May 22 – Happy Birthday, Mary Cassatt

This painting is by Claude Monet, one of the early Impressionists and considered a leader of the  Impressionist movement. He called this painting Impression, Sunrise. It’s one reason that the name Impressionism became attached to the art movement.

Impressionism is an art style that tends to have visible brush strokes and is often painted in bold colors. Because of these two traits, impressionist paintings look “fuzzy” and unrealistic up close but often look very realistic from farther back.

Close up, you can see each brush stroke. From farther back, the fuzziness of the picture resolves as our eyes / brain mix nearby colors and see forms.

There is usually an emphasis on changing light as opposed to realistic detail, and the subjects are usually ordinary objects and people rather than very grand people and gods in the midst of very grand events. Cassatt’s favorite subjects for her paintings were mothers and children.

Cassatt was the only American invited by Edward Degas to exhibit with the Paris-based Impressionists—but, although she was American born and raised, she lived in Paris most of her adult life.

Learn more about Impressionism

Here is a website – including a short video – about Impressionism. And here is a how-to paint like an Impressionist lesson! 

Dabble with Impressionism

In order to create an Impressionistic painting, dab various colors of paint onto the paper instead of outlining shapes with the paintbrush and then filling in.

It might help you to remember to dab, not outline/fill in, if you paint with an unusual item rather than a brush. Try cotton swabs or the small end of chopsticks to apply paint to the paper.

Some kids make Impressionist-type paintings using finger or thumb prints!

Use lots of different strong colors that will blend in our eyes / brain. As you paint, squint your eyes or stand back from your piece to see how it will look farther away.

Explore Cassatt’s Paintings
Read about Mary Cassatt’s life. This is a quickie bio—but an interesting one! Learn why Cassatt’s father said, “I would rather see you dead!”

Enjoy Jenny and Her Child—and think about the questions posed on the website.

Get a close-up view of The Boating Party by clicking “Image Viewer” and then clicking the percentages at the top of the screen.

Find out more about Cassatt and The Boating Party. And do a jigsaw puzzle! Or online coloring!