NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

WASHINGTON

Children Playng on a Beach

Children Playing on a Beach demonstrates Mary Cassatts skill at capturing
the natural attitudes of children. The intent expression on one childs face, the
lowered angles of their heads, and the set of their shoulders suggest complete
concentration on their activities. Especially appealing is the awkward way in
which the toddler on the left grips the long handle of her shovel while holding
the rim of the bucket with her other pudgy hand.
Cassatts interest in structure and strong sense of patterning comes through
clearly in this painting. Her careful brushstrokes follow the contours of the girls
arms, legs, and heads, creating the solid areas of color typical of her work after 1883. To keep the center of attention on the little girls, Cassatt treated the
seascape background more loosely; the boats on the ocean melt into a haze of
natural light. She emphasized surface pattern by repeating the accents of dark
dresses under crisp white pinafores.

Artist: Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt was born in 1844 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, a town that is now part of Pittsburgh. She entered the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1861. In 1865 she
studied Old Masters paintings in Paris. Mary Cassatt was one
of the original Impressionists, rare for an American and for a
woman.
overall: 97.4 x 74.2 cm (38 3/8 x 29 3/16 in.)
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

1844-1926

oil on canvas

www.nga.gov

General Information: (202) 737-4215

Copyright 2012 National Gallery of Art, Washington DC