Cassatt participated in the Impressionists' exhibition

• 1890 - Cassatt attended an exhibition of Japanese prints in Paris

• 1893 - Cassatt was commissioned to paint a mural for the Womens Building in the Chicago World's Exposition and held her first solo show at Durand-Ruel's

• 1904 - Cassatt was inducted into into the Legion of Honour

• 1910 - Cassatt became a member of the National Academy of Design in New York

• 1911 - Cassatt was diagnosed with several ailments including diabetes, rheumatism and cataracts

• 1914 - Cassatt was given an award by the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, her eyesight deteriorated which forced her to retire from painting

• 1915 - Cassatt helped organize an exhibition for the benefit of the women suffrage movement. The exhibition featured her works as well as those of Degas and other masters.

• 1926 - Cassatt died on June 14 at the Château de Beaufresne, near Paris

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she said

"There's only one thing in life for a woman; it's to be a mother.... A woman artist must be ... capable of making primary sacrifices."

"I think that if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up."

"Why do people so love to wander? I think the civilized parts of the World will suffice for me in the future."

"I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work."

"I hated conventional art. I began to live."

"I have touched with a sense of art some people – they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to that joy for an artist?"

"Americans have a way of thinking work is nothing. Come out and play they say."

"American women have been spoiled, treated and indulged like children; they must wake up to their duties."

"There are two ways for a painter: the broad and easy one or the narrow and hard one."

"If painting is no longer needed, it seems a pity that some of us are born into the world with such a passion for line and color."

"I have not done what I wanted to, but I tried to make a good fight."

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