The artwork titled “Louise Nursing Her Child,” created by Mary Cassatt in 1898, is a genre painting that captures the tender moment between a mother and her nursing infant. Executed in pastel on paper, the piece is associated with the Impressionist art movement. Presently, it is part of the collection at the Rau pour le Tiers Monde Foundation in Zürich, Switzerland.
The composition of the artwork is intimate and warm, featuring a close-up of a mother dressed in a vibrant orange garment with a white and blue collar, holding her child against her. The child, dressed in white, looks up at its mother with an expression of reliance and contentment. The strokes of pastel render the scene with a sense of immediacy and softness, characteristic of Cassatt’s sensitive approach to subjects of motherhood and domestic life. The warm hues of the mother’s dress and the gentle rendering of the child’s delicate features underscore the emotive quality of the moment. The use of color and light, along with the visible pastel strokes provide the artwork with a dynamism and texture aligned with the principles of the Impressionist movement, emphasizing the effect of natural light and everyday scenes.
