The artwork titled “Portrait of Master St. Pierre” is a creation by the artist Mary Cassatt, dating from around 1892. This portrait is executed in pastel, a medium known for its delicate and vivid application. Cassatt, affiliated with the Impressionist movement, captures the essence of her subject in a style that reflects the hallmarks of Impressionism. The genre of the artwork is a portrait, and it is currently held in a private collection.
The artwork presents a young subject positioned slightly off-center, surrounded by a halo of loose, expressionistic strokes. The use of pastel allows for a blend of soft textures and rich colors, a technique that Cassatt mastered and which lends a tender quality to the piece. Impressionistic in its execution, the portrait lacks the sharp detail of a photograph but instead conveys a likeness filled with movement and life.
Although executed with rapid and assured lines, the pastel strokes harmonize to infuse the young subject’s face with a glow of liveliness. The child’s gaze appears contemplative, perhaps hinting at a story or a thought captured in the moment. The background is composed of sketchy, blue strokes that contrast with the warm tones of the subject’s features and clothing and emphasize the figure.
Signed by the artist, Mary Cassatt’s signature is visible in the corner, acting as a testament to her authorship and contributing an additional element of context and authenticity to the work. The portrait exemplifies Cassatt’s ability to capture the innocence and charm of youth, as well as her contribution to the broader Impressionist movement that prized the immediacy of sensation and the artist’s subjective experience of the world.
