Mary Cassatt

Biography

• Born May 22 1844 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (later became part of Pittsburg)
• Father, Robert Cassat was a successful stockbroker and land speculator.
• Her mother, Katherine Kelso Johnston, came from a banking family.
• Katherine Cassatt, educated and very well read, influenced her daughter.

Cassatt was one of seven children two died in infancy. One brother, Alexander Johnston Cassatt became president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Her family moved eastward, first to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, then to the Philadelphia area, where she began schooling at age 6.

Biography

• Spent 5 years in Europe and learned German and French.
• Studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia at the early age of 15.
• Could not get a degree because she was a woman. 
• One of the first female artists that painted as a career. 

Biography

• Her family never accepted her career. 
• Lost some of her paintings in 1871 Chicago Fire. 
• Died June 14, 1926 near Paris France.  

Criticism

• Though women had a hard time pursuing a career, Mary enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia
• She later tried to attend Ecole des Beaux-Arts but women weren't accepted in the school, but women weren't accepted
• Growing impatient of the curriculum's pace, she applied to study privately with Masters from the school
• Despite Mary’s family’s objections in studying art, Mary left for Paris in 1866
• With her father’s disapproving words, Mary submitted the well received painting under the name of Mary Stevenson

Criticism

• Enjoying the artistic freedom while leaving abroad were destroyed when returning to Philadelphia
• Having trouble finding supplies, her father refused to buy anything that dealt with her art works
• In the midst of obstacles, the archbishop of Pittsburgh contacted her
• He wanted to commission her to paint copies of two works by master artist Correggio
• Mary accepted the assignment and immediately left for Europe

Criticism

• With the money, she was able to resume her works in Europe
• The Paris Salon accepted her paintings in 1872,1873, and 1874 which helped secure her status as an established artist
• She spent her time working with the advice of Carlo Raimondi, head of the department of engraving at the Parma Academy
• In 1873, she visited Spain, Belgium, and Holland to study and copy the works of Velázquez, Rubens, and Hals
• In 1877, Edgar Degas invited her to join the group of independent artists later known as the Impressionists

Under the Impressionist influence, Cassatt revised her technique, composition, and use of color and light, manifesting her admiration for the works of the French savant garde, especially Degas and Manet. Degas, her chief mentor, provided criticism of her work, offered advice on technique, and encouraged her experiments in printmaking

Criticism

• She drew courage from painter Edgar Degas, whose pastels inspired her to press on in her own direction
• Cassatt saw works by female artists were often dismissed with contempt unless the artist had a friend or protector on the jury and she would not flirt with jurors to curry favor
• She decided to move away from genre painting and onto more fashionable subjects in order to attract portrait commissions from American Socialites abroad
• No longer concerned with fashionable or commercial , she started to experiment artistically
• Her new work drew criticism for its bright colors and unflattering accuracy of its subjects

Criticism

• Degas also introduced her to copper engraving, which strengthened her line control and overall draftsmanship
• Like Degas, she was chiefly interested in figure compositions
• During the late 1870s and early 1880s, the subjects of her works were her family especially her sister Lydia, the theater, and the opera
• Later she made a specialty of the mother and child theme, which she treated with warmth and naturalness in paintings, pastels, and prints
• Cassatt's role as an advisor to art collectors benefited many public and private collections in the United States

Criticism

• From her early days in Paris, she encouraged the collection of old masters and the French avant-garde

Significant works

Significant Works

Significant Works

Significant Works

Mary Cassat