Mary Cassatt
I spend tons of time searching museum websites for open access artworks created by people from underrepresented groups. There are probably better methods to find artwork to draw, especially because these types of artists aren’t often represented in museum collections. But I end up coming across lots of art I’ve never seen before in the process. Mary Cassatt is sort of a household name as 19th century artists go, but I liked this print from when she was trying to experiment with a new style.
Originally from Pennsylvania and attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, painter and printmaker Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) went on to study the old masters in Europe. She ultimately settled in France where she worked and exhibited with the Impressionists including Degas and Manet. Inspired by a 1890 Paris exhibition of Japanese woodcuts, she challenged herself to experiment with more flat, graphical techniques. Here she represents her most popular theme - the private realm of women.
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Illustration inspired by Mary Cassatt, The Bath, drypoint, softground etching and aquatint, 1890-91, Harvard Art Museums.