Mary Cassatt - “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” 1878
Mary Cassatt - “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” 1983 (89.5 × 129.8 cm (35 1/4 × 51 1/8 in)
The “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” (89.5 × 129.8 cm (35 1/4 × 51 1/8 in) is a masterpiece painted on canvas by Mary Cassatt, it shows a young gil seated in an armchair, surrounded by plush cushions. The painting intimately reveals small moments in everyday life, she often depicts lives of women and children in her paintings. Going into her background Mary Cassatt is an American painter that spent much of her career in France, where she was heavily influenced by the impressionist movement. In this piece she depicts a young girl seemingly bored on a vibrant cyan colored armchair. This makes the viewer wonder why she is sitting on the armchair, is she tired from playing and taking a break? Or is she bored and agitated from the lack of attention she is receiving? Or maybe she was told to sit down. The piece evokes so many questions and these questions might never get answered, but that is also what makes this piece so brilliant. Maybe Mary Cassatt saw the scene and just wanted to capture the moment, like many other impressionists during this time.
The blue armchair in the painting is not simply just an armchair, it symbolizes comfort and security. The child is relaxed on the armchair enveloped by the cushions on the armchair, the rich blue color contrasts with the soft muted tones of the rest of the room, drawing the viewers attention to the little girl’s puzzled expression. The limited pallet used by Mary Cassatt is so eye catching, it uses the iconic yellow and blue complementary colors that Van Gogh used in many of his paintings such as the “Wheatfield with crows” or the “Cafe Terrace at Night” (check out the articles on these paintings if you have not) with the added color of pink. The girl’s gaze is distant, this could reflect on the fact that children are often innocent and thoughtless. Rather than direct engagement with the viewer she seems to be lost in a daydream. This pushes the quietness of a child’s internal world. Where her thoughts remained private and unspoken. She is vulnerable and relaxed in the armchair without a care in the world. The homey setting in the painting gives the painting a very domestic environment, Cassat draws attention to the small moments of daily life. The domestic feeling makes the painting feel costly and homey.
One of the most remarkable parts of this painting is Mary Cassatt’s painting technique. First looking at the little girl her face is depicted with a smooth blend of pinks, greys, yellows and blues. The technique applied to the face resembles that of John Singer Sergent’s paintings. Apart from the face everything around the little girl is painted with loose thick paint strokes, up close the couch seems as if there were random colors splattered onto it but from far away they resemble a pattern of flowers. The flowyness of the little girl’s dress and figure is emphasized by the looseness of the brushstrokes. There is also a dog laying on the left side of the painting peacefully asleep, it is loosely detailed but shows so much comfort in its pose. The muted tones of the piece are contrasted by the bright cyan color of the armchairs, this contrast is able to make the painting stand out amongst others. What do you think? Is the little girl bored? Scolded by her parents? Or something else?
Mary Cassatt - “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” 1878 (89.5 × 129.8 cm (35 1/4 × 51 1/8 in)
