The painting shows these women holding the fruits of knowledge and they are not being shunned for this act. Cassatt alludes to this tree of knowledge to show the celebration of women's increasing right to education. However, Cassatt does not fully depart from the tradition status quo because the women are fully dressed in a contemporary fashion. The effect of this is that although she depicts women engaging in a familiar activity, the activity is leading a sense of individualism or radical feminism to these women. She essentially challenges the ambivalent views of other Modernist artists who promoted equal treatment of both sexes, but yet perceived female inadequacies in terms of knowledge and the
The painting shows these women holding the fruits of knowledge and they are not being shunned for this act. Cassatt alludes to this tree of knowledge to show the celebration of women's increasing right to education. However, Cassatt does not fully depart from the tradition status quo because the women are fully dressed in a contemporary fashion. The effect of this is that although she depicts women engaging in a familiar activity, the activity is leading a sense of individualism or radical feminism to these women. She essentially challenges the ambivalent views of other Modernist artists who promoted equal treatment of both sexes, but yet perceived female inadequacies in terms of knowledge and the