John Singer Sargent , “ Gassed ,” 1919
In 1870 , Cassatt returned home to evade the Franco-Prussian War . She made few sales in the States and found little prospect of a successful art career there . But when she got a commission to copy paintings in Italy , and a one-way ticket back to Europe , she gratefully sailed east . By 1871 , she was back in Paris , where one of her paintings was accepted in the biennial Salon and purchased by the state . Although Cassatt is often classified as an Impressionist , she didn ’ t exhibit with them until , in 1877 , she met Edgar Degas .
Degas was a lifelong bachelor who painted hundreds of women but doesn ’ t seem to have liked them much . Some biographers have hinted at a romantic relationship between Cassatt and Degas , but there isn ’ t much evidence of it . If there was a relationship , it was the only one in both their lives . All we do know is that they admired each other ’ s work . Cassatt was especially drawn to Degas , from whom she wanted to learn as much as possible . His influence is obvious in her unconventional compositions and her strong figure drawing technique . He also introduced her to pastel drawing and etching . Her prints show not only the influence of Degas but that of Japanese prints , which she admired as much as her compatriot Whistler did .
Cassatt exhibited with the Impressionists and became a respected member of their group . She was not the only woman among them — there were also Berthe Morisot and Eva Gonzalès , among others — but she stood out as the only American . Unlike the others , she wasn ’ t interested in plein air painting , or landscapes in general . Her favorite subject was mothers and children , of which she created the finest paintings since the Madonnas of Raphael . Psychologically inclined critics tend to see these pictures as a childless woman ’ s longing for the joys of motherhood , but it ’ s not as if Cassatt never had a choice . She always had the option of marrying and raising a family , and clearly chose not to . Why she was attracted to this subject may be as simple as that it was rare among the other Impressionists .
72 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE