Mary+Cassatt

Edited by Katherine Visual Spacial page link "Impressionists." //Wikimedia Commons//. N.p., 20 Feb. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. Mary Cassatt was an American woman from the 19th and 20th century who chose to follow her love of painting to develop her art and life in Europe. As a child she lived in Pennsylvania but she lived her life in France with her art. Because of her attention to detail and success as a woman Cassatt was able to stand out in the Impressionist world. Throughout her life her artwork changed because of the different people she met and the groups she was introduced to. She became an Impressionist painter after meeting Edgar Degas and joining the Impressionists in order to continue to develop her own style and display her artwork. (5) (GaleNet) ** Mary Cassatt was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on May 22, 1844. Her parents, and, then raised her in Philadelphia. Because Cassatt was from an upper-middle-class family she traveled with her family all over Europe with her family. They believed that traveling would broaden their children’s education and give them experience in the world. For the first ten years of her life Cassatt traveled to many capitals in Europe and decided to enroll herself later in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1865 Cassatt planned a four year trip around Europe instead of settling down in marriage like most women did at her age. She studied in many places including Paris, Rome, and Paris and Madrid as a “genteel rebel” while traveling and living alone. She improve her skills by studying and copying great masters’ techniques. <16, 5> After studying art in Europe Mary Cassatt decided to settle herself in Paris, France in 1874. During this time she was a lone artist that produced paintings of women flirting, tossing flowers and sharing refreshment with a bullfighter. She was eager to put her work out and to create modern works with Old Masters’ skills. Her first work that was accepted by the Paris Salon to be displayed was “A Mandolin Player” in 1868. She worked and painted for years after and in 1874 she was accepted into the Salon to work. <16, 10> Cassatt had come at an interesting time and was there when the work of Impressionists became a new form of art. In 1877 her parents decided to move to Europe to be close to their daughter and she took care of them until their death 18 years later. During this time Cassatt stopped to admire a “bold pastel of ballet dancers” that was made by Edgar Degas. After this she met him and developed a close friendship with him and many other Impressionists who later became famous for their works including Monet, Pissarro, and Morisot. <16, 10, 5>
 * < May 22, 1844 || Born in Pittsburg, PA and raised in Philadelphia (5) ||
 * < 1844-54 || During her first 10 years of her life she traveled to many capitals of Europe (5)(16) ||
 * < 1861 || Started training her artistic skills by enrolling in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (10) ||
 * < 1865 || Start of her 4 year trip to Europe where she studied in Paris, Rome, and Madrid instead of marrying (5) ||
 * < 1866 || At age 22 she returned to Europe from Philadelphia (5) ||
 * < 1868 || Her painting, //"A Mandolin Player"//, became her first work that was accepted by the Paris Salon (10) ||
 * < 1874 || Settled in Paris after being accepted to work at the Paris Salon (10) ||
 * < 1877 || Her parents moved to Europe to live with her. Later she met Edgar Degas and was invited to join the Impressionists with him. She became the only American and 1 of only 3 women to display her work with the Impressionists (5) ||
 * < 1879 || first appearance with Degas, Pissarro, and Monet with her work. During this time she helped Edgar Degas and her comrades with an art journal (10) ||
 * < 1895 || 18 years after joining her, her parents died (5) ||
 * < 1879,80,81, 86 || During these years she displayed her work in art exhibits with the Impressionists (16) ||
 * < 1886 || Discovered an alternative to the Impressionist of painters and printmakers (16) ||
 * < 1889 || Displayed her work at an Exposition at Durand-Ruel Gallery where she submitted drypoint and etching (16) ||
 * < 1890s || Painted with a distinct "mother and child" theme (10)(16) ||
 * < 1891 || Painted "//The Bath//" (16) ||
 * < June 14, 1926 || Died in France (5) ||
 * Major Accomplishments **
 * Introduction **
 * Early Life
 * Start of Artistic Career**

