Throughout her life, American painter Mary Cassatt demonstrated several important traits that contributed to her success. A passion for painting, hard work, and extensive study empowered her to achieve success in an age when few women had careers. She first studied art in Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1844. To supplement her training, she traveled to Europe and visited great art museums in Rome and Madrid. Above all, she spent time in Paris, then the center of the modern art world.
Her confidence surged when, in 1868, her painting A Mandolin Player was accepted for exhibit in a famous Paris art show. She decided to settle in Paris and to devote herself to a life of art. Degas saw Cassatt’s work, and in 1877 he asked her to join the Impressionists, a group of artists who used shimmering color and bold brush strokes and experimented with light, shadow, and form. Cassatt’s prestigious colleagues included Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, and Van Gogh.
In Mary Cassatt’s day, most women married and raised families; few women had careers. That did not deter her. Cassatt decided not to marry, making the conscious choice of art over family.
At first, Mary Cassatt painted typical scenes: social events, nightlife, people at work, and scenes of the theatre. Eventually, she decided not to adhere to these themes alone. She chose instead to portray domestic life. Although she did not have a family of her own, her tender mother-and-child portraits became her most beloved pictures. Cassatt produced over 200 works during her career. When her vision began to fail in 1911, she was forced to give up art. She died near Paris in 1926.