Cassatt’s portrait, Little Girl in the Blue Armchair, demonstrates a clear insight on children’s mannerisms and also a disregard for the social customs surrounding the how children were typically shown. During this time, they were idealized; being placed in a surrounding that was flattering to there outer appearance as well as inner. For example, Renoir’s painting of The Daughters of Catulle Mendez, Huguette from 1888. The painting shows three girls all by a piano, one holding a violin, all dressed fashionably and with serious and focused expressions. In contrast, Cassatt’s child is not presented in a dignified social manner but rather depicting a restless, unconcerned child. In reality, this is probably how the child was and she is using …show more content…
Here, Cassatt wanted to represent the little girl’s matching socks and dress in order to represent that she was taken good care of by a guardian. However, the girls attire and outward appearance of social class is overturned by her positioning in the chair; dramatically slouching. The humor represented is that a great deal of work had gone into dressing the girl but she does not seem to intellectually understand her role as a sitter. By depicting the girl in a socially unsuitable manner physically, she is exuding her boldness and trying to make a …show more content…
With that impression, the viewer can take this as an intimate portrait between family members. However, after noticing not much foreground or background, the focus is simply on the little girl. As I discussed earlier about constraints that the female artist had in terms of humor, I concluded that a woman needs to make the situation a paradox; and I believe, this is precisely what Cassatt is doing in this painting. The background of the portrait lacks any household items, which suggests that maybe this setting is not as private as it may be assumed. The vastly broad room lacks any decoration. Simple home appliances are non-existent. The fact that she left out these types of elements establishes this work into a more theoretical reverie of a composition. This can leave the viewer confused as to if it is appropriate or not. This play with foreground and background uncertainty can also be seen the work of Degas, her confidant. Cassatt’s Little Girl in a Blue Armchair plays within the typicality’s of child portraiture while flipping them upside down. By representing a bored, unengaged, high-class young girl, Cassatt challenges the way in which children have been traditionally depicted as happy and entertained. On the other hand, Cassatt showcases the conventional idea of a good genre painting of children by depicting a
This painting is set within what seems to be the nineteenth century. One can infer this information based on the clothing, furniture, and architectural styles prevalent in the picture. The main figure that is central in the piece, the older man, fits the role of what appears to be a teaching position, where the boys that surround him are his students. The scene displayed here is one of an examination day. Each boy must t...
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
An influential American printmaker and painter as she was known for impressionist style in the 1880s, which reflected her ideas of the modern women and created artwork that displayed the maternal embrace between women and children; Mary Cassatt was truly the renowned artist in the 19th century. Cassatt exhibited her work regularly in Pennsylvania where she was born and raised in 1844. However, she spent most of her life in France where she was discovered by her mentor Edgar Degas who was the very person that gave her the opportunity that soon made one of the only American female Impressionist in Paris. An exhibition of Japanese woodblock Cassatt attends in Paris inspired her as she took upon creating a piece called, “Maternal Caress” (1890-91), a print of mother captured in a tender moment where she caress her child in an experimental dry-point etching by the same artist who never bared a child her entire life. Cassatt began to specialize in the portrayal of children with mother and was considered to be one of the greatest interpreters in the late 1800s.
The painting depicts a mother and her four children, who are all leaning on her as she looks down solemnly, her tired, despondent expression suggests she felt trapped in her roles as being a mother and a wife. The woman and her children are clearly the focal point of the artwork as the bright colours used to paint them stand out impeccably against the dull, lifeless colours of the background. This painting appears to be centred around the ideology that women are home-keepers, whose main role is to satisfy and assist her husband while simultaneously minding the children and keeping the home tidy and ready for his return. The social consequences of this artwork could have been that the woman could have been berated for not taking pleasure out of being a mother and raising her children, as a woman should. She could have been made redundant as her husband may have felt as though she is no longer useful if she couldn’t adequately adhere to her roles as a mother and a
The piece shows Marie posing with her three children, the reason for this painting was to create a public message depicting her as more than just elegance and put her on the same level as the general public. Because the painting was meant for the eyes of the general public the painting is rather bland and lacks detail. Instead of Marie looking down on the population showing off her lavish and extravagant items she has just her children attempting to depict herself as a regular mother just like every other female raising children. There is very little details in the paint except for the empty baby carriage which was most likely only included to honor the death of one of her children at a young
This theme is evident in the doubling of stockings with the girl’s natural black legs. The red stockings, which represent sexual, material desires, are contrasted with the natural, elegant beauty of the legs of the black girl. The stockings highlight only the legs, separating them from the girl as a whole and allowing for easier objectification, specifically by young white males. However, the girl knows this, as she has put the stockings on and is being told so by the narrator, who represents the black community. The narrator also clearly recognizes the girl’s beauty, and her beauty is further highlighted in the fact that she is clothed in silk, which relates to royalty and comfortability.
