"Women in Art"

Mary Cassatt, American Painter (1844-1926)

This week's TMTA challenge is to honor women in art, whether it be a favorite woman artist, or a favorite portrait of a woman, etc. I chose Mary Cassatt because she is one of my favorites. Her paintings were done in the Impressionist manner, and so many of them are lovely, soft portraits of women and children. I placed a photo of Mary in the middle of my ATC, surrounded by a few of her paintings in the background. Mary was born and raised in America, but found more acceptance of her desire to study art and painting when she moved to France. Her story is interesting in that she painted during an era when it wasn't socially acceptable for women to have careers doing what she did, especially in America, and also, she was a member of the Impressionist group, which included Edgar Degas (whom she admired greatly), Cezanne, Monet, and Renoir, among others. She lost her eyesight in later life and was no longer able to do what she loved most. One of her famous quotes reads, "I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work." Many websites are devoted to her, and can be found easily by using Google.