Artist Focus - Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt
Born Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, May 22, 1844. Died June 14, 1926 at Château de Beaufresne, near Paris.
Bio: Mary was born into prosperous family. Her father was a successful stockbroker and land speculator. Her month came from a banking family. At the age of six her family settled in the Philadelphia area and it was there that she began her formal schooling at the age of six.
Mary’s family valued the education that one can gain through travel, so Mary was able to spend five years in Europe. It was there that she began her first formal drawing lessons and gained considerable exposure to the arts.
Her parents were against her studying art formally. However, at the age of fifteen Mary began studying painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, Mary was impatient and disliked the slow pace of instruction. She was also unhappy with the patronizing attitude of the teachers and the male students so she decided to study the techniques of the great masters on her own. Then she moved to Paris to study privately with the masters from École des Beaux-Arts.
In Paris, Mary would have like to attend the academy, École des Beaux-Arts, but women were not allowed to take classes. Because of her artistic talent she was allowed to study privately with Jean-Léon Gérôme. She spent many days copying paintings in the Louvre , and studied with artists Charles Chaplin and Thomas Couture.
She returned to the United States for a year, and upon returning to Europe she experienced some success, but was snubbed by the Salon and experienced seven years of little success. She was then invited to At this low point in her career she was invited by Edgar Degas to show her art with the Impressionists. Degas began to have considerable influence on Cassatt and her art.
Mary Cassatt’s favorite subjects became scenes from ordinary life, particularly children and women with children. She was also an accomplished printmaker.
She continued to work with other impressionists to market her art and began experiencing some success. She also began serving as an investment advisor to several major art collectors in the United States.
She died on June 14, 1926 near Paris, at the Château de Beaufresne. She is buried in a vamily valut at Mesnil-Théribus, France.
Primary Movement: Impressionism
Formal Training: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philladelphia, Pennsylvania.
Private Mentors: Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles Chaplin,Thomas Couture,Edgar Degas
Buried: Family value at Mesnil-Théribus, France
Note to Teacher: Mary’s story is one of perseverance. She the Wikipedia article for additional information.
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Loading ...Posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 8:22 am in the following categories: 1800 - 1900 A.D., 1900 A.D. to Present, American Artists, Impressionism, Mary Cassatt.
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