Artwork
Mother's Kiss
Mother's Kiss is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1890, *Mother’s Kiss* is a color print that combines drypoint, soft‑ground etching and aquatint on a sheet of Japanese paper.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, *Mother’s Kiss* is a color print that combines drypoint, soft‑ground etching and aquatint on a sheet of Japanese paper. The work depicts an intimate encounter between a mother and her infant, rendered with a quiet compositional balance that emphasizes the closeness of the figures against an unadorned background.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a fleeting, tender gesture: a woman cradles a newborn, their faces nearly touching, while a few scattered leaves lie at their feet. This focus on private domestic interaction reflects the artist’s ongoing interest in the nuanced bonds between mothers and children, inviting viewers to contemplate affection and vulnerability within everyday life.
Technique & Style
Cassatt employed intaglio methods, drawing fine lines into a metal plate with a soft‑ground ground before etching and adding aquatint tones to achieve subtle color washes. The Japanese paper substrate contributes a delicate texture that mimics watercolor, while the soft, slightly blurred edges of the figures convey the fleeting quality of the moment.
History & Provenance
An American expatriate working in France, Cassatt was closely linked to the Impressionist circle and maintained a professional relationship with Edgar Degas. *Mother’s Kiss* was exhibited alongside her other prints that explore familial intimacy, and it remains part of the body of work that documents her printmaking experiments during the late 1880s and early 1890s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
