Mary Cassatt

Who Was Mary Cassatt?

Mary Cassatt was a prominent artist in the Impressionist movement, renowned for her innovative approach to depicting the lives of women and children. After relocating to Paris, where she would spend the rest of her life, she formed a close friendship with fellow artist Edgar Degas. Following 1910, Cassatt’s declining eyesight significantly impacted her ability to paint seriously, ultimately leading to her death in 1926.

Early Life

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, into a family of affluence. Her father, a successful real estate and investment broker, ensured that her upbringing reflected their high social standing. Cassatt’s education was designed to prepare her for a traditional role as a wife and mother, encompassing a curriculum that included homemaking, embroidery, music, sketching, and painting. In the 1850s, the Cassatt family spent several years living abroad in Europe, which further influenced her artistic development.

Study of Art

Despite the societal discouragement of women pursuing careers in the arts during her era, Mary Cassatt enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia at the age of 16. Her experience there was marred by the patronizing attitudes of her male faculty and peers, who resented her presence in the program. Frustrated by the slow pace of the curriculum and the lack of adequate courses, Cassatt ultimately decided to leave and relocate to Europe, where she could independently study the works of the Old Masters.

In defiance of her family’s strong objections—her father even declared that he would prefer to see her dead than living abroad as a “bohemian”—Cassatt moved to Paris in 1866. She commenced her artistic education through private lessons in the Louvre, where she devoted herself to studying and copying the masterpieces on display. Her dedication paid off in 1868 when one of her portraits was accepted into the prestigious Paris Salon, an annual exhibition organized by the French government. Submitting the well-received painting under the pseudonym Mary Stevenson, she navigated the challenges posed by her father’s disapproval.

Growing Artistic Reputation

In 1870, with the onset of the Franco-Prussian War, Cassatt returned home to live with her parents. This return extinguished the artistic freedom she had enjoyed in Europe, complicating her ability to find proper materials and supplies. Her father’s refusal to finance her artistic pursuits forced her to seek sales for her paintings in New York, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Tragically, when she finally managed to sell her works through a dealer in Chicago, they were destroyed in a fire in 1871.

Amid these setbacks, Cassatt received a commission from the archbishop of Pittsburgh to create copies of two paintings by the Italian master Correggio. Accepting the assignment, she traveled to Parma, Italy, where the originals were housed. The commission’s income allowed her to resume her artistic career in Europe. Subsequently, her paintings were accepted for exhibition at the Paris Salon in 1872, 1873, and 1874, solidifying her reputation as an established artist. She continued to study and create art across Spain, Belgium, and Rome, eventually settling permanently in Paris.

Unique Artistic Expression

Although she recognized the Salon’s pivotal role in advancing her career, Cassatt increasingly felt constrained by its rigid expectations. Moving away from concerns about commercial viability or current trends, she began to explore her artistic voice. This experimentation attracted criticism for her bold use of color and the unflinching portrayal of her subjects. During this period, she drew inspiration from Edgar Degas, whose pastels motivated her to pursue her unique artistic vision. In a letter to a friend, she reflected on this influence: “I used to go and flatten my nose against that window and absorb all I could of his art. It changed my life. I saw art then as I wanted to see it.”

Cassatt’s admiration for Degas developed into a close friendship, and in 1879, she exhibited eleven of her paintings with the Impressionists. This exhibition garnered significant commercial and critical success, leading to additional shows in 1880 and 1881. However, a period of dormancy ensued when she withdrew from the art scene to care for her ailing mother and sister. While her sister passed away in 1882, Cassatt resumed painting after her mother regained her health.

Unlike many of her fellow Impressionists, who primarily focused on landscapes and urban scenes, Cassatt became renowned for her portraits, particularly those depicting women in domestic settings and mothers with their children. Her approach differed notably from the idealized depictions of the Renaissance; her portraits were characterized by their directness and honesty. As noted by Gemma Newman in American Artist, “her constant objective was to achieve force, not sweetness; truth, not sentimentality or romance.” Over time, Cassatt’s painting style evolved beyond Impressionism, favoring a more straightforward and simplified approach. After her last exhibition with the Impressionists in 1886, she no longer identified with any particular movement or school. Her explorations of various techniques frequently led to unexpected outcomes, including a series of colored prints inspired by Japanese master printmakers, such as Woman Bathing and The Coiffure, exhibited in 1891.

Artistic Activism

Following her initial success, Mary Cassatt turned her attention to supporting emerging American artists. She played a pivotal role in promoting fellow Impressionists, actively encouraging affluent Americans to invest in the nascent movement by purchasing artwork. In her capacity as an advisor, she guided several prominent collectors with the condition that their acquisitions would ultimately be donated to American art museums, thus fostering the growth of the American art scene.

Later Years and Death

A trip to Egypt in 1910, accompanied by her brother and his family, marked a significant turning point in Cassatt’s life. The awe-inspiring ancient art she encountered prompted her to question her own artistic abilities. Shortly after their return, her brother tragically passed away due to an illness contracted during the trip. These events profoundly impacted Cassatt’s physical and emotional well-being, rendering her unable to paint until around 1912.

Unfortunately, in 1915, Cassatt was compelled to abandon her painting career entirely as diabetes gradually impaired her vision. For the subsequent eleven years, until her death on June 14, 1926, in Le Mesnil-Théribus, France, she endured near-total blindness, grappling with deep unhappiness as she was deprived of her greatest passion