Mary Cassatt's Painting: The Boating Party

Today we will be discussing a painting called “The Boating Party.” To start off let’s first meet the artist. Mary Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844 in Allegheeny City, Pennsylvania. She was the fourth of five children born to Katherine Kelso Johnston and Robert Simpson Cassat who was a stockbroker and land speculator. During Mary's childhood, her family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and then to the Philadelphia area. Her family viewed travel as an important part of her education. During the next 5 years she visited many of Europe's capital cities, learned German and French, and received instruction in drawing and music. Mary's first introduction to the great artists of France most likely occurred at the Paris World's Fair of 1855. Two of these artists, Degas and Pissarro, would later be her teachers.
At the age of 15 Mary enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Because no degree was
offered, Mary decided to end her studies at the academy in 1866 and move to Paris. As women were not yet able to enroll in the École des Beaux-Arts, she asked to study privately with teachers from the school. She also made daily trips to the Louvre to copy art of the old masters.
In 1868, her A Mandoline Player, was accepted for showing at the Paris Salon. It was her first painting to be accepted. However, the art scene in France was changing with artists leaving the academy style and seeking a new way of painting. For Cassatt, who continued to work in the traditional style of the academy, it would mean a growing difficulty in getting works accepted.
In 1877 Cassatt was invited by Edgar Degas to show her artwork with the Impressionists. She admired Degas' and accepted his invitation with excitement. Her artistic style adopted a new spontaneity. Although she had been a studio painter to this point, she began to carry a sketchbook with her to record the things she saw.
In 1866 Cassatt's style changed again. She moved away from Impressionism to a simpler style of painting. She also began to exhibit her works in New York galleries. By the 1890s Cassatt's artistic career was at its busiest and most creative time. She also became a role model to young American artists.
Mary Cassatt died on June 14, 1926 at Château de Beaufresne, near Paris. She is remembered as a painter of scenes that reflected the intimate relationships of mothers and children. Her most successful works include, The Boating Party (1893-94), Summertime (c. 1894), and Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878). In 1904 she was awarded the Lègion d'honneur for her contributions to the arts.
The name of this painting is “The Boating Party.” Why do you think the artist named it that? Okay, now who can tell me what you see in this painting? Good, a man, women and baby on a rowboat. Where do you think this scene is? Maybe a lake, river, ocean possibly? How can you tell? Because there is water in the background and they are sitting in boat. What do you see first, or who is the most important figure, the “main character” or the painting? Who thinks it’s the baby? The baby is the focal point, or the center of interest. Nice, it’s on the left side and is the shape of the sail? And what is it the man is holding in his hand, do you know what that is called? The man is using an oar to row the boat. Let’s pretend we’re on a boat and demonstrate how the man might be rowing now. What if the boat rocks you while you are rowing? Maybe that’s why he has his foot on the boat?
COLOR: Now let’s talk about the colors in the painting. Color is important and is used boldly. What are the colors that you see in the painting? Look carefully at the work of art in front of you. What colors do you see in it? Where is the yellow? Yellow is repeated in the boat , oars, and the woman’s hat. Where is the blue in this painting? Large parts of water, the inside of the boat, and the man’s belt are blue. The blue ‘unifies’ the painting, meaning it brings the painting together. Which colors stands out more- bright or dark colors? Nice, bright colors stand out more than the man's black clothes. So there are more bright colors such as bright blue water, white sail, and white-and-yellow boat. The colors create strong contrasts, mainly the blue against the yellow and white .
Now we will explore lines in the painting. First, let’s all draw a line in the air with our finger. Who can tell me what a “horizontal” line looks like? Now, where are the horizontal lines in this painting? Think of horizontal and the horizon. Good, the horizontal lines are on the shoreline (the horizon), the yellow boat seats/ benches inside the boat. So the lines are mainly straight (particularly the horizon and the benches inside the boat, though the bow of the boat and the sail curve somewhat. The artist curved the lines of the boat, the oar, and the adult’s arms to lead to the child, making it a focal point.
Do you think it’s a sunny day or gloomy day on the boat?
Right, it looks like it is a sunny day because the artist uses bright tones that imply intense sunlight . The implied sunlight is very strong and intense, due to the work 's brightness . Also, when it is sunny outside, there are shadows - who can point out any shadows? Shadows appear on the faces of the mother and child, beneath the brims of their hats. Even then, the shadows are somewhat muted with little play between light and darkness, because this is a “bright” painting. The light source is the sun. What season do you think it is? Summer, spring, and why?
Who can point out where the sail of the boat is? The distant buildings? And The man’s shoe? What is in the background of the painting? Water and the shoreline. The artist creates space with the boat in the foreground and distant shore in the background. Depth is created by the horizon and the boat 's bow pointing toward it. Can you see what is going on around the boat? No, because the whole painting is close to the horizon with no sky
visible.
What kinds of shapes do you see in this painting? Can anyone point out rectangles or triangles? Some rectangles and planes appear in the boat , and the sail? What shape does that look like? Almost triangular . Organic shapes have a natural look and a flowing, curving appearance. Different from geometric shapes, they are often also referred free form shapes, as they can be made of angles, curves or both. The only organic shapes are the people themselves their verticality offsets the horizontality of the shore in the background
How can you tell that this picture is a painting? The painting 's surface is thickly coated with paint, which gives the colors richness but the canvas ' texture is largely invisible.