The painting is intimate, almost as if was not meant for the eyes of the viewer. The mother gently holds the baby, within her arms, as she feeds him. The mother’s gaze is met by the child as it reaches out to touch her face. The background is simple, emphasizing the closeness between the mother and child, much like Le Brun’s piece. Additionally, Cassatt’s The Child's Bath, 1893 “with its striking and unorthodox composition, is one of Cassatt’s masterworks” (“The Child's Bath”). Within this composition, she employed the use of unconventional devices such as cropped forms, bold patterns and outlines, and a flattened perspective (“The Child's Bath”). Cassatt utilizes a pastel-like color scheme, exemplifying the delicateness and tenderness between the mother and her bathing child. Her brush strokes are swift and gentle, again, suggesting the passionate, yet soft, love the mother has for her child. The elevated vantage point invites the viewer to observe this intimate moment, but not to
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
The young girl sprawls on comfortably as a way of the illustrating her rebellion, as this is not the appropriate position to have one’s portrait taken. Also, the girl seems to be from a well of family since her dress is a fashion-forward, her shawl and bow matches with her socks. Her hair is neatly placed in clean and neat shoes that that seems to be new as they have buckles that sparkle. Conversely, the little girl has insignificant concern for all this primness where her unselfconscious pose presents a novel image regarding childhood (Jones
Teachers can show films such as Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink) about a seven-year-old boy who is bullied by the kids and adults in society because he identifies as a girl. This movie can lead to discussion that challenges a student’s understanding of concepts such as identity and the priority of being yourself over conforming to the expectations of others around you. Students might finally realize the ways society limits acceptance and imagination. Although creativity may seem of concern to only the youth of our population, artist Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” Children will grow up to be become the working class of their generation, but without creativity to guide them and society constantly dragging them further away from their creative childhood, the world will decay into mundaneness rather than blossom with
The benefits of this communication are varied perspectives influenced by one’s social class, gender, age and moral values. Within the painting all in attendance are from the same social class as shown by their clothes and hair styles. Both men and women are present ranging in age from the older gentleman on the right to the young girl. Most importantly, their facial expressions depict their varying reaction to an ethical issue. The young girl and her crying mother are the most illuminated in the entire painting representing their level of
When first approaching this work, one feels immediately attracted to its sense of wonder and awe. The bright colors used in the sun draws a viewer in, but the astonishment, fascination, and emotion depicted in the expression on the young woman keeps them intrigued in the painting. It reaches out to those who have worked hard in their life and who look forward to a better future. Even a small event such as a song of a lark gives them hope that there will be a better tomorrow, a thought that can be seen though the countenance by this girl. Although just a collection of oils on a canvas, she is someone who reaches out to people and inspires them to appreciate the small things that, even if only for a short moment, can make the road ahead seem brighter.
Ibsen, Henrik. “A Doll’s House.” Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 9th Ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 792-841. Print.
Christina Rossetti's poem, “In An Artist’s Studio”, explores how men foster a need for control by creating unrealistic expectations for women through their fantasies. Through the use of repetition, contrast of imagery, and symbolism, Rossetti guides us through the gallery inside of an artist’s mind, portraying the fantasies that give him a sense of control over the women he creates.
"Realism and the Significance of A Doll's House." Wikispaces.com. Ed. Tangient LLC. Wikispaces, 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2011. .