Lucas

 

 

 

This is an oil on canvas by Mary Cassatt an American painter from the 19 century who was very much influenced by the Impressionists artists like Degas, Monet and Renoir. It is 100 cm wide by 66 cm long and you can see it today at the Art Institute of Chicago. It is called “The Bath” and the scene is set in a bedroom. In the foreground you can see a white jug and a basin full of water on a red patern rug. In the middle groung the mother is holding her child on her knees and gently washing her foot. In the back ground there is the wall covered with a flowery wallpaper and a painted chest of drawers. The composition is made of curves and circles, like for instance, the jug and the basin, the towel around the girl’s waist and the circle formed by the two characters. Their heads are touching and the mother is embracing her daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter is the subject of the painting. It shows their intimacy their mutual love and the girl’s confidence on her mother.