“Mutter kämmt ihr Kind” (1879)
ART and DESIGN
Great painting artists
The first American impressionist woman painter
MARY CASSATT
Image source: entertainmentrealm.com
Mary Cassatt was born May 22, 1844, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died June 14, 1926 in Mesnil-Théribus, France, where she is buried.
Since art was her passion from an early age, she was encouraged by her parents. Cassatt traveled throughout Europe, before studying painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. But in 1866, she decided to move to Paris to continue her artistic training.
“Woman with a Pearl Necklace“ (1879)
For 8 years, Cassatt struggled to gain recognition in France, as a woman and a foreigner. In 1874, it caught the attention of painter Edgar Degas. He invited him to join the young impressionist artists, including a young Claude Monet.
Mary Cassatt received (1904) the Legion of Honor, from France, in recognition of her contribution to the arts.
“On the Balcony” (1872)
During World War I, she scampered south almost full time to escape the privations of war. There she received a visit from friends, including August Renoir.
The death of her father in 1891, of her mother in 1895 and of her brother Gardner in 1911 affected her deeply and she suffered from depression. Diabetes and cataracts damaged her eyesight, she stopped painting in 1914, and became permanently blind in 1921, five years before her death.