Modern Artist: Mary Cassatt

"Young Mother Sewing" (top right)
     The contrast of this piece, or of this artist rather, is what caught my attention.  The light white and pastel colors make the dark areas of hair and eyes stand out.  This painting is very balanced vertically on a central axis where the faces of the mother and child fall into place.  There is a sense of placidity in the mother's face while there is a feeling of anxiousness in the young girls expression.

"Mother" (left)
     In this painting, a baby or toddler girl explores the contours of her mother's face.  The child looks very healthy and playful while the mother comes across as somewhat stoic or stern.  The fabric of their clothes is perfectly rendered.  Although there is a lack of pigment over the rest of their bodies, both the mother and daughter have a similar touch of blush that ties them together.  Their gaze catches each other and one can appreciate the simplicity and timelessness of the relationship between mother and daughter.

"Toreador" (bottom right)
     Unlike her other work, Mary Cassatt created this figure in a really dark setting.  Most of her work is very light with pastel colors with slight touches of vibrent accents with very clear atmostpheric qualities.  Maybe the lack of background in this piece is what gives it a smog-like atmosphere instead of grounding the man in a three-dimentional space.