Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist
From Devine Entertainment Specials · 1999
56 min3rd4th5th6thArtSocial Studies
Summary
An American in 1870s Paris, Mary Cassatt is determined to be taken seriously as a painter at a time when few women were. Befriended by Edgar Degas and welcomed by the Impressionists, she becomes celebrated for warm, close-up pictures of mothers and children and the everyday lives of women. The story is told partly through the eyes of a young girl who watches Cassatt work.
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Ages 7+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Mary Cassatt fought to be respected as an artist and became famous for painting mothers, children, and daily life.
- Cassatt was told painting was no job for a woman. How do you think that pushed her to work even harder?
- She painted ordinary, quiet moments instead of grand scenes. Why can everyday life make good art?
- What feeling do you get from a picture of a mother and child? How might an artist create that feeling?
- Who is someone whose ordinary day you would want to paint, and what would you show?
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: Impressionist, portrait, printmaker, everyday life
- Look around the room for one small, ordinary moment worth a picture. Describe it in a sentence.
- Cassatt used soft colors for tender scenes. Name a color you'd choose to show a calm, warm feeling.