Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman is a documentary film which premiered in 2023.
In 2024, a short version of this film was shown on Danish television (DR-TV).
The topic of this film is the life and career of Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) - the famous American artist, who lived most of her life in France.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Director: Ali Ray
** Writers: Ali Ray and Phil Grabsky
** Narrator: Carolyn Pickles
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time:
** The short version: 52 minutes
** The long version: 93 minutes
This film is based on or inspired by the following books:
Cassatt and Her Circle: Selected Letters
Edited by Nancy Mowll Mathews
(1984)
Sixteen to Sixty:
Memoirs of a Collector
By Louisine W. Havemeyer
Edited by Susan Alyson Stein
(1993)
Mary Cassatt: A Life
By Nancy Mowll Mathews
(1994 = hardcover)
(1998 = paperback)
Several persons are interviewed in this film
Here are the names of the participants
Listed in alphabetical order
** Laurel Garber – a curator, the Philadelphia Museum of Art
** Nicole Georgopulos – a curator, the National Gallery of Art
** Kimberly A. Jones – a curator, the National Gallery of Art
** Anna O. Marley – a curator, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
** Nancy Mowll Mathews – an art historian
** Sue Roe – a writer
** Jennifer A. Thompson – a curator, the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Mary Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania (USA) in 1844. She was one of seven children, but two of them died in infancy. This is why some accounts say she was one of five children.
The father
Robert Simpson Cassatt
(1806-1891)
The mother
Katherine Kelso Johnston
(1816-1895)
The five children
# 1. Lydia Cassatt (1837-1882)
# 2. Alexander Johnston Cassatt (1839-1906)
# 3. Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-1926)
# 4. Robert Kelso Cassatt (1847-1863)
# 5. Joseph Gardner Cassatt (1849-1911)
This family did not have economic problems. This family belonged to the upper middle class.
As a young child, Mary travelled with her family to Europe. They stayed there for a while (1851-1855).
As a young child, Mary knew she wanted to be an artist. She wanted to be a painter.
As a teenager, she attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1861-1865).
But she felt she did not learn enough at this school. She wanted to go to Europe, because she felt she could learn more if she was allowed to go to Europe.
In 1865, at the end of the American civil war, she travelled to Europe, more precisely to France, in order to continue her studies.
She remained in France for most of the remaining part of her life. She felt at home in France. She spoke the local language. She began to work as an artist in France.
During the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871), she
returned to the US. But as soon as the war was over, she travelled to Europe
again. This time visiting several locations in Italy and Spain.
Back in France, she met the French artist Edgar Degas and they became good friends.
Degas was an important member of a new movement which is known as impressionism.
The members of this movement felt the establishment did not want to accept any new directions in the world of art. They wanted to start their own movement and arrange their own exhibitions.
In 1874, the impressionists arranged their first independent exhibition in Paris.
Most members of the movement were from France. Most members were men. Only one woman was represented at the first exhibition in 1874. Her name is Berthe Morisot.
Edgar Degas invited Mary Cassatt to join the new movement. At first, she hesitated. She was still hoping to be accepted by the establishment.
In 1877, when the establishment refused to accept her contribution for the annual exhibition, known as the Salon, she was ready to join the impressionists.
She remained a member of this movement for the rest of her active life.
Around 1905, she had to stop her work as a painter, because her vision was impaired.
She supported the campaign for the female vote in the US. Members of this movement are known as suffragettes.
But she still lived in France, which was her second homeland. She died in France in 1926.
This film covers her life and her career as an artist in great detail. We see some of her paintings. We see some of the people with whom she worked.
Mary Cassatt focused on her professional life. She never married. She never had any children.
What do reviewers say about this film?
Here are some results:
On IMDb it has a rating of 74 percent
Two user reviews are posted on IMDb
Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
80 percent
The painter and her time
90 percent
Really wonderful little film
As you can see, these reviews offer a rating which is higher than the average offered on the website.
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
07 March 2023
Rating = five stars = 100 percent
Helen Tope
The Reviews Hub
08 March 2023
Rating = five stars = 100 percent
While watching the short version of this film, which is available on the DR-TV website until February 2027, I noticed a flaw:
We are told that Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas were good friends for many years, which is true, but we are not told that there was also some friction between them:
One reason was the fact that Degas suddenly backed away from a plan to launch a journal with prints. When this happened, Mary was disappointed and upset.
Another reason was the Dreyfus affair which divided the people of France for several years shortly before and shortly after 1900.
Mary was convinced Dreyfus was innocent, while Degas believed he was guilty.
Mary was right.
Degas was wrong.
Perhaps the friction between them is covered in the long version, which I have not seen?
Perhaps the friction between them was edited out, when the short version was created?
The topic is interesting. The story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
If you are interested in the history of modern art – in particular the impressionist movement – this film is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
REFERENCES
# 1. Items available online
Isabella Meyer
“Mary Cassatt – The Life and Works of This Female Impressionism Artist,”
Art in Context
19 April 2022
Kelly Presutti
“Who Was Mary Cassatt and Why Was She So Important?”
ART News
29 April 2024
Marija Canjuga
“Mary Cassatt: The Story of the American Impressionist,”
Daily Art Magazine
14 August 2024
# 2. Books
Cassatt and Her Circle: Selected Letters
Edited by Nancy Mowll Mathews
(1984)
Sixteen to Sixty:
Memoirs of a Collector
By Louisine W. Habemeyer
Edited by Susan Alyson Stein
With an introduction by Gary Tinterow
(1993)
Mary Cassatt: A Life
By Nancy Mowll Mathews
(1994 = hardcover)
(1998 = paperback)
Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman
By Judith A. Barter and Erica E. Hirshler
(1998)
Cassatt: Mothers and Children
By Sue Roe and Judith A. Barter
(2019)
Mary Cassatt:
Painter of Modern Women
By Griselda Pollock
(2022)
Mary Cassatt at Work
By Jennifer A. Thompson, Laurel Garber, and Dave Beech
(2024)
# 3. Film and video
Great Women Artists
A documentary series which premiered in 2000
** Episode 1 = Frida Kahlo
** Episode 2 = Georgia O'Keeffe
** Episode 3 = Mary Cassatt
Great Artists with Tim Marlow
** Season 1 = 2001
** Season 2 = 2005
Berthe Morisot
A historical drama
(2012)
The Story of Women and Art
A documentary series which premiered in 2014
Presented by Amanda Vickery
There are three episodes
The Impressionists
Exhibition on Screen
(2015)
1874: The Birth of Impressionism
A documentary film
(2024)
*****
The famous American artist
Mary Stevenson Cassatt
(1844-1926)
This photo shows her in 1913
*****
Mother and Child
By Mary Cassatt
Painted in 1905
The woman is wearing a sunflower.
What does it mean?
The sunflower was used in the campaign
for the female vote in the US.
It is a symbol of the suffragettes
*****
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