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Mary Cassatt Picture
Little Girl in a Blue ArmchairOil on canvas, 1878 This Mary Cassatt picture is the only know work to have been in a collaboration between Degas and Cassatt. In a letter to the art dealer Ambroise Vollard, in 1903, Cassatt recalled; “I had done the child in the armchair, and he found that to be good and advised me on the background, he even worked on the background – I sent it to the American section of the Grand Exposition…but it was refused. Since M. Degas had thought it good I was furious especially because he had worked on it – at that time it seemed new, and the jusry consisted of three people, of which one was a pharmacist!” This taste of rejection, after a period of acceptance by the art establishment, contributed to Cassatt’s lifelong distrust of juries. Temperamentally of the Independent group before Degas’ invitation to join it, Cassatt now experienced the practical drawbacks of rebellion. Nevertheless, this classic Mary Cassatt picture of Little Girl in a Blue Armchair shows her determination to recast her subject matter in avant-garde fashion. The brushwork is already confidently free, both in the treatment of the child’s lacy dress and in the patterned upholstery, to which Degas may have contributed. Elsewhere, her debt to Degas’ use of asymmetry and empty space is clear, and the background is untypical of her work in its extent and detail. The little girl’s fractious boredom may be explained by the emptiness of this room, which, despite its elegant furnishings and the hint of sunlight from the apartment balcony, isolates her and her pet in their vast armchairs amid a sea of blue carpet. The child’s formal clothes and squirming pose suggest a Sunday afternoon of enforced inactivity. Even the lap-dog sulks sleepily. Despite her own tendency to inflict long sittings on her young models (this girl was the daughter of friends of Degas), here Cassatt demonstrates a charming sympathy for the trials of childhood. If you would like to own an oil painting reproduction of this classic Mary Cassatt picture choose your size below and click "add to cart" using our secure server. Own An Original Re-Creation
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Hand-painted in oils by a professional artist
