Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery

Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery, created by Edgar Degas between 1879 and 1880, is an exemplary work of Impressionist printmaking. This evocative scene, produced in France, utilizes a complex and highly textured combination of etching, softground etching, and aquatint. Degas employed these varied techniques to achieve subtle tonal ranges and delicate atmospheric effects, moving far beyond simple line work. The softground etching contributes the sketchier, continuous lines often associated with the artist’s characteristic drawing style, while the aquatint allows for nuanced areas of shadow and depth within the gallery space.

The subject of this remarkable print is the artist Mary Cassatt, the American expatriate and fellow Impressionist, who is depicted observing artwork within the vast, echoing spaces of the Louvre. Degas often captured intimate and unguarded moments, and here he portrays Cassatt with the seriousness of a dedicated art student. The composition, characteristic of the period, reflects the contemporary Parisian culture where women were increasingly visible in public intellectual spaces like museums. This intimate glimpse into the working life of two renowned artists remains a highlight of Degas’s graphic output.

As a significant example of the artist’s technical experimentation with prints, this work demonstrates the growing importance of graphic art during the late 19th century. This important piece is maintained in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where high-resolution documentation of the print is often made available through public domain initiatives for researchers and enthusiasts worldwide.