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Mary Cassatt

Simone in a Blue Bonnet
Now On View

Description

Maker

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926)

Title

Simone in a Blue Bonnet

Year

ca. 1903

Medium

  • Oil on canvas

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Oil on canvas

Materials

oil paint

Supports

  • canvas

Dimensions

61 x 52.1 cm (24 x 20 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Unsigned

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth

Object Number

60.095

Type

  • Paintings

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

  • Books

Exchange Exhibition, Exhibition Exchange: From the Collection of Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University; From the Collection of The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence.

  • Books

Selection VII: American Painting from the Museum's Collection, c.1800-1930

  • Books

Selected Works

Articles

New Ways to Paint

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Inventing Impressionism
Oct 21, 2016 – Jun 11, 2017

Label copy

Mary Cassatt was the only American to participate in the Impressionist exhibitions. In this unfinished portrait of a young neighbor, she draws directly and economically with her brush, capturing the child’s expression and subtly modeling her face. She marks the bonnet’s brim with a single firm line then explodes its feathery ornaments with wide, fluid strokes of paint. The prominent vertical and dark, scribbled brushstrokes suggest interior space and project the figure forward, but areas of exposed white ground preserve the natural brightness of the canvas and register Cassatt’s desire for an overall light tonality.

Paula and Leonard Granoff Galleries
Dec 18, 2015
Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

After moving to Paris to acquire advanced artistic training, Cassatt became the only American to participate in the groundbreaking French Impressionist exhibitions of the 1870s and 1880s. Her female models were often members of her Paris household or neighbors from her nearby country home.

Cassatt made numerous studies of a little girl named Simone, frequently posing her in colorful bonnets. In this unfinished portrait, she skillfully models the child’s face then sketches her hair and costume with thick strokes of paint. She projects the figure forward from a dark background, but otherwise preserves the natural brightness of the canvas, an Impressionist technique that assured a light overall tonality.

An American Idyll
19th-Century Paintings and Decorative Arts
Apr 06, 2007 – Jan 06, 2008

Label copy

Mary Cassatt was the only American artist to participate in the Impressionist exhibitions of the 1870s and 80s in Paris. A close friend of Edgar Degas, she was among the most advanced painters of her generation, as well as an innovative printmaker and exceptional pastellist. Her models were often female members of her household, whether in Paris or at her country home at Château de Beaufresne in the nearby Oise region. Between 1903 and 1904, Cassatt made at least 20 pictures of a little blonde girl named Simone, posing her in large colorful bonnets decorated with ribbons and feathers. In this portrait, Cassatt uses her draftsman’s skill to render the child’s face, then brushes in her hair and costume with thick strokes of paint. The unfinished state of the painting reveals further information about Cassatt’s technique. Although she paints a dark background to project the figure forward, she otherwise preserves the natural brightness of the canvas, a technique used by the Impressionists to enhance their ability to represent an overall light tonality.

American Paintings from the Museum's Collection
Feb 10, 1999 – Apr 01, 1999
  • More Exhibition History +

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926)
Simone in a Blue Bonnet, ca. 1903
Oil on canvas
61 x 52.1 cm (24 x 20 1/2 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth 60.095

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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