Mary Cassatt's Portrayal Of Women

Let’s go back in time and analyze the 19th century. Society was in a very different stage of evolving and woman got the short end of the stick. “Maternity, the natural biological role of women, has traditionally been regarded as their major social role” (WIC). On the other side, men were expected to bring in the income and support the family’s well-being. Women were seen as the weaker sex, physically, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually. In Europe, specifically France, women were seen in the same way. They were not respected or protected like men in the society. It is toward the end of this century when women like Mary Cassatt started to make a stand for women in the United States and around the world. Mary Cassatt was an American artist born on May 22, 1844. She is from …show more content…
The first piece of art that portrays the strength and know how of women is In the Loge. In the same year this painting was finished, she began her exhibitions with the Impressionists group in France. In the 1879 oil on canvas, Mary Cassatt uses several elements of art to help portray women as intelligent and powerful. She uses the elements scale, lines, and value to convey the true focus of her artwork: women. In this piece you see a lady in a black dress. She takes up most of the painting. She has a set of binoculars to help her see the show she is watching. The lady is holding a fan in her other hand. Across the way, in the background of the piece you can see a man looking at her. He is using his binoculars to observe the woman instead of the show. Cassatt uses some reds and creams to lighten up the background of the picture. You can see the interpreted lines and definitive lines in the painting. The binoculars let viewers see the interpreted lines. Cassatt uses lines to make the shape of the balcony and the people. You can see the value in the painting with some very dark spots and some