Mary Cassatt - North Stratfield School PTA

Mary Cassatt
1844 - 1926
Impressionism
In the vertical art storage rack you will find the following reproduction and posters:
Large reproduction:
• Susan on a Balcony Holding a Dog (1883)
Posters:
• The Art Elements & Principles posters to use in the discussion
In the black cabinet you will find a white binder with a copy of this presentation and several 8.5 x 11
prints of the other paintings referenced in this presentation.
In the plastic bin you will find a book Suzette and the Puppy: A Story About Mary Cassatt by Joan
Sweeney
Updated March 31, 2014
2
Mary Cassatt
Personal Information Name:
Nationality:
Born:
Died:
Lived:
Family:
Mary Stevenson Cassatt
American
May 23, 1844 in Allegheny, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
June 14, 1926, at the age of 82, Mary Cassatt died at her home near Paris, France.
United States and France
Mary Cassatt’s was the second daughter of a wealthy family. Her father was a
stockbroker, her mother was an extremely well educated woman who was widely
read and spoke fluent French. Mary Cassatt never married, and though children
figure predominantly in her work, she had no children of her own.
Elements of Art
Note to Presenters: When
looking at Cassatt’s work, keep in
mind the Elements of Art: the
line, shape, color, form, and
texture. This laminated print is
available to bring into the
classroom, it shows and describes
all the things that go into making
a work of art and can be shown to
the children so that they may
keep these things in mind as they
look at the paintings.
Artist Background
In the fall of 1851, when Mary was seven, the Cassatt family moved to Europe and settled in Paris.
They lived there for five years; while Mary was there she became acquainted with the great art in the
museums of Europe. After returning to the United States, at the age of 16, Cassatt turned her back on
the domestic role which was the normal course for young women of the period, instead she decided to
study art seriously. Mary enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She
remained at the Academy until 1865, and the following year at the age of 22, she returned to Europe to
study the works of the Old Masters.
Ask: Who do you think the “Old Masters” are?
Old Masters are distinguished European artists of the period from around the 1500's to the early
1700's.
North Stratfield School
Art in the Classroom
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Mary Cassatt
Style and Technique
Mary Cassatt was a highly accomplished and outstanding painter and printmaker, famous for her
beautiful, loving portraits of women and children. She is considered one of the leading members of the
Impressionists.
Ask: Has anyone ever heard the term Impressionism? Impressionism is a style of painting developed
in the late 1900's characterized by short brush strokes of pure, bright colors to communicate the effects
of natural light. The Impressionists were interested in using pure bright colors to create the feeling of
natural light. They preferred to work outside and depict everyday scenes.
In Cassatt's paintings, often done either in oil or pastel, we see she concentrated on how human figures
looked.
Mary Cassatt’s paintings are precise and show her sharp eye in her accurately the proportions of people,
making sure to paint their faces very realistically. Cassatt chose to paint the working class women who
cared for their own children, rather than painting the wealthy class women who hired nurses or nannies.
Show: 8.5x11 inch prints in the binder of Cassatt’s paintings of mothers and children.
Mother and Child, 1890
The boating party, 1894
Mother’s goodnight kiss, 1888
Mother combing child’s
hair, 1879
North Stratfield School
Child and Woman seated in garden,
1881
Art in the Classroom
4
Mary Cassatt
Ask: What words come to your mind when you look at these paintings. Love, caring, happiness,
relaxation?
Ask: Would you consider any of these paintings not finished? Which one(s) and what made you
choose it?
Ask: How to these paintings make you feel?
Ask: Can you guess how the artist felt when she was painting these portraits?
Ask: Do these paintings look realistic to you? Why or why not
As an Impressionist Mary Cassatt would use very noticeable brushstrokes, painting colors side by side,
but not blending them. Because the paint color was so close together the viewers own brain would mix
them together instead of the artist mixing colors on a palette and putting them on the canvas.
Ask: What is a palette?
Palette - A board on which an artist mixes colors.
Ask: What is a brushstroke?
Brushstroke - the manner of applying paint to a surface with a brush. The brushstroke is an important
part of the artist's style.
Ask: Can you see the brushstrokes in these paintings? Where?
Mary Cassatt exhibited her work in Paris and was good enough to impress the Impressionists there.
Because of her talent she was asked to officially join the Impressionist group and Mary did because she
loved painting. The Impressionists painted outdoors, bringing freshness and spontaneity to real scenes
from daily life. These types of painting are known as Genre (pronounced shawn-rah) paintings. They
used new techniques to achieve lightness and purity of color, often putting pure color straight onto the
canvas.
Mary Cassatt's involvement with the Impressionists is very important because she introduced this style
of painting to the United States.
Mary Cassatt was also willing to try new things and learned printmaking.
Ask: What do you think printmaking is?
Printmaking is when an artist takes a design or picture and transfers it to paper or canvas from an
engraved plate, wood block, or lithographic stone. Artists are able to reproduce the same picture many
times.
Cassatt worked on her prints at home in the evening and set up her own press, producing a series of
color prints in 1891, she would eventually produce over 200 prints that would become an important
contribution to the art world.
Mary Cassatt received an award--France's Legion of Honor--in 1904 in recognition of her dedication to
her work. At that time, she was losing her eyesight. Because of this, she abandoned her printmaking,
North Stratfield School
Art in the Classroom
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Mary Cassatt
After 1914, now blind, she was no longer able to paint. She died at her beloved chateau near Paris on
June 14, 1926.
Featured Artwork
Susan on a Balcony Holding a Dog (1883)
This painting is an example of a genre painting, a portrait of a
woman and a dog.
Ask: Who knows what a portrait is?
A portrait is a painting of a particular person. Portraits are
painted to show how people look and what they are like. Often
artists are hired to paint someone's portrait, but sometimes they
paint their friends or family.
Ask: What can you tell about this woman? Look at her clothes,
her pose,
Ask: Where is she?
Ask: What is her expression? Serenity, calmness
Ask: Do you think she was a friend of Mary Cassatt's?
Ask: Do you think the dog belongs to the woman?
Ask: What lines do you see?
Look at the lines of the gate behind her. They are strong and sturdy,
very straight. Your eye naturally follows the lines to the faces of
the subject. The curve of the line of the woman’s shoulders and
hands make her look relaxed, but the diagonal line of her leaning body almost make it look like she is
just about to get up. The diagonal suggests movement.
Ask: What shapes do you see? Rectangle, triangle
Geometric:
Rectangles in the gate
Triangle of her head, the dog’s body, her arm
Organic/freeform:
Her hat, the buildings in the distant background
Ask: What colors do you see in the shadows? How about where the light is shining on her? Where
is the light coming from?
Ask: How does the artist’s choice of colors affect the mood of a painting? Remind the children
about warm colors (red, orange, yellow) and cool colors (blue and green) and the different feelings
that that color can create.
Ask: Do the colors look natural to you?
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Art in the Classroom
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Mary Cassatt
Ask: Does this painting look like it has texture? Texture is how something feels.
Ask: Can you see her brushstrokes? What kind of feeling does texture create in a painting?
Allow the children to look closely at the paintings where the brushstrokes are more visible.
Activity
Read:
You may choose to read from the included book Suzette and the Puppy-A Story About Mary Cassatt
by Joan Sweeney
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Cassatt
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/mary-cassatt
North Stratfield School
Art in the Classroom