Cassat's Reflections

MARY CASSATT’S MOTHER AND CHILD (1905)

Administers bright, natural colors and utilizes reflections to create a youthful and lively portrayal of this mother and daughter. The mother (still looking young for a mom) holds her daughter on her lap. She has ginger hair and natural beauty in her face. Her dress is bright yellow with a daisy. Daisy’s are sunny and seem to represent a sense of happiness. She caresses her daughter’s shoulder with love and helps her hold the hand mirror to look at her face. This is an interesting gesture. Maybe this is done to show her earnest love for her daughter and could symbolize her hope for her daughter to see herself clearly (being as she is nude in this image as well). But it could also be an indicator of the times. As being a women meant you were supposed to look good because that’s what you could ‘offer’ society. We see many similarities between the two kin. They are both of fair skin and light hair. This leaves us to wonder if there is a deeper message involved. In the last piece, by Berthe Morisot, we saw a disconnect between mother and daughter. However, in this piece there is joy and connection. There is a parallel in the mirroring of the individuals. Its interesting how they are both being reflected by a mirror. They are both blending in to each other. The small, golden hand-mirror presents the young girl’s baby face, with her eyes as a focal piece, as she sits on her mother’s lap atop the yellow dress. There is dependence and youth involved in this representation of the girl. In contrast, the large green rimmed mirror reflects the mother making it seem almost as if she is naked herself and also almost young, as her daughter is. She is sitting on a chair that is colored with the same strong green as the mirror. This may be representing that she is independent and must be a strong symbol for her daughter, her supporter. I believe that these colors and mirrors are the key indicator of Mary Cassatt’s purpose.