The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery
1879–80
(French, 1834–1917)
France, 19th century
etching, softground etching, aquatint, and drypoint
Platemark: 30.2 x 12.6 cm (11 7/8 x 4 15/16 in.); Sheet: 36.3 x 26.6 cm (14 5/16 x 10 1/2 in.)
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1947.459
Catalogue raisonné: Reed & Shapiro 52
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The figure seated in the foreground is believed to be Mary Cassatt's sister, Lydia.

Description

Degas and his friends Mary Cassatt and Camille Pissarro were all experimental printmakers who combined traditional printmaking techniques to create a black and white equivalent for the tonality and varied textures of paintings. They were all so involved in printmaking that in 1879–80 they planned to publish a journal, Le Jour et la nuit (Day and Night), that would contain original etchings. As a printmaker, Degas was ambivalent about when a plate was considered finished. What attracted him to printmaking was the variability. He thoroughly enjoyed reworking, retouching, and transforming plates, often progressing toward more subtle painterly effects.
  • Pickvance, Ronald. Degas 1879. Exh. Cat. Edinburgh: National Gallery of Scotland, 1979. Mentioned: p. 82, no. 115
  • Innovative Impressions: Cassatt, Degas, and Pissarro as Painter-Printmakers. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK (organizer) (June 9-September 9, 2018).
    L'Impressionnisme vu d'Amérique. Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (organizer) (June 9-September 9, 2007); Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble, France (October 6, 2007-January 20, 2008).
    L'Impressionnisme vu d'Amérique. Musée Fabre, Montpellier (June 9 - September 9, 2007); Musée de Grenoble (October 6, 2007 - January 20, 2008).
    Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).
    Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 7, 1993-January 2, 1994).
    Generous Donors: A Tribute to The Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 2-August 4, 1991).
    The Impressionist Aesthetic. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 10-October 31, 1982).
    Degas 1879. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (August 13-September 30, 1979).
    Degas 1879. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (August 13 - September 30, 1979).
    Etchings of Edgar Degas. The Renaissance Society, Chicago, IL (organizer) (May 3-June 12, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery|url=false|author=Edgar Degas|year=1879–80|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.459