Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt are the two major women artists of French Impressionism. We will examine their origins and discuss early works exhibited at the Paris Salon.
Berthe Morisot became a model for Manet and then exhibited at seven of the eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886. Mary Cassatt joined her in 1879, the only American to exhibit with the Impressionists. We will discuss the numerous obstacles our artists had to overcome, and how they fought to receive recognition.
We will examine the pictures that the artists exhibited with the Impressionists and analyse the critics’ response. A key point will be the subject matter the artists depicted – was their choice limited due to their gender, and did they possess an insight into the world of women that male artist couldn’t emulate? We will also look at the careers of Eva Gonzalès and Marie Bracquemond, two other contemporary Impressionist artists.
A visit to the Ashmolean Gallery will add to your experience.
We conclude with a look at later works - including Cassatt’s contribution to the 1893 Columbian exhibition in Chicago – and assess the artists’ reception in the twenty-first century. This course will examine Morisot and Cassatt’s great achievements and their place in art history.
This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.