Thomas Eakins' (1844-1916) Melancholy Women of Summer

If you follow this blog, you already know that I am drawn to close-up portraits that capture the essence of a person without being distracted by their clothing or surroundings. They seem to me to be more honest depictions reflecting either the painter's bias or the sitter's mood.

Thomas Eakins (1844-1916). Portrait of Alice Kurtz
Thomas Eakins (1844-1916). Portrait of Weda_Cook 1891
Thomas Eakins (1844-1916). Portrait of Miss Lucy Lewis 1896
Thomas Eakins (1844-1916). Portrait of Mrs. Leigo
Thomas Eakins (1844-1916). Portrait of Maude Cooks 1895
.

Mary Cassatt's (1844-1926) Children in Summer

A little girl may begin, at five or six years of age, to assist her mother; and if properly trained, by the time she is ten, she can render essential aid. From this age until fourteen or fifteen, it should be the pricipal object of her education to secure a strong and healthy constitution, and a thorough practical knowledge of all kinds of domestic employments.Catherine E. Beecher, A Treatise on Domestic Economy, 1843
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Children Playing on the Beach 1885

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Children in a Garden 1878

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Child in a Straw Hat 1886
.

Summer Women & Walls by Winslow Homer (1836-1910)

The sun will not rise or set without my notice, and thanks. Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Peach Blossoms
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Girl in a Garden
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Peach Blossoms
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Girls with Lobster
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) The Garden Wall
.

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) in the Garden

Although Mary Cassatt is usually remembered for her paintings of mothers and children, she also painted a few lovely garden portraits. Here are some of my favorites.

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Lydia Seated in the Garden with a Dog in Her Lap

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Red Poppies Detail
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Young Woman Sewing in a Garden

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marley 1880

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Young Woman Sewing in the Garden 1886
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). The Cup of Tea 1879
.

Bringing the Sun & the Garden Indoors by Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935)

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Flower Girl 1888
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Flower Market 1895

.Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Marechal Niel Roses
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The Table Garden
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The Altar and the Shrine 1892
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). The New York Window

Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Against the Light
.

Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)

“I have not done what I wanted to, but I tried to make a good fight.” Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) Young Lady in a Loge

For additional works by Mary Cassatt click here.
.

The Mother of Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

Mrs. Robert S. Cassatt (aka Katherine Kelson Johnston Cassatt)
For additional works by Mary Cassatt click here.

An Unusual Cassatt Portrait

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Portrait of a Woman 1872

Here is a Mary Cassatt portrait much more similar to the early 18th-century portraits of colonial American women. Cassatt painted Portrait of a Woman in 1872, during an 8-month stay in Parma, Italy.

It was during this, her 3rd trip abroad from her home in Pennsylvania, that Cassatt decided to settle in Europe permanently.

Painted several years before Cassatt eagerly adopted Impressionism, this portrait shows the influence of Italian Baroque painting, with its golden light, classical drapery, & monumental proportions.

Portrait of a Woman is one of several paintings the artist made of monumental, costumed women during her studies in Parma. Its sense of depth differs from Cassatt's later work, in which space is more flattened.

Later, like other Impressionists, Cassatt became more interested in painting everyday subject matter & natural gestures, than she was concerned with theories about light & brushwork technique, which she was concentrating on in this early portrait. Around 1876, Edgar Degas painted a portrait of Cassatt, as she was just beginning her career as an Impressionist.



For additional works by Mary Cassatt click here..

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) By The Shore

“Never put more than two waves in a picture; it's fussy.” Winslow Homer

Because my oldest grandchildren are off to Florida for 2 weeks, and because I am still trying to recover from those aging posts on the self portraits of Helene Schjerfbeck, I thought I would post a few sentimental, melancholy views of yesterday's beaches for us to look at today.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) By the Shore
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) At Long Branch New Jersey

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Beach Scene

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Children on the Beach
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) East Hampton Long Island

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Beach at Long Branch New Jersey

Winslow Homer(1836-1910) Girl on the Beach

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Beach at Marshfield.

On The Fence

And now perhaps a few more paintings of innocent children climbing fences, and I will forget the Schjerfbeck images of old age. This may be all the sentimentality I can handle in one day...

Actually, Winslow Homer had his own way of coping with reality. He said, “I thought for a change I would give up drinking, and it was a great mistake, and, although I reduced the size of my nose and improved my beauty, my stomach suffered.”
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Fence
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Children on a Fence

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Stile

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Spring
.

Still More Summertime Winslow Homer (1836-1910)

I just stumbled upon this photo by Einar Reuter of the artist Helene Schjerfbeck painting in Ekenäs, Tammisaari, in the summer of 1918. This calls for just a few more Winslow Homer paintings, & I don't want to hear the word cloying. Remember, Winslow Homer also said, "in a fallow period...I will paint for money any time."

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Fresh Air
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Girl and Daisies
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Portrait of a Lady

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Scene at Houghton Farm

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) The Trysting Place

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) A Woman on a Bench

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) The Dinner Horn

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) Flock of Sheep

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) A Summer Night.