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Artist Report
Assignment
Art Appreciation (Liberty
University)
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Veronique Brown
November 7, 2022
ARTS 105-D17
Jacqueline Phelan
Report Assignment on Mary Cassatt
This beautiful portrait is called The Loge, it is a part of a series of paintings Mary Cassatt painted
when she was in a theater. The collection is called the Chester Dale Collection. Mary Cassatt painted The
Loge in 1887, the medium of this piece was oil on canvas. The dimensions on this portrait is overall:
79.8 x 63.8 cm (31 7/16 x 25 1/8 in.) framed: 111.1 x 95.3 cm (43 3/4 x 37 1/2 in.). The Loge now rests
at the National Gallery of Art in the west building on the main floor of gallery 89.
Mary Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania; however, she lived in
France for the majority of her life. Mary died on June 14, 1926 at her country home in France, but when
she was alive, Mary was born in a lavish and comfortable upper- class family where her father was a
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successful stockbroker and her mother was born in a very successful banking family. Mary never got
married because she didn’t think it was compatible with her career. Mary was born in the United States,
fortunately she learned French and German from a very young age because her family lived in both
France and Germany. Mary studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in
Philadelphia, she also studied abroad in France. Unfortunately, Mary had a major obstacle standing in her
way. Mary Cassatt was often marginalized due to the fact that she was American and not fully French. In
an article by Viraben Hadrien it confirms that “Cassatt was marginalized from the growing fame and
historicization of impressionism in the early twentieth century both because she was American and
because of the exhibition strategy of Durand-Ruel, who at the time had a virtual monopoly on her
works”. Mary was also well known for her portraits which depicted her view of women and children in a
private light. Mary was also a part of the few artists that were active painters during the 19th century
French avant-garde. Mary Cassatt was involved in 3 different movements, she was involved in the
Impressionism, American Impressionism and Modern Art movement. However, Mary was mostly known
for her involvement in the Impressionist Art Movement.
The Impressionist Art Movement is not a protest or riot, but it is a type of art-style where it
strives to capture the lights of the area, colors, atmosphere and the consciousness of people. The art
during the movement should include delicate yet thin, small lines that are visible when you observe the
work up close. Yet, the art work should be more visible when you observe it from a distance. In a case
study by Eda Gargi and Yucel Yazgin, they explain “ According to the impressionist movement, the artist
should give prominence to their personal interpretations and the emotions and the thoughts evoked by
what they see instead of being objective and directly reflecting the reality”. Mary Cassat usually painted
women and children in odd angles and odd lightings.
During her time, Mary Cassatt was a very influential figure as she inspired many people through
her work. Nevertheless, that didn't stop critics from commenting on her work nor did stop others from
either appreciating or depreciating her work. In 1879, Mary exhibited for the first time with the
Impressionist group she was with. Cassat showed 11 pieces of her work, one which was the Woman with
a
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Pearl Necklace in a Loge. Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge was praised and complemented by
many, including Arsène Houssaye. In the passage “ Mary Cassatt, Seeking Independence” it states “
Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge received the most critical attention, notably from the novelist
and art critic Arsène Houssaye, who praised her modeling of flesh by reflection, which for him revealed
Cassatt’s individual talent”( pg 5). In the same passage, an American critic also praised her work. This
time it was on a painting called The Spanish subjects. The critic states “the Spanish subjects by Mary
Cassatt are remarkable … there is a leaning girl’s head, full of sombre power, and painted with the best
traditions of Murillo” (pg 4). Mary’s work was mostly praised because of the technique that she used; the
articles that were used did not have any negative criticism about Mary’s work.
In my opinion, I love Mary’s work. I personally think Mary’s work is beautiful and elegant. I love
how each brush mark on the canvas is visible and how each painting was taken during an event, especially
when the lighting and the colors have meaning. I do not have any suggestions for Mary Cassatt nor do I
see any spiritual aspects in her work. However I would love to see Mary Cassatt paint a picture of heaven
or her interpretation of Jesus. The paintings that Mary put out evokes a sense of longing to be in the place
where that painting was taken or awe in the viewer. Mary’s paintings instills in me to know more of the
background behind the painting. In other words, Mary’s portraits stimulate my intellect. The strengths of
Mary’s work is that each painting captures a story behind every brush stroke. However, Mary’s weakness
is that she is painting on certain people or a certain type of class in society.
Bibliography
Westerby, Genevieve. “MARY CASSATT, SEEKING INDEPENDENCE: HER EARLY
EXHIBITION PRACTICE IN NEW YORK AND PARIS.” Woman’s art journal 42.1 (2021): n. Pag.
Print.
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Eda Kargi & Yucel Yazgin (2018) Reflections of Play and Toys on Impressionist Painting
Children and Play as a Pictorial Expression, Creativity Research Journal, 30:1,
113-117, DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2018.1411573.
Viraben, Hadrien. “Constructing a Reputation: Achille Segard’s 1913 Biography of Mary
Cassatt.” American art / 31.1 (2017): 98–113. Web.
