Mary Cassatt’s Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878
Close-up of dog in Cassatt’s “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair”
Sleeping Lincoln
Take time to go to the National Gallery of Art before the end of October to see two exhibits that are currently there – Degas/Cassatt and Andrew Wyeth.
The Degas/Cassatt exhibit features gorgeous paintings by the two artists, several from private collections that I had never seen, as well as many prints by the two with an explanation of how these became important during that time period. Of course, my favorite painting in the show by Cassatt is “Little Girl in a Blue Arm Chair”. I just know that the little dog in the opposite chair is an ancestor to my Lincoln. I always say that Lincoln thinks he should be leading the life of a wealthy French family’s dog!
Degas, Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery, 1885, private collection.
My favorite Degas’ are the two he painted of Cassatt and another woman at the Louvre and the pastel study of Cassatt for the painting. This is the first time I have seen the painting as it is in a private collection on loan to the show. I love the perspective of these.
Take time to go see this exhibit. It really gives insight into the way artists of the time work together, critiqued each other, and collected each others work.
Edgar Degas, “Mary Cassatt at the Louvre”, 1879, pastel, Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Studio 