Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Etruscan Gallery

Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Etruscan Gallery is a complex and intimate print created by Edgar Degas between 1879 and 1880. This significant example of French Impressionist printmaking employs a rich combination of techniques, utilizing soft-ground etching, drypoint, aquatint, and standard etching applied to laid paper. The blending of these diverse methods allowed Degas to achieve nuanced textures and subtle gradations of light and shadow, characteristic of his explorations in the graphic arts during the period spanning 1876 to 1900.

The subject of the work is the American artist Mary Cassatt, a close friend and artistic collaborator of Degas, shown examining artifacts within the Etruscan Gallery of the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The composition captures Cassatt standing erect, meticulously studying an ancient object displayed in a large vitrine. The intimate scene is observational, reflecting Degas’s consistent fascination with depicting modern, professional individuals engaged in focused pursuits, often within enclosed interior spaces. Unlike many of his contemporary Impressionists, Degas specialized in these insightful genre scenes, utilizing the medium of prints to explore subtle movement and psychological depth rather than broad color and atmosphere.

The strong, velvety lines characteristic of the drypoint technique are evident, particularly in the foreground elements, creating a sense of immediacy that contrasts with the softer aquatint tones defining the background architecture. Degas was known for extensively reworking his plates across various states, and this piece is notable for its vigorous execution, capturing a powerful moment of intense concentration. The theme of depicting professional women in intellectual settings was essential to both Degas and Cassatt, offering a sophisticated counterpoint to prevailing societal expectations of the era. This essential work, classified as a print, remains a key representation of the French cultural environment of the late nineteenth century and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.