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Ellen Mary in a white coat

Mary Cassatt • Painting, 1896, 81.3×60.3 cm
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About the artwork
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Portrait
Style of art: Impressionism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1896
Size: 81.3×60.3 cm
Artwork in selections: 14 selections

Description of the artwork «Ellen Mary in a white coat»

Portrait "Ellen Mary in a white coat" refers to the Mature period of creativity Cassatt. After 1886, when was the last impressionist exhibition, she no longer had to associate themselves with any currents. The artist has developed his own style, which relied on the synthesis techniques of the classical school, impressionism and Japanese prints. In addition, in the 90 Cassatt is completely focused on the depiction of women and children.

Ellen Mary is the second child of the younger brother Cassatt Gardner. In 1896 my brother and his family came from the United States in France, to stay in the mansion of the sisters at the Chateau de Birine. Ellen Mary was two years old. Cassatt repeatedly portrayed the girl (1, 2, 3), but this portrait is perhaps the most famous. The aunt and the niece named after her, were very close. Exactly Ellen, Mary the artist has left his mansion. The picture was kept in the family. In 2012, the heirs of Ellen Mary donated it the Boston Museum of fine arts.

The girl, dressed in a white coat and hat posing for a portrait. Luxurious suit and yellow chair on which she sits, point to the viability of her family. But it's not just the daughter of rich parents, Cassatt emphasizes the individuality of the child. The face of Ellen Mary seriously and concentrated. She understands that to pose for the artist is responsible and hard for a small child the task, and diligently performs the work. Girl slightly bent — this position is immediate and monumental at the same time.

"Ellen Mary in a white coat" refers to the work Diego Velazquez who played the offspring of the Spanish Royal family in difficult clothes (you may recall, for example, "Portrait of the Infanta Margarita in a white dress"). It is known that Cassatt was in Madrid and Sevilla and copied the paintings of the great painter.

Using a famous story, the artist has shown the compositional ingenuity. The elements of the outfit Ellen Mary be the key structural elements of the composition. Sleek lines coats and hats contrast with the right angles of the chair and the wall. Flat image in the painting remind you of Cassatt's interest in Japanese prints made in the tree. The depth of the canvas gives the background, designed in a modernist key.

"Ellen Mary in a white coat" — a perceptive and unsentimental portrait that Cassatt was able to convey a perception of the world two-year-old.

Author: Larissa Kuzara
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