Artwork
Peasant Mother and Child
Peasant Mother and Child is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Peasant Mother and Child is a drypoint print created by Mary Cassatt around 1894, characterized by soft, smudged lines and a predominantly blank background, emphasizing tender intimacy.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a quiet, personal moment between a peasant mother and child, with the mother's face averted and the child's presence implied through partial visibility, reflecting Cassatt's thematic interest in the close bonds between women and children.
Technique & Style
Executed in drypoint, Cassatt scratched delicate, faint marks into the plate, allowing ink to fill the grooves and subtly glow against the pale paper, achieving an intimate, observational aesthetic.
History & Provenance
Created during Cassatt's time as an American expatriate in France, this work associates with her involvement in the Impressionist movement, notably through her friendship and exhibitions with Edgar Degas.
Context
Within Cassatt's oeuvre, Peasant Mother and Child sits among a series of works focusing on the tender relationships between mothers and children, distinguished by its use of drypoint to convey emotional closeness.
Legacy
This piece contributes to Cassatt's legacy of portraying everyday, intimate moments of female life, influencing subsequent artists in capturing subtle, personal interactions through printmaking techniques.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
