Mari Cassatt American graphic artist and artist Date of Birth: 22.05.1884 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Education
2. Early Career and Impresionism
3. Post-Impressionism and Later Years
4. Recognition and Legacy

Early Life and Education

Mary Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh.Her father, Robert S. Cassatt, was a successful stockbroker, and her mother, Katherine Johnston Kelso, came from a banking family. Mary grew up in a privileged household where travel was considered a fundamental part of education. By the age of ten, she had visited major European capitals such as London, Paris, and Berlin.

Despite her family's objections to her becoming a professional artist, Mary began studying painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1861. Impatient with the slow pace of instruction and the condescension of some male students and instructors, she decided to pursue her studies independently and moved to Paris in 1866.

Early Career and Impresionism

In 1872, Cassatt's first painting was accepted by the Paris Salon. Critics found her colors too bright and her portraits too literal to be flattering. However, upon seeing Edgar Degas' pastels in an art dealer's window, she recognized a kindred spirit. "I had to go and flatten my nose against the window and absorb all I could of his painting," she wrote to a friend. "It changed my life. I saw art then as I wanted to see it."

She met Degas in 1874, and he invited her to exhibit with the Impressionists. Her work was first shown at their exhibition in 1879. Cassatt remained an active member of the Impressionist movement until 1886, befriending Degas and Berthe Morisot. Like Degas, Cassatt became highly proficient in using pastels, eventually executing many of her most famous paintings in this medium.

Post-Impressionism and Later Years

After the initial success of the Impressionists, Cassatt briefly put aside painting to care for her mother and sister, who had fallen ill after moving to Paris in 1877. Her sister died in 1882, but her mother recovered, and Cassatt resumed painting in the mid-1880s. Her style shifted away from Impressionism towards a simpler, more direct approach. From 1886 onwards, she no longer identified herself with any particular movement, experimenting with various styles.

A series of stark, tightly rendered, and unsentimental paintings of mothers and children became a central theme of her most renowned work. In 1891, she exhibited a series of highly original color lithographs, including "The Bath" and "The Coiffure," inspired by Japanese prints that had been shown in Paris the previous year.

Recognition and Legacy

The 1890s marked one of Cassatt's most vibrant and productive periods. She became a role model for aspiring American artists seeking her advice and support. Among them was Lucy A. Bacon, whom Cassatt introduced to Camille Pissarro. In the early 20th century, she served as a consultant to major art collectors, playing a significant role in bringing their collections to American art museums. The recognition of her own work in the United States was slower to come.

Cassatt's brother Alexander, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, died in 1906. Grief-stricken, she did not paint again until 1912. During a trip to Egypt in 1910, she was deeply moved by the beauty of the ancient land. Diagnosed with diabetes, rheumatism, neuralgia, and cataracts in 1911, she continued to paint, but by 1914, Cassatt was forced to give up painting due to near blindness. Nonetheless, she remained actively involved in the women's suffrage movement, exhibiting 18 of her works at a fundraising exhibition in 1915.

In recognition of her contributions to the arts, she was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1904. Mary Cassatt died on June 14, 1926, at the Château de Beaufresne near Paris and was buried in the family vault. In 2005, one of her paintings sold for $2.87 million.

Throughout her career, Mary Cassatt defied societal norms and pursued her passion for art with determination and talent. Her work captures the complexities of female experience, particularly the profound bond between mothers and children. As both an artist and a pioneer for women's rights, Mary Cassatt's legacy continues to inspire generations.