Young Mother Sewing

"Young Mother Sewing"

Artist: Mary Cassatt

Year: 1900

This painting by Mary Cassatt shows a young mother sewing in a chair with her child leaning on her lap. The mother is completely focused on her work while the childs gaze is staring at the viewers. What drew me to this picture is a couple of things, one being the clothes especially by the mother. She stands out in stripes. Mary Cassatt wanted to bring attention to the mother doing a form of work or labor or even a hobby. I remember us talking a lot about needlework and other things being an example of that time period and sewing could be popular for the time period. Also what stood out in this painting was motherhood since many of Mary Cassatts paintings depicted motherhood i felt that this one also emphasized it as well. The way the child is looking seems like she is waiting for her mother to be done and she wants to be close to her mother and won't leave her side. I also really liked the colors along with the scenery in the back and flowers on the table.

Motherhood

Artist: Mary Cassatt

Title: A Kiss for Baby Anne

I liked this painting because she is emphasizing motherhood and love. We have talked so much about the importance of maternity and the mother-daughter bond. This painting depicts these bonds we have talked so much about. The ways in which they are so close and the mother is kissing her babies cheek truly shows adoration and love. The colors in this painting are so calm; the thing that draws me in the most are the rosy cheeks of the mother and baby Anne which in turn leads you to look at the way she is kissing her cheek. Motherhood is the highest power a woman has in life. Cassatt believed that motherhood was important to all women, even a woman who has no children or doesn't marry still finds maternity important. This painting reminds me of the painting by Vigee-Lebrun and her daughter. The way they show true love through their body positions.

Ballet Rehearsal on Stage

Authour: Edgar Degas

Date: 1874

This painting was done by Edgar Degad. He was known to be a painter and sculpter from France. Some of his greatest works involved impressionism. He was also known for his portrayal of movement. This is an oil painting. In this painting Degas captures the "romance of the ballet" according to many despcriptions of the painting. He trully was able to create a clear depiction of movement as well as depth and emotion. The colors in the painting help bring out, possibly the agony of the dance as well. As we have learned, ballet wasnt necessarilly the most "romantic" dance. It was more so strenuous and arduous. That background information, makes the painting doublefold. While it does serve as a painting that praises the dance, I see pain. I dont think they look happy. The other irony is that it is such a graceful dance however to perform it, requires alot of physical pain. So to the eye this may be a beautiful scene, a candid moment in ballet. However, I think that Degras captured something else, he captured a moment that to me shows hurt. They dont look happy to me, they dont look like they are enjoying it either. It does seem as if they are focused but "romance of the ballet" I dont quite see.

Title: Dancer (Danseuse)

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1874

Present location: Hermitage, St. Petersberg, Russia

Edgar Degas was a late 19th century impressionist. He was known for his works of art demonstrating women performing labor in different settings. Ballet during this time was considered to be economically crucial to a family's survival, therefore, considered more than just a past time. It was a form of income. This oil on canvas artwork is very subtle and chique. The colors are very neutral and soft and they giver the dancer a very plush and feminine look. The way that it is drawn allows the dancer to blend with the background, yet still stand out. I also like this painting because it looks as if she is troubled with something going on and trying to hide away from it.

Spring Morning In the Park

Title: Spring Morning In the Park
Artist: Alice Barber Stephens
Date: 1890

I chose this painting because Whitney Chadwick gives mention to Alice Barber Stephens and her painting The Female Life Class (1879). Unlike her painting in the book, this painting is Impressionistic. One of the main characteristics of Impressionism was capturing light in the moment. The first thing the viewer notices is the light source. It looks as if Barber Stephens captured a moment in time, a freeze-frame of the mother, baby, and nanny(?). It's like she took a picture. The female figure on the right in the background sitting on the bench is kind of cropped, which also makes the painting appear more candid. Perhaps this paiting was a result of the influence of photography.

Feeding the Swans

This is a picture by Edith Hayllar called Feeding the Swans (1889). It is a portrait of a woman and a young girl on a dock feeding two swans. Further back up the dock is a man leaning towards a woman who is sitting down holding a tea cup. The background consists of a house with elderly women sitting and also drinking tea. Lining the outer edges of the painting are numerous trees. The scenic portrait of the people leisurely feeding swans and drinking tea gives off a serene and ordered tone, which acted as a direct response to the atmosphere Hayllar was living in at the time. The 19th century was a time of social unrest. There were many movements fighting for women's rights. Because many social changes were taking place, a higher demand for conservatism resulted, which can be seen in Hayllar's painting. All of the women are situated near the house, which was a symbol of a woman's social expectation to have a domestic lifestyle. The woman feeding the swan is holding hands with a child, which is another traditional symbol associated with women: motherhood. Also, the act of feeding swans itself is a nurturing characteristic, while the colors and composition of the women are light and soft, again emphasizing feminine characteristics. Despite all the numerous symbols depicting a woman's role in society, it can be argued that the emphasis of the painting is the man, who is positioned in the very center. All of the other women are cast off to the side, and most are in a submissive position (sitting down), while the man is standing up in a dominant position. The straight lines on his arms and legs versus the curvy lines of the women also reinforces the idea of strength/power, which is entitled solely to the man. He also seems to slightly hunch over towards the woman, either to help her stand up or to give her something; both of which can be interpreted to emphasize the man as being the dominant support system of a household. This idea combated with the economic changes happening at the time, in which women were fighting for positions in the workplace. Overall, Edith Hayllar's Feeding of the Swans was a reflection of gender expectations in the 19th century and the yearning to keep these traditional ideas alive despite social and economic unrest.

The Love Letter

THE LOVE LETTER

1861

By: Rebecca Solomon

This is a painting of a women standing up wearing victorian looking clothes in front of a mirror. There is a man who has opened the door to the room she is in and interrupts her while reading a love letter. Her gaze is towards the man who has opened the door.

In my opinion there are a couple of ways of interpreting this artwork. First off, the way her gaze is tilted and looking at the guy coming in the door it could mean that she is trying to hide in a room with the door closed trying to read a love note from another man and possibly the man coming in the door is her husband. Their expressions give off a sense of alertness or may their stunned. Definetely interrupted. The second interpretation is that the man at the door could possibly be her lover or an admirer professing his love for her. Either way i really liked this picture because it almost comes off as a hidden love almost like romeo juliet and he is professing love to her and he is coming to see what she thinks of the letter he wrote. Or i thought maybe the man could be her husband and she is finding a letter from him to his mistress or the mistress to her husband. Maybe she is surprised to learn of his infedility. Also obviously this women is educated and of higher class.