The Child's Bath
women-artists

The Child's Bath

by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

Year:1893
Collection:Art Institute of Chicago
Medium:Oil on canvas
Size:101.3 × 67.3 cm (39 15/16 × 26 1/2 in.)

About this artwork

An intimate depiction of domestic care showing a woman bathing a child's feet. Cassatt's bold compositional structure features flattened perspective and decorative patterning influenced by Japanese prints. The striped dress fabric and flowered carpet create visual rhythm while maintaining focus on the tender relationship between caregiver and child. Cassatt's fresh, light palette and confident brushwork exemplify American Impressionism. As the only American officially invited to exhibit with the French Impressionists, Cassatt made modern motherhood a subject worthy of serious artistic treatment.

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