The following article presents the very latest information on Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Impressionism. If you have a particular interest in Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Impressionism, then this informative article is required reading.
Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:
Impressionism was the art form favored by an elite group consisting mostly of Frenchmen. Names like Renoir, Degas, and Monet are recognized as some of history's greatest artists. The fraternity of French Impressionism was invaded by a lone American woman, Mary Cassatt.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born on May 22, 1845 in what is today called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When she was fifteen, Mary entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. (By this time, her family had moved across the state and lived in the Philadelphia area.) At the academy, Mary focused on drawing human figures.
Having studied under artists who were themselves taught in France and otherwise influenced by the frequent French art exhibits held in Philadelphia, Mary decided to go to Europe to further her studies in Paris.
In 1867, Mary submitted some of her work to be juried by the Paris Salon, a very important art exhibit at that time. She was turned down in this first attempt, but a year later, her painting, "La Mandoline," was accepted. Her first appearance in the Paris Salon coincided with the first appearance of the controversial Impressionists. This was her first connection with this art group.
Despite her first major success, Mary returned to Pennsylvania when she was 26 years old, with the intention of settling down and perhaps opening her own art studio. However, Philadelphia lacked the ingredients that Cassatt felt necessary for serious art making outstanding collections to study, exciting modern art, picturesque models. When her family moved to rural Hollidaysburg in the western part of Pennsylvania, she was forced to close her Philadelphia gallery. Living in a small town, away from the art world, frustrated Mary, and she longed to return to Europe.
With good luck, she received a commission from a Pittsburgh bishop to go to Europe and paint copies of two famous religious paintings for his cathedral.
It was during this trip to Europe that Mary decided to live in Paris. By this time, she had become an independent painter, experimenting with this modern art form, Impressionism.
She studied under the teacher who tutored Edouard Manet. Edgar Degas became her most intimate friend, and it was he who invited her to join the group of Impressionists. Over time, Cassatt and Degas worked closely together, consulting each other frequently, until it became difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish a Degas painting from a Cassatt. Mary had said that one of her greatest compliments came after Degas' death, and art critics mistook her gifts to him as his own work.
Mary Cassatt proved to be an important voice among the Impressionists in ways beyond her art. Because of her own wealthy upbringing, she was able to establish contacts with those who would become patrons of this "rebel" art group. Being the only American, she brought legitimacy to the style in the United States. She was also able to tap her family's wealth to help support her own starving artist companions.
The themes of her art were woman-centered: motherhood, girlhood, womanhood. The recurrence of these themes may have had to do with her relationship with her mother, which was very close. In her personal life, Mary remained single and childless.
Remaining in Paris for the rest of her life, Mary Cassatt lived long enough to see a new generation of avant-garde artists enter the art scene and to see the Impressionists considered Old Masters. She continued painting until 1915 when cataracts nearly blinded her. She remained vigorous into her old age, until diabetes finally weakened her. She died on June 14, 1926.
This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:
Impressionism was the art form favored by an elite group consisting mostly of Frenchmen. Names like Renoir, Degas, and Monet are recognized as some of history's greatest artists. The fraternity of French Impressionism was invaded by a lone American woman, Mary Cassatt.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born on May 22, 1845 in what is today called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When she was fifteen, Mary entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. (By this time, her family had moved across the state and lived in the Philadelphia area.) At the academy, Mary focused on drawing human figures.
Having studied under artists who were themselves taught in France and otherwise influenced by the frequent French art exhibits held in Philadelphia, Mary decided to go to Europe to further her studies in Paris.
In 1867, Mary submitted some of her work to be juried by the Paris Salon, a very important art exhibit at that time. She was turned down in this first attempt, but a year later, her painting, "La Mandoline," was accepted. Her first appearance in the Paris Salon coincided with the first appearance of the controversial Impressionists. This was her first connection with this art group.
Despite her first major success, Mary returned to Pennsylvania when she was 26 years old, with the intention of settling down and perhaps opening her own art studio. However, Philadelphia lacked the ingredients that Cassatt felt necessary for serious art making outstanding collections to study, exciting modern art, picturesque models. When her family moved to rural Hollidaysburg in the western part of Pennsylvania, she was forced to close her Philadelphia gallery. Living in a small town, away from the art world, frustrated Mary, and she longed to return to Europe.
With good luck, she received a commission from a Pittsburgh bishop to go to Europe and paint copies of two famous religious paintings for his cathedral.
It was during this trip to Europe that Mary decided to live in Paris. By this time, she had become an independent painter, experimenting with this modern art form, Impressionism.
She studied under the teacher who tutored Edouard Manet. Edgar Degas became her most intimate friend, and it was he who invited her to join the group of Impressionists. Over time, Cassatt and Degas worked closely together, consulting each other frequently, until it became difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish a Degas painting from a Cassatt. Mary had said that one of her greatest compliments came after Degas' death, and art critics mistook her gifts to him as his own work.
Mary Cassatt proved to be an important voice among the Impressionists in ways beyond her art. Because of her own wealthy upbringing, she was able to establish contacts with those who would become patrons of this "rebel" art group. Being the only American, she brought legitimacy to the style in the United States. She was also able to tap her family's wealth to help support her own starving artist companions.
The themes of her art were woman-centered: motherhood, girlhood, womanhood. The recurrence of these themes may have had to do with her relationship with her mother, which was very close. In her personal life, Mary remained single and childless.
Remaining in Paris for the rest of her life, Mary Cassatt lived long enough to see a new generation of avant-garde artists enter the art scene and to see the Impressionists considered Old Masters. She continued painting until 1915 when cataracts nearly blinded her. She remained vigorous into her old age, until diabetes finally weakened her. She died on June 14, 1926.
This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
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