After the Bath
1901
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
See the richer artist page1901
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
After the Bath is a 1901 by Mary Cassatt, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a mother drying off a child after a bath. The mom’s face has sharp detail while the rest of the scene is loose and sketchy. Cassatt leaves the background almost blank, making the two figures pop. Cassatt often painted mothers and kids, but here she plays with soft light. The pastel colors feel warm and gentle, like a quiet moment frozen in time. Look for more mother-and-child scenes by Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926) in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Mary Cassatt began using pastel in the 1870s and continued to experiment with the medium throughout her career. This drawing depicts a mother and child, one of the artist's preferred subjects. Cassatt typically used the technique seen here, in which she finished her sitters' faces with a high degree of detail but rendered the rest of the composition in a much looser and sketchier style.
Mary Cassatt once commented that pastel was "the most satisfactory medium for [portraying] children," since they could not sit still for long and the medium allowed for rapid sketching.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
See the richer artist page
