Mary Cassatt's Painting: The Boating Party

Today we will be discussing a painting called “The Boating Party.” To start off let’s first meet the artist. Mary Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844 in Allegheeny City, Pennsylvania. She was the fourth of five children born to Katherine Kelso Johnston and Robert Simpson Cassat who was a stockbroker and land speculator. During Mary's childhood, her family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and then to the Philadelphia area. Her family viewed travel as an important part of her education. During the next 5 years she visited many of Europe's capital cities, learned German and French, and received instruction in drawing and music. Mary's first introduction to the great artists of France most likely occurred at the Paris World's Fair of 1855. Two of these artists, Degas and Pissarro, would later be her teachers.
At the age of 15 Mary enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Because no degree was
Right, it looks like it is a sunny day because the artist uses bright tones that imply intense sunlight . The implied sunlight is very strong and intense, due to the work 's brightness . Also, when it is sunny outside, there are shadows - who can point out any shadows? Shadows appear on the faces of the mother and child, beneath the brims of their hats. Even then, the shadows are somewhat muted with little play between light and darkness, because this is a “bright” painting. The light source is the sun. What season do you think it is? Summer, spring, and why?
Who can point out where the sail of the boat is? The distant buildings? And The man’s shoe? What is in the background of the painting? Water and the shoreline. The artist creates space with the boat in the foreground and distant shore in the background. Depth is created by the horizon and the boat 's bow pointing toward it. Can you see what is going on around the boat? No, because the whole painting is close to the horizon with no sky