SUBJECT SAMPLER TITLE

The Art Of Mary Cassatt

Painting by Cassatt 1893: mother holding child up to fruit tree
Child Picking A Fruit
Mary Cassatt, 1893

Created by Molly Valdez
Introduction | Internet Art Activities | Conclusion
| Credits |

Introduction

This is a subject sampler containing links from all over the World Wide Web. This means that a variety of facts, ideas, and images will be made available to you about an artist called Mary Cassatt. Cassatt was an American painter who specialized in portraits of women and children. A rebel for her times, Cassatt is the most well-known female American artist of her time. Her artwork is still admired and collected today.

You will complete the activities in this sampler. Along the way, you will learn about Mary Cassatt's art training and her artworks. You will be asked to find facts and make decisions about the information you find.

Be sure to read the instructions for each activity.

Enjoy!

Activities Index

MARY CASSATT

Click on the activity you wish to see, or scroll down to continue.

Activity 1: Biographical Information
Activity 2: Impressionism: What is it?
Activity 3: Cassatt and Impressionism
Activity 4: Analyzing Cassatt's Work
Optional Activity
Activity 5: Conclusion

Activities

Activity 1: Biographical Information Go to the following site for the answers to the next questions. To return to this page, use the BACK button on the website's browser page.

                    Activity 1 Questions
                        1.   Where and when was Cassatt born?
                        2.   Where did Cassatt receive early art training?
                        3.   Cassatt was a friend with which other famous painter?
                        4. In what other country did Cassatt mostly live and work during her adult life?

Activities

Activity 2: Impressionism: What is it?

Go to the following site for the answers to the next questions!

             Activity 2 Questions
                       1. Describe the painting style known as Impressionism.
                        2. Name three other famous impressionists.

Activities

Activity 3: Cassatt and Impressionism

Go to the following site for the answers to the next questions!

                 Activity 3 Questions
                            1. How did Cassatt directly encourage the development of impressionism?
                            2. How did Cassatt bring impressionist works to the American market in
                                 her time?

Activities

Activity 4: Analyzing Cassatt's Work
Go to the following site to view Cassatt's work, and then answer the following questions.

"The Boat Party"

"Girl Arranging Hair"

1. What media is used in "The Boat Party"?
2. What are the dimensions of this work?
3. Where can this work be viewed today?
4. Aside from the colors used for the child, what is the dominant color scheme used in this work?
5. What is the effect of using a warm color for the child figure?

6. What is the creation date for this piece of art?
7. What color scheme is used for the background?
8. What elements are used by the artist to create a diagonal movement in this artwork?
9. Once the artist has your attention focused on the upper right corner, what structures in the painting return your attention to the upper center and draw your eye back down the canvas?
10. Notice the artist's use of color in the girl's face. Compare it to the artist's use of color in the other skin areas. What happens with your eyes/the focal point as a result of the color usage in the girl's face?

ART TERMSHELP

Activities

Optional Activity

Choose one of the other Cassatt paintings illustrated on this site, and write an analysis of the image. Use the steps of art criticism to guide your writing.

ART TERMSHELP

Activities

MARY CASSATT

Activity 5: Conclusion

You have had the opportunity to explore some important aspects of the art of Mary Cassatt. Write three to five sentences (a paragraph) in which you discuss the contributions Cassatt made to the art world. Write a second paragraph discussing whether or not you liked Cassatt's work. Give evidence (reasons) to support your opinion.

Credits

Information And Art Images

http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/paint/auth/cassatt/
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftptoc/cassatt_ext.html
http://www.artincanada.com/arttalk/arttermsanddefinitions.html
http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/
http://www.artlex.com/
http://art.com/asp/search_do.asp

Design Graphics
    http://flamingtext.com/
    http://school.discovery.com/clipart/clip/statue.html
    http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/paint/auth/cassatt/