Mary Cassatt
The Loge
1882
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Photographed by Team C004570
"She paints too good
to be a woman."
-Edgar Degas on Mary Cassatt
She started off with more formal poses in her painting, and, under the influence of Edgar Degas and Japanese art, began to emphasize on line, and featured natural, more informal positions of people in her painting. Her style became very characteristic of the Impressionists. Although she was not formally a member of the group, she exhibited with them from 1879-1881, and again in 1886.
Her typical subjects were informal portraits of women, especially the relationships between a mother and her child. She has an amazing ability to capture the love between the two with her soft light and brushstrokes. Her technique brings out the femininity of the subjects in her paintings. She was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1904, but her recognition in the United States came much slower.
She made several attempts to bring Impressionism to America, but the style developed slowly there. in 1914, she received the Gold Medal of Honor at the Pennsylvania Academy for her achievements in Impressionism. Her eyesight started failing two years before, and but 1914, she stopped painting because of it. She died 12 years later, completely blind.