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Mary
Cassatt
BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
U.S.A. $12.95
Canada$18.95
THE ESSENTIAL™ MARYCASSATT
by Georgette Gouveia
In 1877, the passionate young artist
Mary Cassatt accepted an invitation to
join a bold newgroup ofartists who
became known as the Impressionists.
It was at that moment that, in her own
words, she "began to live."
Discover the life ofthis:
M^'W
proudYankee alone among the prickly
French Impressionists
single careerwoman celebrated as
"a painter ofchildren and mothers"
soul mate and verbal sparring partner of
artist Edgar Degas
Victorian suffragistwho remains a
feminist role model today
69illustrations, including54platesinfullcolor
'N;. *'^'iSll.''^
Mary
Cassatt
BY GEORGETTE G. GOUVEIA
THE Wonderland
PRESS
HarryN.Abrams, Inc., Publishers
THE Wonderland
PRESS
TheEssential" isatrademark
ofTheWonderlandPress,NewYork
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ISBN 0-8109-5814-7
Copyright©2001TheWonderlandPress
Publishedin2001 byHarryN.Abrams,Incorporated,NewYork
Allrights reserved.Nopartofthecontentsofthisbookmay
be reproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublished
Orttheendpapers:
Detailfrom TheLoge. 1882.NationalGallery,Washington,D.C.
Unlesscaption notesotherwise,worksareoiloncanvas
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Contents
ContraryMary 5
That rovingfamily 9
Spreadingherwings 11
Squaring offwith the French 15
Living dangerously 20
On the plains ofSpain 23
Those swarthySpaniards 26
AthomeinParis, finally 29
Making an impression 31
Digging Degas 35
The eyeshave it 45
Women 49
galore
Thejoyoffamily 55
Tea, anyone? 59
67
Sisterlove
Gettingevenwith Degas 75
Etching a newdirection 77
Moms and tots 87
In support ofwomen 104
":\ \'
Break the rules!
"Lions andtigers andbears,ohmy! Lionsandtigers andbears,ohmy!" OPPOSITE
EllenMary
Wait a minute:This is Mary Cassatt, not The WizardofOz. Let's try Cassattina
again:"Mothersandteacupsandkids,ohmy!Mothersandteacups and White Coat
kids, oh my!"That's better. c. 1896
33'Ax247;'
Some people love the work ofthe expatriate American Impressionist (81.3X 60.3 cm)
painter MaryCassatt (1844-1926), while others don't even know her
name. Or they've heard of her but don't know why. Her images of
mothers and children and tea parties may seem trite or profound to
you, depending onyour life experience. But no matterwhatyou think
ofCassatt, a waltz through her paintings and life wiU showyou why
this remarkablewoman is ranked among the greatAmerican artists of
alltime.Despite its subjectmatter,sinceitevolved as Cassattmatured,
her art evokes a profoundly modern spirituality and offers a ringside
viewofthe fascinating Victorian era inwhich she lived.
One smart lady
Who was this renownedpainter ofmothers andbabies andteacups'? And
howdidshemake hermarkonthe numbinglymale-dominatedworld?
Although she was born into a conservative, upper-middle-class
Philadelphiafamily,the feistyCassattwas impatientwithrules and
eager to setherownagenda.
She knewby the age of15 that shewantedtobe agreatartist, and
neverbacked down from the obstacles facedbywomen ofhertime.
Shewas ambitious,Hvely, determined, andgifted,butalsopractical
and focused and didnotsufferfools gladly.
Her enormous talents allowed her to work within a wide range of
mediums:oilpaintings,pastels,etchings,aquatints,andevenamas-
sive wall mural.
Cassatt decided to become a painter at a time whenyoung ladies did
not go offto art school and hire nude models to pose. Ifshe offended
social conventions, too bad. It was worth the risk, given her yearning
for a life ofartistic freedom and reward. She came from a well-to-do
family and was born in the Victorian age of rigid conventions and
prejudices againstwomen.YettheyounggirlfromPittsburghfollowed
her instincts and eventually traveled to Paris, where she became a
friend ofthe Impressionistpainterswhowere causing a rage in the art
world of their time: Edouard Manet (1832-1883), Claude Monet
(1840-1926), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and Alfred Sisley (1839-
1899). She showed paintings alongside theirs in Paris and NewYork,
andsoldherworktosupportherselfShebecameoneofthebestknown
and mostbelovedAmerican painters ofanytime, and in the following
pages you will see whyMary Cassatt is considered an icon in the his-
tory ofAmerican art.
