This groundbreaking new study redefines mary cassatts status in the parisian avantgarde and in american art, placing her work in the wider context of. This study redefines the american artist mary cassatts status in the parisian avantgarde and in american art, placing her work in the wider context of 19thcentury feminism and art theory. This handsome volume, richly illustrated with works spanning cassatt s entire career, accompanies a major traveling exhibition that opens at the art institute of chicago october 1998. Mary cassatt, womens suffrage, and chicagos 1893 worlds. This groundbreaking new study redefines mary cassatts status in the pa. Buy mary cassatt, modern woman first edition by mary cassatt, judith a. It is intelligently organized and written in such a way to give an understanding into her life, relationships, and work. In 1879, after her work was rejected by the salon, edgar degas 18341917 invited her to join the impressionists. Also in 1891, chicago businesswoman bertha palmer approached cassatt to paint a 12. She was born in pennsylvania, but lived much of her adult life in france, where she first befriended edgar degas and later exhibited among the impressionists. Others cover cassatts early realist style, her relationship to degas, her american exhibitions, and cassatts impact upon the formation of art collections in the united states. Mary cassatt at home by shapiro barbara stern abebooks. In the 1980s, griselda pollock wrote mary cassatt, a look at the female impressionist painter that reevaluated her body of work.
Introduction modern woman mural other cassatt exhibits. A native of pennsylvania who lived as an expatriate in paris beginning in 1874, mary cassatt started formal training as a painter in 1861. The cassatts lived in france and germany from 1851 to 1855, giving the young mary an early exposure to european arts and culture. This program was first articulated in the 1848, declaration of sentiments, drawn up by women participants at the first. In 1910, cassatt was elected a member of the us national academy of design. Discount prices on books by mary cassatt, including titles like the beauty of impressionistic flowers and bouquets. The modern womanbiography and 7 images of wellknown paintings. It is a scholarly book, not one to just page through quickly and look at pictures, although much of her work is in the section toward the back of the book. The theme was modern woman, which cassatt would explore with the smoldering feminist point of view of a successful single female at a turning point in history. Debuting at the art institute of chicago, it is the first.
Cassatt and her sister lydia moved to paris in 1874. The work depicts a mother engaged in the act of sewing while seated in front of a window. She spent much of her adult life in france, where she was the only american artist who frequented the inner circles of the french impressionists. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Cassatt completed the project over the next two years while living in france with her mother. In fact the next gallery is devoted to the mural and related paintings including a halfscale, blackandwhite photo placed high on the gallery wall to somewhat mimic its placement over a hundred years ago in the womans. Rice building, october, 1998, through january 10, 1999, the exhibition brings together approximately 100 of. Buy a cheap copy of color your own mary cassatt masterpieces.
On view in the art institutes regenstein hall, the daniel f. It is filled with 100 color plates and scores of other pictures, including cassatt family snapshots, images of works by cassatts teachers and influential associates, postcards, and other related personal and. Modern women, a mural painted for the womens building of the chicago exposition. Mary cassatt, who is best known for her enduring images of mother and children, is never thought of as a bloomer girl or a freelove advocate. Cassatts art explores a new womans perspective on the spaces of modernity. Invited in 1877 by her friend and mentor edgar degas, cassatt was one of three womenand the only americanto join a group of artists later known as the impressionists, which included claude. Mary cassatts chicago mural american girls art club in. Arts, music, dancing view the large size of this mural with border herescroll down the page to the interior of the womans building and click to enlarge the photo to see the hugh size of the mural 58 x 12 feet, although the.
Webster ends her book with a fascinating and suspenseful account of her search for any. Modern woman, even though the images, at first glance, seem oldfashioned and overly sweet. It is filled with 100 color plates and scores of other pictures, including cassatt family snapshots, images of works by cassatts teachers and influential associates, postcards, and other related personal and historical items. Books by mary cassatt author of color your own mary. In eves daughter modern woman, sally webster advances a compellingly feminist, solidly. Cassatt created her earliest surviving prints in 1878, a year before she first showed with the impressionists.
In eves daughtermodern woman, sally webster advances a compellingly feminist, solidly arthistorical, and satisfyingly contextual reading of mary cassatts monumental mural, which adorned the south tympanum of the womens building during the 1893 worlds columbian exposition in chicago. Modern woman, organized by the art institute of chicago, the museum of fine arts, boston, and the national gallery of art, washington, d. The book opens with a commissioned mural late in cassatts career and then goes back in time to being a semichronological thematic approach. Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between. One of the few women artists to succeed professionally in her era, mary cassatt 18441926 holds a unique place in the history of art. Modern woman, the first retrospective in 30 years of the work of one of the greatest artists this country has produced. In paris, cassatt influenced american collectors, in particular the wealthy havemeyers, whose outstanding collection of 19th century modern art was eventually donated to the metropolitan museum of art. Commissioned for the womans building at chicagos 1893 worlds columbian exposition, modern woman also stood as a personal and professional manifesto. A young child in a white dress leans on her mothers lap while gazing out of the picture plane toward the viewer. Born on may 22, 1844, in allegheny city, pennsylvania, mary cassatt was one of the leading artists in the impressionist movement of the later part of the 1800s. See more ideas about mary cassatt, american artists and artist. One of the few women impressionists, mary cassatt 18441926 had a life of paradoxes. At the end of the nineteenth century, mary cassatt, dared to defy expectations and became a painter, instead of a housewife and mother.
