Mary Cassatt And The Popularization Of Impressionism

Mary Cassatt is one of the most famous female figures in the art world and aided in the popularization of Impressionism. Her work was simple yet impactful, and left its viewers wanting more. The main focus in most of her works was of mother and child or of women doing simple daily tasks. Her broken brush strokes and bright color palettes made her pieces pleasant and full of life. Though her work was not at first accepted, she kept painting and worked hard to make a name for herself and to change the art world into something more diverse and accepting.

Mary Cassatt
On May 22, 1844, Mary Cassatt was born to Robert Simpson Cassatt and Katherine Kelso Johnston in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. Because her parents were of a wealthy background, Mary and her family were able to travel often. A family trip to Europe when Mary was only seven years old sparked her lifelong interest in art. Mary received her basic education in Europe, and then in moving back to the states, was able to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at the young age of sixteen.
Knowing full well that her heart belonged in Europe, Mary longed to be back in France and working full time as an artist. Eventually, through commissioned paintings, she was able to save enough money to move to move to Paris. She studied all the famous paintings of the old masters and learned their how to paint with their old style techniques. Mary Cassatt eventually tried submitting her works into the prestigious Paris Salon, only to be rejected. She did not let that stop her however, and tried many times to get into the Salon. She eventually was accepted and had work shown and seen by many people. Being able to show work at such a highly honored place gave Mary the publicity she ne...

... middle of paper ...

...ised by the public. Her ability to show the affectionate body language between mother and child captivated its audiences. Mary Cassatt also experimented with print making and explored different patterns that made her work all the more lively. Her work with drypoint and aquatint are some of the most famous color prints in the art world today.
In the later years of her life, though in the prime of her career, Mary Cassatt unfortunately developed cataracts in both eyes and was eventually made blind. With her blindness, she was unable to continue in her beloved field of work. She passed away in June of 1926, in France. After she died, many memorial exhibitions were made in her honor in both Europe and the United States. Though she is gone, her work is still very popular today. People that view her work are still able to see and feel the life in her paintings.