The Child's Bath
1893
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
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 page1893
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Dominant colour
The Child's Bath is a 1893 oil by Mary Cassatt, a Impressionism work, depicting Bathing, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
The painting shows a woman bathing a young child. The woman's gentle touch and the child's relaxed pose suggest a warm moment. This scene is also interesting because it shows how the artist was inspired by Japanese prints, which she saw in an exhibition in Paris. Check out the work of Mary Cassatt to see more of her portrayals of family life.
The Child’s Bath is a tender portrayal of familial closeness, a subject that Mary Cassatt explored throughout her career. The caregiver’s cheek brushing the child’s shoulder, her encircling embrace, and the child’s pudgy hand on her knee suggest an emotional bond between the two. Captivated by a large exhibition of Japanese prints in Paris in 1890, Cassatt set out to produce a series of color prints influenced by Japanese aesthetics. She then continued her investigation across media, culminating in this bold composition, with its dramatically flattened picture plane, decorative patterning,…
The artist; sold to Durand-Ruel, Paris, November 24, 1893 [Paris 2015]; sold to Harris Whittemore, CT, January 17, 1894 [Paris 2015]; sold by him back to Durand-Ruel, New York, February 4, 1899 [Paris 2015]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1910.
Paris, Galeries Durand–Ruel, Exposition de Tableaux, Pastels et Gravures de Mary Cassatt, Nov–Dec. 1893, cat. 1, as La Toilette de l’Enfant. New York City, Durand–Ruel Galleries, Exposition of Paintings, Pastels and Etchings by Miss Mary Cassatt, Apr. 16–30, 1895, cat. 21, as La Toilette. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Sixty–Seventh Annual Exhibition, Jan. 10–Feb. 22, 1898, cat. 62, as The Toilet, lent by Messrs. Durand–Ruel and Sons. Cincinnati Museum Association, Seventh Annual Exhibition of American Art in the Art Museum, May 19–July 9, 1900, cat. 13, as La Toilette,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
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