Snowy Sunday Re-visit to the Mary Cassatt/Berthe Morisot Exhibit

This painting looks very traditional now but it was pushing the boundaries of composition and technique back in her time. Mary Cassatt, an American who lived in France, was an Impressionist. She was born in 1844 and died in 1926.  She was a very successful painter and a print maker. 

Last Labor Day (September 1, 2025), we took a day trip to the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York to see their Mary Cassatt/Berthe Morisot, Allies in Impressionism exhibit before it closed.  

On this snowy Sunday six months later, I am taking the time to read the essays in the catalog and reviewing the photos I took. 

I really wanted to go to see up close how Mary Cassatt applied paint. That was my goal.  So most of my photos are of her work.  But Berthe Morisot's work was also very interesting.  

The Fenimore Museum painted the walls a grayish purple which really showcased the work.  In the catalog, they mention that mauve was trendy during this period.  

Some of the works were sketchy and wildly painted in some areas like the clothing, and tightly painted in other areas, like in the faces.  

All of the paintings, both Cassatt's and Morisot, look better in person than in the images in catalogs and online.  I think this is due to the camera's inability to capture the layers upon layers of colors which are interwoven.   

I know more about Mary Cassatt and less about Berthe Morisot. So, I bought a book about her for my art library. It is an excellent reference book.  The plates of her paintings are very nice and it is a thorough review of her career.  

— Barbara