Masterpieces

There is some degree of unanimity in considering Mother about to Wash Her Sleepy Child (1880, Los Angeles County Museum of Art) the first work in which Cassatt grappled with depicting women (sometimes mothers, but also nannies and caregivers) with children.

In the 1870s, the painter's work had primarily focused on describing the everyday life of contemporary women with a similar social and cultural stature as her own. She had portrayed them attending the theatre and opera or visiting museums and exhibitions. However, in the next decade her interest shifted from the public to the more private feminine spheres, and scenes of women with children became a favourite subject. Just like other female painters from the late 19th century, Cassatt was used to drawing her subjects from her closest personal and family milieu, given that the rigid social mores of the era hindered female artists' access to working with professional models or painting outside their studios. In this sense, the fact that her brother Alexander travelled in 1880 with his wife and four children from the United States to spend the summer with the painter and her parents is often cited as an explanation for her newly-kindled interest in these scenes. The presence of her nieces and nephews most likely stimulated her to develop new subjects, but we should also recall that Cassatt's depictions of women with children revive a traditional iconography in the history of Western art, namely the virgin with child. Many of her works from the 1890s were inspired by paintings and sculptures from the early Italian Renaissance, which she had the opportunity to familiarise herself with in her travels around Italy, and more importantly in her visits to the Louvre. In any event, this is a subject to which Cassatt, at her peak as an artist, devoted almost one-third of total output in oils, pastels and engravings, and it is also the subject that made her extremely popular due to her ability to depict mother-child relationships without sentimentality-albeit while introducing many gestures and details embodying tenderness.

In Seated Woman with a Child in Her Arms, which is more sketch-like and has a narrow colour range, a very young child in the arms of his mother or caregiver stares at the spectator while the woman, whose back is turned towards us, seems to be concentrated on getting ready to wash the child. The figures are monumental, perhaps to emphasise their physical contact, and they are situated in a space about which we are given little information, except for the pitcher and ewer located on the left. However, the armchair, whose seat back is in the foreground of the composition, suggests that it is a pleasant, bourgeois interior. Except for the fact that the woman's back is turned towards us, these same elements appear in other scenes of women with children painted by Cassatt around the same time, such as the oil painting Mother and Child (c. 1890, Wichita Art Museum) and the pastel Woman and Child before a Shelf with a Pitcher and Ewer (1889, Musée d'Orsay, Paris), which also share other formal features with the work in this museum, including a lack of interest in describing the backgrounds or the fact that only half the bodies of the figures are visible. But more than as examples of "real" depictions of motherhood, these images tend to be interpreted as Cassatt's attempt to create symbolic representations of it. The fragmented vision of the figures and space and the use of an asymmetrical and somewhat unconventional composition should be related to her early discovery and assimilation of the oeuvre of Degas and Japanese engravings. The sketch-like appearance of the canvas, painted with a quick, dry brushstroke, could lead one to believe that the work is unfinished. However, we must also recall that the painting was signed by the artist, which proves that Cassatt viewed it as a finished work. Furthermore, this sketch-like quality can also be found in other works from this same period.

Seated Woman with a Child in Her Arms belongs to an important set of pieces acquired by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia for the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in the 1st International Painting and Sculpture Exhibition held in Bilbao in August 1919. The painting had been part of the shipment made by the gallery owned by Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922), the first gallery owner to begin to buy works from the Impressionists. His Parisian gallery had hosted the second exhibition of these painters in 1876, and he was a pioneer in organising monographic shows on the artists with whom he worked. He became Cassatt's dealer in 1881, and although their relationship was cordial, it was often fraught since Durand-Ruel was highly selective in supporting the careers of artists: those of Degas, Monet and Renoir took root thanks to him, unlike those of Cassatt, Morisot, Pissarro and Sisley. His gallery contributed some of the most expensive paintings to the International Exhibition, in addition to Cassatt: Claude Monet's Stormy Sea, Sisley's Path in the Gardens of By, Pissarro's View of Bazincourt and Renoir's Head of a Girl. According to the documentation stored in the Durand-Ruel & Cie. archives, Seated Woman with a Child in Her Arms remained in Cassatt's possession until the 15th of June 1914, when it was purchased by the gallery. [Miriam Alzuri]

