Mary Cassatt

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.

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.

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.