The artwork titled “Mother and Child” was crafted by the artist Mary Cassatt in 1914, utilizing the medium of pastel. Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker who belonged to the Impressionist movement, and this particular piece is classified as a genre painting, depicting scenes from everyday life.
Upon observation, “Mother and Child” embodies the tender and intimate bond between a mother and her young child. Through gentle pastel strokes, Cassatt captures the warmth and affection of the maternal embrace. The mother is depicted with a serene and protective countenance as she holds her child close. The little one, in turn, seems to clutch onto the mother, displaying a trusting relationship inherent to this pure and fundamental human connection.
The artwork’s palette is soft and rich, with a harmonious blend of greens, reds, and whites, which is characteristic of Cassatt’s style and the Impressionist movement’s focus on light and color. Her application of pastel creates a textural softness that adds to the overall feeling of comfort and care in the scene. The loose and expressive brushstrokes give the viewer a sense of the fleeting moments between a mother and her child, a recurring theme in Cassatt’s body of work, which often explored the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the bonds between mothers and their children.
