The artwork titled “Young Woman Reflecting” is a pastel portrait created by the esteemed artist Mary Cassatt around the year 1894. As a representative of the Impressionist movement, Cassatt’s work captures the essence of its ethos through the interplay of light, color, and loose brushwork. The genre of this piece is portraiture, and it is held in a private collection, thus adding to its exclusivity and mystique.
Within the artwork, one observes a young woman depicted in profile, her attention seemingly turned inward in a moment of contemplation or introspection. Cassatt employs a harmonious blend of warm and cool tones to craft the woman’s visage and attire. The artist’s skilled use of pastels brings to life the texture of the subject’s skin, hair, and garment, evoking a sense of both immediacy and softness—a hallmark of the Impressionist style. This portrait escapes the rigidity of formal portraiture, offering a candid glimpse into the subject’s private world, with the background melding into a fusion of vibrant and earthy hues that help to center the viewer’s focus on the introspective figure. Cassatt’s signature, confidently inscribed, completes the composition providing both authenticity and artistic presence.
