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Sara Wearing Her Bonnet and Coat *
c. 1904
Lithograph on MBM Ingres d'Arches laid paper
Signed by the artist within the matrix
24 3/4 x 18 7/8 inches (63 x 48 cm)
(B. 198)
SOLD
Born on May 22, 1844, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt was one of the leading artists in the Impressionist movement of the later part of the 1800s. Though women of her day were discouraged from pursuing a career, Cassatt enrolled in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at age 16. Not surprisingly, she found the male faculty and her fellow students to be patronizing and resentful of her attendance. She decided to leave the program and move to Europe where she could study the works of the Old Masters on her own, firsthand.
In Paris, she began her study with private art lessons in the Louvre, where she would study and copy masterpieces. She continued to study and paint in relative obscurity until 1868, when one of her portraits was selected at the prestigious Paris Salon, an annual exhibition run by the French government.
In 1870, soon after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Mary Cassatt reluctantly returned home to live with her parents. The artistic freedom she enjoyed while living abroad was immediately extinguished upon her return, however, Cassatt was contacted by the archbishop of Pittsburgh. He wanted to commission the artist to paint copies of two works by the Italian master Correggio. Cassatt accepted the assignment and left immediately for Europe, where the originals were on display in Parma, Italy. With the money she earned from the commission, she was able to resume her career in Europe. The Paris Salon accepted her paintings for exhibitions in 1872, 1873 and 1874, which helped secure her status as an established artist. She continued to study and paint in Spain, Belgium and Rome, eventually settling permanently in Paris.
While in Paris, she drew courage from painter Edgar Degas, whose pastels inspired her to press on in her own direction. “I used to go and flatten my nose against that window and absorb all I could of his art,” she once wrote to a friend. “It changed my life. Her admiration for Degas would soon blossom into a strong friendship, and Mary Cassatt exhibited 11 of her paintings with the Impressionists in 1879. The show was a huge success both commercially and critically, and similar exhibits were staged in 1880 and 1881.
While many of her fellow Impressionists were focused on landscapes and street scenes, Cassatt became famous for her portraits. She was drawn to women in everyday domestic settings, especially mothers with their children. But unlike the Madonnas and cherubs of the Renaissance, Cassatt’s portraits were unconventional in their direct and honest nature. Commenting in American Artist, Gemma Newman noted that “her constant objective was to achieve force, not sweetness; truth, not sentimentality or romance.”
Mary Cassatt’s painting style continued to evolve away from Impressionism in favor of a simpler, more straightforward approach. Her final exhibition with the Impressionists was in 1886, and she subsequently stopped identifying herself with a particular movement or school. A 1910 trip to Egypt with her brother, Gardner, and his family would prove to be a turning a point in Mary Cassatt’s life. The magnificent ancient art made her question her own talent as an artist. Soon after their return home, Gardner died unexpectedly from an illness he contracted during the journey. These two events deeply affected Cassatt’s physical and emotional health, and she was unable to paint again until around 1912.
Three years later, she was forced to give up painting altogether as diabetes slowly stole her vision for the next 11 years, until her death — on June 14, 1926.
Cassatt, Mary
c. 1904 Lithograph on MBM Ingres d'Arches laid paper Signed by the artist within the matrix 24 3/4 x 18 7/8 inches (63 x 48 cm) (B. 198) SOLDBorn on May 22, 1844, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt was one of the leading artists in the Impressionist movement of the later part of the 1800s. Though women of her day were discouraged from pursuing a career, Cassatt enrolled in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at age 16. Not surprisingly, she found the male faculty and her fellow students to be patronizing and resentful of her attendance. She decided to leave the program and move to Europe where she could study the works of the Old Masters on her own, firsthand.
In Paris, she began her study with private art lessons in the Louvre, where she would study and copy masterpieces. She continued to study and paint in relative obscurity until 1868, when one of her portraits was selected at the prestigious Paris Salon, an annual exhibition run by the French government.
In 1870, soon after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Mary Cassatt reluctantly returned home to live with her parents. The artistic freedom she enjoyed while living abroad was immediately extinguished upon her return, however, Cassatt was contacted by the archbishop of Pittsburgh. He wanted to commission the artist to paint copies of two works by the Italian master Correggio. Cassatt accepted the assignment and left immediately for Europe, where the originals were on display in Parma, Italy. With the money she earned from the commission, she was able to resume her career in Europe. The Paris Salon accepted her paintings for exhibitions in 1872, 1873 and 1874, which helped secure her status as an established artist. She continued to study and paint in Spain, Belgium and Rome, eventually settling permanently in Paris.
While in Paris, she drew courage from painter Edgar Degas, whose pastels inspired her to press on in her own direction. “I used to go and flatten my nose against that window and absorb all I could of his art,” she once wrote to a friend. “It changed my life. Her admiration for Degas would soon blossom into a strong friendship, and Mary Cassatt exhibited 11 of her paintings with the Impressionists in 1879. The show was a huge success both commercially and critically, and similar exhibits were staged in 1880 and 1881.
While many of her fellow Impressionists were focused on landscapes and street scenes, Cassatt became famous for her portraits. She was drawn to women in everyday domestic settings, especially mothers with their children. But unlike the Madonnas and cherubs of the Renaissance, Cassatt’s portraits were unconventional in their direct and honest nature. Commenting in American Artist, Gemma Newman noted that “her constant objective was to achieve force, not sweetness; truth, not sentimentality or romance.”
Mary Cassatt’s painting style continued to evolve away from Impressionism in favor of a simpler, more straightforward approach. Her final exhibition with the Impressionists was in 1886, and she subsequently stopped identifying herself with a particular movement or school. A 1910 trip to Egypt with her brother, Gardner, and his family would prove to be a turning a point in Mary Cassatt’s life. The magnificent ancient art made her question her own talent as an artist. Soon after their return home, Gardner died unexpectedly from an illness he contracted during the journey. These two events deeply affected Cassatt’s physical and emotional health, and she was unable to paint again until around 1912.
Three years later, she was forced to give up painting altogether as diabetes slowly stole her vision for the next 11 years, until her death — on June 14, 1926.