Art Captions

Author notes

0009. Mother and Child X.

CornTown

on Feb. 3, 2010

By Mary Cassatt.(1844-1926)
Circa. 1880's
Impressionism

Throughout history, women have been limited in the world of classical art. One of the major reasons for this is due to subject matter. For instance, most women were not permitted to draw nudes, religious scenes, landscapes, and historical scenes which make up the majority of classical paintings. If a woman wanted to paint, she would have to work in either still lifes or portraits.

Mary Cassatt was limited in subject matter, however, her use of impressionist color and shape gives her portraits an intimate quality which separated her art from her peers.