Pastel Drawings to Female Living Condition in 19th Century

Pastel Drawings to Female Living Condition in 19th Century

The topic of my choice is Pastel drawing. It got painted by Edgar Degas( French 1834-1917), Woman Bathing in a Shallow Tub, 1885, and Mary Cassatt (American 1844-1926), In the

Garden, 1893. In the content, my research paper will focus on a time when both present artists live in and collect information about the influence of their artwork styles. The existing professional connection between Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt is apparent in the common themes and techniques of their artwork. And their accounts that got depicted in letters composed to each other and generations. On the other hand, despite having similarities in themes and techniques, there are some differences between their styles of work. Thus, this paper will compare and contrast the two artworks and artist styles in perspective of their life experience and time.

Figure 1 Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)

Woman Bathing in a Shallow Tub, 1885

One of the shared similarities between these two artists is that they get considered as the foremost painters of the 19^th Century and paint makers.  They are also known for being founders and participants in art movement impressionism.  They are famous printmakers and painters during this time.

Edgar-Hilaire-Germain Degas’s Woman bathing in a shallow Tub, 1885, and Mary’Stevenson Cassatt’s 1893 are two paintings that show some influences, which Degas had on Mary Cassatt’s art when compared and contrasted.  Both of the paintings got done as pastel drawings. The only difference is that Edgar’s picture seems to be a portrait drawing that got done in the standard ¾ point of view.  Mary’s portrait appears to be a landscape drawing whereby, even at a mere glance, it is possible to see the differences between the two pictures. It is obvious to assume that Degas had a lot of inspiration for the work of Mary Cassatt.

.it is already well-known that he was one of her main inspirations (Wallace, 271).  Moreover, the shared bond between the two of them within the Impressionist group was crucial to her as she looked to him as a model artist.

Some of the motifs that got used in bathing genre portraits from Greek and Roman myths to eighteenth-century eroticism are also evident in the bathing series of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. They both depict this motif in their artwork. Their professional relationship is apparent in the techniques they share in their artwork.  They both desired to leave historical genre painting and instead to depict the changing social and emotional constraints of current life (Castro). Their private accounts from the letters they composed to each other represent this fact.

On the other hand, the general custom from the Aphrodite of Knidos to Ingres’ Valpincon paddler of the erotic lady nude impacted their critics and depictions and intellectuals’ understandings. By examining the predominant iconography of the nude of the lady nude through classical analysis representations of the female nude, Japanese prints of bathers, and Cassatt’s and Degas’s depictions. One can argue that a new way of scrutinizing contemporary understandings of cleanliness and privacy may have been at the root of Cassatt and Degas’ representations of bathers. But their regular training throughout the influx of Japanese prints of bathhouses and Europe influenced these depictions (Hoakley). At around 1877, Mary Cassatt got an invitation to stop deferring to her work of art the salon, and at this time, she submits with impressionist’s group by Edgar Degas.

In much of the work of Mary Cassatt, we encounter her facing numerous challenges, this being one of them. She also got banned painting lady nudes in America until she decides to join France.  Also, in her passion for learning art despite coming from a wealthy family just like Edgar, her father fails to support her to study art.

And this is one of the differences we encounter between the two, whereby Mary Cassatt happens to face some challenges in her artwork when compared to Edgar. Edgar’s father helped to inspire Degas’s interest in art when he could take him to the museum at an early age. Unlike Cassatt’s father, who could always oppose Mary Cassatt to study art.

Based on this argument, it is possible to put our trust in the fact that Edgar’s success in the artwork, which is more evident than in the case of Cassatt, starts from the basics.  It is a fulfillment of the adage that says that charity begins at home.

The two artists do impressionism and modern art. On the other hand, based on culturally different and other aspects, Edgar does realism. Unlike Mary Cassatt, who does the American Impressionism style of art, and this brings a difference between the two artists.  Mary, born in American, suggests the reason for doing American Impressionism.

Both artists used pastel drawing techniques that they developed; from 1878 to 1879, they developed a method called metallic paint or tempera. Evident in their pieces like Woman with a fan (Cassatt portrait and Ballet Girls Degas portrait. Oil on canvas is another technique they developed paintings like the cup of tea portrait by Mary Cassatt and the dance class portrait by Edgar. The reason why both artists used the pastel medium is that the pastel medium gets closely connected to the drawing technique; this allows spontaneity and agility. Secondly, the pastel medium brings out a lively and brilliant color and permits a copy of reality and representation. Lastly, the pastel medium can be put together with oil, watercolor, collage, acrylic, and other dry and wet techniques.

The characteristics of the French painting from 1850-1900 is that art gets dominated by Delacroix and Ingres (Thomas and Greg). The painters communicated their response basing on the political upheavals during that time. The impressionism gets considered as the modern movement in painting; it gets developed when artists rejected the government exhibitions (Brown and Kathryn). The impressionists aimed at capturing the sensory and momentary effect of a scene. Avoided the traditional linear method and used pure visible colors. The Ecole des Beaux Artes was an excellent school of art and thought. The school was aimed to teach the brightest and the best students in the arts of painting, engraving, sculpture, and architecture.

From the above information, it is clear that Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt played a vital role in the history of art. Even though they had their differences in their artwork, they became friends and worked together. They get considered as the foremost painters and printmakers. Edgar’s had some influence on Mary’s drawings.