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| Mary Cassatt was an
American Impressionist painter who studied, lived, and worked most
of her life in France. In 1868 she settled in Paris and the following
year met Edward
Degas. He became a close friend of hers and
invited her to exhibit with French Impressionist
artists. Cassatt became an active member of the Impressionist group
in Paris, exhibiting in four of the original Impressionist exhibitions,
beginning in 1879. As a woman, Cassatt was unable to frequent the
cafes as often as the male artists, and also had the responsibility
of taking care of her ailing parents. These factors greatly limited
her subject choices to that of women and children. Cassatt’s
strong connections with collectors and critics in the United States
played a considerable role in encouraging Americans to appreciate
and purchase works by French Impressionists. This portrait is part of a series, which Cassatt began in 1901, of little girls posed against undefined backgrounds. Simone was a neighbor girl and a frequent model who was the subject of at least twenty portraits by the artist. Simone in a Blue Bonnet is unusual in that it is an oil painting and not done in pastels. The animated quality of Cassatt’s brushwork makes this as much a statement about childhood as it is a portrait of Simone. The bold but abbreviated strokes that define the child’s pink dress with white bow evoke a sense that she, and all around her, is in a state of constant motion. Simone was four or five years old when this portrait was painted.  (For Grades 3-5) Who do you think the girl in the portrait is? How do you think she knew the artist? How old do you think she was when this portrait was painted? Why do you think the artist decided to paint this portrait? Is this portrait real or abstract? Why do you think that? How do you feel when you look at this artwork? Does this artwork look finished or unfinished? Why? Why do you think the artist left the painting like this? |
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Mary Stevenson Cassatt United States, 1844-1926 Simone In Blue Bonnet Oil on canvas, ca. 1903 Bequest of Mrs. Henry A. Everett 1938:20 © San Diego Museum of Art |
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