Works Of Art I know - Portraits

Mary Cassatt, American
Elsie in a Blue Chair

My First Impressions:
The main element of this painting, I think, is light. The little girl in the center seems to be glowing with the brightness of her dress. I think that the artist was trying to show the innocence of the little girl, using the color white, which is often used to symbolize innocence. The girl also looks bored, as if she has been sitting there for a while, posing for the picture while wanting to play, or be somewhere else. I think that this is an interesting way to paint someone, since usually, when you are doing a portrait, you are trying to make the person look good. This might mean that the artist knows the little girl very well, and is having fun painting her, and making sure that she captures the girl's mood.

What I've Learned:
Elsie, the little girl in the painting, is Mary Cassatt's niece. Cassatt was one of the few female impressionist painters.She was born in America, but travelled in Europe and loved France, so she moved there and lived there for most of her life. She went to school at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She never got married. Her favorite subjects for her paintings were mothers and children.