Recognized as one of the foremost 19thcentury american painters and printmakers, mary cassatt is known for her prolific career and impressionist artwork. The art institute of chicago is proud to present mary cassatt. Discover librarianselected research resources on mary cassatt from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. Color 30 blackandwhite illustrations of masterpieces by the great american impressionist, best known for her paintings of mothers and their children. The roots of cassatt s success may be traced to a childhood rich.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books. Drawing on recent scholarship and new research, the books contributors. Young women plucking the fruits of knowledge or science right. While it doesnt seem so radical now, pollock was one of the first to suggest mary cassatt as a serious, hardworking, talented. Hilairegermainedgar degas saw a work by cassatt at the official salon, and a few years later he urged her to exhibit with the impressionists. Rather than eve, causing the fall of mankind, these women presented a hopeful allegory where knowledge and equal opportunity was available to all. Mary cassatt, modern woman paperback january 1, 1999. Cassatts modern woman mural central panel with wide borders young women plucking the fruits of knowledge or science central panel mary cassatts young women plucking the fruits of knowledge or science.
Six independent essays reveal new aspects of the artists work and personality. Published on the occasion of the exhibition mary cassatt. Modern study of mary cassatt has been largely, although not entirely, based upon the faultless work of adelyn breeskin, frederick sweet, and nancy mowll mathews. Mary cassatts 1874 work woman reading was part of her first exhibition with the impressionists. Find more prominent pieces of portrait at best visual art database. In the 1880s and throughout the 1890s, cassatts subject matter was almost primarily mothers and children. Cassatts was a womancentered art because she conceived of women as complete within themselves. In 1875, after being rejected by the official paris salon, where she had been exhibiting her paintings, american artist mary cassatt 18441926 accepted edgar degass 18341917 invitation to join the impressionist group.
Born into the male dominated world of the nineteenth century, middleclass pennsylvania society, mary cassatt became a feminist and turned what was a ladys accomplishment into a profession becoming a radical painter, working in paris and exhibiting with the impressionists. May 22, 1844 june 14, 1926 was an american painter and printmaker. Modern woman, mural by mary cassatt the first thing we should note, as we look at the two murals placed together, is that macmonnies mural is a continuous scene across the three panelsone edenic landscape with classically dressed women posing rather serenely and sedately. In 1891, cassatt accepted a commission to paint a mural for the worlds columbia exposition scheduled for 1893 in chicago. She became the first and only american in the circle. They also influenced new directions in cassatts paintings of the early 1890s, including her 1893 mural, modern woman. Mary cassatt is widely acclaimed for her intimate scenes of mothers and children, such as mother about to wash her sleepy child 1880, that are painted with quick brushstrokes in a pastel palette. Modern woman is the extensive, beautifully produced, coffeetablesize catalog of an exhibition of the same name at the art institute of chicago in the fall of 1998. Born into a wealthy pennsylvania family, mary stevenson cassatt enlisted privilege in the service of artistic endeavor. Art institute of chicago, one of the few women artists to. Her work, entitled modern woman, was 12ft by 58ft triptych 3panel piece displayed along with mary macmonnies 18661946 primitive woman in the womans building of the exposition. Yet in her 1893 mural modern woman she illustrated the most progressive and radical program of womens emancipation yet advanced. The feminist heart of the art of mary cassatt books.
List of books and articles about mary cassatt online research. The cover was damaged as if someone peeled off a scotch tape. The more we can find out about how she came to be so, the better. Not surprisingly, the public flocked to see the wellconceived mary cassatt exhibition at the art institute of chicago, standing in line to buy.
This book undertakes a complete overview of cassatts mural, synthesizing a wide variety of interpretations and original observations to present the first complete treatment of the work. Woman reading was created in 1879 by mary cassatt in impressionism style. A close friend of degas, who immortalized her with his famous portrait of her working in the louvre, she was not only an important painter, but a superb printmaker and draftsman, whose work shows the impact that japanese woodcuts had on french artists, especially the impressionists. Mary cassatt welcome to spaightwood galleries, inc. The woman wears a striped dress covered by a green apron that. Mary cassatt was the only american to exhibit with the impressionist group in paris. In eves daughtermodern woman, sally webster advances a compellingly feminist, solidly. Mary cassatt s most popular book is shakespeares sonnets. One of the few women artists to succeed professionally in her era, mary. The book has very complete information about mary cassatt as well as the other artists of her time. Mary cassatt has 34 books on goodreads with 273 ratings. Constructing modern woman and female space born in philadelphia, mary cassatt spent most of her professional life in france, so we sometimes forget that shes an american artist. Mary cassatts most popular book is shakespeares sonnets.