 "Cassatt Mary Mother and Child 1890." Wikipedia Commons. N.p., 7 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. **The Impressionists** After having many rejections from art groups in France Cassatt readily accepted Degas’s offer to join the Impressionists. He had seen her work and she started painting scenes from contemporary life instead of the bold and colorful moments that she had displayed earlier. Mary Cassatt had been given an amazing place in this society. She was the only American to be in the group and only one of the three women that were there. For her work she did everything she could including joining with Degas, Pissarro, and Monet to create an art journal, ‘Le jour et la nui,’ that was started in 1879. This journal was never published after never being finished, however, she also painted and showed her own works in art exhibits during 1879,1880, 1881 and again in 1886 including the “//Lady at the Teatable//” in 1885. The journal’s work influenced her work and made her realize printmaker-graphic techniques. <16, 10, 5> The

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1. Who was the first Impressionist who Mary Cassatt met and became friends with? How? 2. Why was Cassatt’s choice to travel in England out of the ordinary? 3. What were the two groups that Cassatt joined in France to display her art? 4. What were the three periods of artistic styles that Mary Cassatt went through? 5. What state was Mary Cassatt born in? 6. What were some places that Cassatt studied in Europe? 7. Where did Cassatt choose to settle down for her career? 8. Who did Mary Cassatt marry? 9. As her art evolved what type of subjects did Cassatt focus on and become famous for? 10. What were the names of some of the famous Impressionists of Cassatt’s time that she was able to meet and work with? //(Answers Below)// "Cassatt Mary Sara Holding A Cat 1908." wikipedia Commons. N.p., 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. "Cassatt Mary Moise Dreyfus 1879." Wikipedia Commons. N.p., 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
 * A QUIZ TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE**

1. Edgar Degas met Cassatt because she had admired his painting and he later saw her work displayed and asked her to join the Impressionists. 2. During Cassatt’s time most women married at the age she decided to leave and she never married during her life. Her parents were supportive of her decisions and allowed her to travel by herself. 3. The Paris Salon and the Impressionists were the two groups that Cassatt joined. She also used Symbolism and Japanese prints later in her life to advance her artwork from the painters-printmakers movement. 4. The Paris Salon, Impressionists and the painters-printmakers were the different groups were Cassatt showed different artistic styles. 5. Pennsylvania was were Cassatt was born to a wealthy middle class family. 6. Paris, Rome, Paris and Madrid were some of the European capitals that Cassatt studied in. 7. Paris, France was were Cassatt eventually settled down to paint and display her art. 8. Cassatt married no one her whole life and instead traveled to Europe to study art. 9. Mothers and children were the theme that Cassatt became famous for. She always painted real scenes and domestic life became a part of that. 10. Monet, Pissarro, Morisot, and Degas were some of the famous Impressionists that Cassatt worked with as an Impressionist.
 * ANSWERS YOU ARE DYING TO KNOW**

_1_"Alfred Sisley." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _2_"Camille Pissarro Norwood." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _3_"Cassatt Mary Young Girl Reading 1908." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _4_"Cassatt, Mary." WebMuseum. N.p., 19 Aug. 2002. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. . //_5_ChoiceOne Communications, prod. "National Women's Hall of Fame."// //Women of the// //Hall Mary Cassatt////. ChoiceOne Communications, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. .// // _6_"Claude Monet, Impression, soleil levant." ////Wikimedia Commons////. N.p., 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.// //_7_"Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas." ////Wikimedia Commons////. N.p., 3 Oct. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.// //_8_"Impressionism morisot." ////Wikimedia Commons////. N.p., 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _9_"Impressionists."// Wikimedia Commons//. N.p., 20 Feb. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2010.// //_10_"Mary Cassatt."// //The Permanant Collection////. National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. .// _11_"Mary Cassatt Quotes." //About.com: Women's History//. N.p., 2010. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. . _12_OneTrueMedia, Inc. 2010.  _13_"Paul Cézanne." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _14_<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">"Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Gabrielle et Jean." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 3 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _15_<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">"Self Portrait." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. _16_Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. "Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman." Art Institute of Chicago. Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., 2007. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.tfaoi.com/newsmu/nmus1d.htm>.//
 * Sources Cited:**