women-artists
On a Balcony
by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
Year:1878-79
Collection:Art Institute of Chicago
Medium:Oil on canvas
Size:85.2 × 65.5 cm (33 9/16 × 25 13/16 in.)
About this artwork
An elegant young woman in fashionable dress holds a small dog while seated on a balcony overlooking a garden. Cassatt's sophisticated composition balances the decorative iron railing's geometric pattern against lush foliage rendered in loose, impressionistic brushstrokes. The painting demonstrates her mastery of plein-air technique and modern subject matter. Created during her most intensive period working alongside Degas, this work shows her developing a personal synthesis of Impressionist light effects with firm structural design and psychological presence.
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