I was perusing a bookstore a few months ago and ran across a book of prints by Mary Cassatt. I was stunned by these images. Apparently after studying here in Philadelphia at PAFA, she went to Europe and was exposed to an exhibition of Japanese prints, which prompted these works. I think they are beautiful and, dare I say, a little edgy!As a young female artist, I always had a soft spot for her work, mainly because there weren't a lot of famous women painters to look up to, at least not that I was exposed to. The fact that I didn't know these existed until just this year really bothered me, they are amazing! I think you get a much better sense of her skill at composition in these prints. I am exploring the use of pattern in composition so I have been staring at these pretty frequently. There are several more, and many are even better, but I had a hard time finding great images for this post.
In my non-specific, ill-informed mind, the name "Mary Cassatt" always evoked a kind of school-marmish, aww isn't that sweet but a little pukey notion. Now I when I hear her name, I'll think of her more as my nineteenth century skanky-haired, bracelet-wearing, madonna-ish pop-icon painter.
Happily, art history is being re-written to include more women that we never heard about. Which I think is great, because damn-it, young girls need heros too.
UPDATE: see new images. Or, go visit the site: http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/cassatt/cassatt-main1.html