Selected bibliography

• Primera Exposición Internacional de Pintura y Escultura. Bilbao, [s.n.], 1919. p. 12, n° cat. 79. (títulada Mujer y niño)
• "Exposición Internacional de Pintura y Escultura", Hermes : revista del País Vasco, n° 46-47. 1919. p. 510,. N° cat. 79
• "Las Exposiciones Bienales de Bilbao", Arte vasco : revista mensual de la Asociación de Artistas Vascos, n° 4. 1920. p. 79. [ Ed. facs. en Hegalez Hegal, n° 2/3, mayo 1981].
• Valerio, Edith. Mary Cassatt. Paris, Crés et Cie, 1930. il. 17.
• Exposición organizada con motivo de la concesión, por la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, de la Medalla de Honor al Ayuntamiento de la Villa [Folleto]. Bilbao, Ayuntamiento, 1952. n° cat. 41.
• Breeskin, Adelyn Dohme. Mary Cassatt : a Catalogue Raisonné of the Oils, Pastels, Watercolors, and Drawings. Washington, Smithsonian Institution, 1970. pág. 95. (Con el título Baby with His Hand on the Back of a Chair, y atribuido a Mary CASSATT). N° cat. 178
• Castillo, Alberto del. "El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo en el de Bellas Artes de Bilbao", Goya : revista de arte, n° 101. 1971. pp. 327, 330.
• Bengoechea, Javier de. Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. Bilbao, La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca, 1978. p. 462.
• Bengoechea, Javier de. Catálogo de arte moderno y contemporáneo del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, 1980. p. 41. (Con el título Maternidad).
• Tesoros del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : pintura, 1400-1939 [Cat. exp.]. Madrid, El Viso, 1989. pp. 112-113, n° cat. 41.
• L'art des États-Unis. Paris, Citadelles & Mazenod, 1992. pp. 543, 614. (Con el título <b>Femme portant un bébé dans ses bras</b>). N° cat. 528
• Les femmes impressionnistes : Morisot, Cassatt, Gonzalès [Cat. exp.]. Japón, Art Life Ltd, 1995. pp. 81, 134, 151. N° cat. 49
• Cat. Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman. Chicago, Publishers, 1998. pp. 275, 322-323. N° cat. 54
• De Picasso a Bacon : arte contemporáneo en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Segovia, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente, 1999. p. 34.
• Entre la figuración y la abstracción : arte contemporáneo en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Pamplona, Museo de Navarra, 1999. p. 32.
• Zugaza, Miguel ... [et al.]. Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : maestros antiguos y modernos. Bilbao, Fundación Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa = Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa Fundazioa, 1999. pp. 154-155.
• Zugaza, Miguel ... [et al.]. Maestros antiguos y modernos en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2001. p. 87.
• Mujeres impresionistas : la otra mirada [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2001. pp. 98-99. N° cat. 23
• L'impressionismo e l'età di van Gogh [Cat. exp.]. Conegliano, Linea d'ombra Libri, 2002. pp. 308, 457. N° cat. 98
• Mujeres pintadas : la imagen de la mujer en España, 1890-1914 [Cat. exp.]. Madrid, Fundación Mapfre, 2003. p. 56.
• Bilbao a Genova : la cultura cambia le città [Cat. exp.]. Milano, Skira Editore, 2003. pp. 112-113.
• Juan de Echevarría, 1875-1931 [Cat. exp.]. Madrid ; Bilbao, Fundación Mapfre ; Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2004. p. 28.
• Adler, Kathleen. Americans in Paris, 1860-1900. London, National Gallery Company, 2006. p. 88, n° cat. 40.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 110.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 110.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 110.
• Women in impressionism from mythical feminine to modern woman [Cat. exp.]. Milano, Skira, 2006. p. 87, fig. 66.
• Ibiza i Osca, Vicent. Obra de mujeres artistas en los museos españoles : guía de pintoras y escultoras, 1500-1936. Alzira (Valencia), Centro Francisco Tomás y Valiente, UNED, 2006. p. 141.
• Grimme, Karin H. Impresionismo. Köln [etc], Taschen, 2007. pp. 38-39.
