Mary Cassatt

1
Mary Cassatt

• By Jennifer Kolenda

2
Biography

• Born May 22, 1844 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Daughter of wealthy investment banker
• 5th child in the family

3
Biography Continued

• At school she prepared for a life as a wife and
  mother.
• Parents wanted to broaden their childrens
  education
• 1851 family moved to Europe for 5 years

4
Why an artist?

• Mary was impressed by all the art she had seen in
  Europe

5
Schooling

• At age 16 attended Pennsylvania Academy of Fine
  Arts
• Moved to Paris to study the works of Great
  Masters at the Louvre

6
First Big Break

• 1868 one of her portraits was accepted to Salon
• Two years later another portrait was submitted

7
Obstacles along the way

• Franco-Prussian war 1870
• Lack of supplies
• No one to model
• Father refused to fund her work as artists
• Fire in Chicago

8
Returning to Europe

• The archbishop of Pittsburgh hired her to paint
  copies of two works by Corregio.
• The money earned from this job enabled her to
  resume her life in Europe
• She settled in Paris, France

9
Inspirations

• Edgar Degas- French Impressionist painter

10
Impressionism

• 19th century movement
• Captured modern life
• Use of solid colors
• Does not focus on creating illusion of space
  rather stresses pattern of the print
• Cassatt only American artist to exhibit with
  Frech Impressionist

11
Girl Power

• Cassatt became famous for her charming portraits
  primarily of women in domestic surroundings
• Almost one-third of her work was of mothers with
  their children
• Today,Cassatt is consider 1st great Women
  American Artist

12
Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly
13
The Letter
14
Children on the Beach
15
Summertime

• Oil on canvas

16
Cassatts Style Change

• After last exhibit with impressionist in 1866 she
  no longer identified with any particular movement
• Woman Bathing

17
The Bitter End

• A trip to Egypt with her brother she lost her
  confidence in her work and abilities of her own
  work
• Illness from trip lead to her brothers death
• These two events left Cassatt unable to paint for
  two years
• Shortly after diabetes forced her to give up her
  work entirely
• Last 11 years of her life she was blind and
  bitterly unhappy
• Died June 14, 1926

18
Quiz Time

• Q.Where was Cassatt born?
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Q.Who did she look up too?
• A.Edgar Degas
• Q.Name one of her paintings.
• A.the letter, children on the beach, summertime,
  woman bathing.
• Q.Why was Cassatt bitter at the end of her life?
• A. she went blind and could not paint any longer