• Amazonas del Arte Nuevo [Cat. exp.]. Madrid, Fundación Mapfre, 2008. pp. 76-77. (Con el título 'Mujer sentada con un niño en sus brazos', y atribuido a Mary Cassatt)
• De Goya a Gauguin : el siglo XIX en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2008. pp. 322-325, n° cat. 62.
• Reguera, Galder. "Centenario del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao", Arketypo : revista de arte, arquitectura y diseño vasco, n° 13. 2009. pp. 146-147.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2011. p. 110, n° cat. 76.
• Bustreo, Federica. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bilbao : maîtres anciens et première moitié du XX siècle. Florencia, Scala Group, 2011. pp. 79-81.
• Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. p. 110, n° cat. 76.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 110.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 110.
• American impressionism : a new vision, 1880-1900 [Cat. exp.]. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2014. pp. 27, 58, sin n° cat.
• Arte japonés y japonismo [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. pp. 63-65, il.
• Impresionismo Americano [Cat. exp.]. Madrid, Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza ; Hazan, 2014.
• Cumming, Laura. "United states of impressionism", The New Review. 17-08-14. p. 29, il.
• Spence, Rachel. "America's broad new horizons", Financial Times. 27-08-14. p. 11, il.
• Maestros : Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao . Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 78-79, il.
• Maisuak : Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 78-79, il.
• Masters : Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 78-79, il.
• Maîtres : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bilbao. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 78-79, il.
• Mary Cassatt : une impressionniste américaine à Paris [Cat. exp.]. [Bruxelles], Fonds Mercator, 2018. pp. 90-91, n° cat. 26.
• 110 Años 110 Obras [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 160-163, sin n° cat.
• 110 Ans 110 Oeuvres [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 160-163, sin n° cat.
• 110 Urte 110 Artelan [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 160-163, sin n° cat.
• 110 Years 110 Works [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 160-163, sin n° cat.
• Bilboko Museoaren alfabetoa = El alfabeto del Museo de Bilbao = The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum = L'alphabet du Musée de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 188-190, 193-194, 197, n° cat. 104.
• Pommereau, Claude ... [et al.]. "Mary Cassatt : une impressionniste américaine à Paris", Beaux Arts : le journal de l'expo. 2018. p. 12.
• Morel, Guillaume. "Mères et enfants", Connaissance des arts. 2018. pp. 20-21.
• Novo González, Javier. "La vida privada de las mujeres", Descubrir el Arte, n° 250. 2019. p. 98, il.
• Manterola, Ismael [coord.]; Onaindia, Mikel [coord.]. "Bilbao 1919 : la Exposición Internacional de Pintura y Escultura = Bilbao 1919 : Nazioarteko Pintura eta Eskultura Erakusketa [Recurso electrónico]", Boletin 11 = Bulletina 11. 2019. pp. 63, 74, 102-103, il.
• Lomba Serrano, Concha. Bajo el eclipse : pintoras en España, 1880-1939. Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 2019. pp. 108-109, il.
• Womanology : colección José Ramón Prieto [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa = Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2021. p. 100.
• Close-Up : Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Lotte Lasertein, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel, Marlene Dumas, Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Peyton [Cat. exp.]. Riehen/Basel, Fondation Beyeler, 2021. p. 73, il.
• Close-Up : Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Lotte Lasertein, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel, Marlene Dumas, Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Peyton [Cat. exp.]. Riehen/Basel, Fondation Beyeler, 2021. p. 73, il.