Mother's Goodnight Kiss

"Mother's Goodnight Kiss" by Mary Cassatt American, 1844-1926, is a tender and immediate depiction of intimate domestic life, created during the height of the artist’s engagement with Impressionist principles in 1888. This piece is classified as a drawing, executed with vibrant pastel on wove paper. Cassatt, an American expatriate who found success among the Parisian avant-garde, specialized in scenes of motherhood, capturing the quiet dignity and psychological depth inherent in the relationship between woman and child.

The choice of pastel as a medium was crucial for the artist, allowing her to achieve the soft texture and luminous quality necessary to convey the fleeting moment. The drawing was originally rendered on blue-gray wove paper, which has since faded to a tan hue, lending a subtle warmth to the existing colors. For structural integrity, this delicate piece was carefully mounted onto canvas and fixed to a strainer. The work exemplifies Cassatt’s ability to define form using bold color applications and distinct lines, moving beyond the dissolving surfaces of pure Impressionism toward a more structurally robust style.

As a leading figure from the United States working abroad, Cassatt influenced American art history by elevating scenes of everyday domesticity into subjects worthy of serious consideration. This work, dating from 1888, is a prime example of the artist’s focus on the emotional reality of 19th-century women. Today, the work is a significant component of the drawing collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. Though the original pastel is fragile, the enduring popularity of this subject means high-quality prints continue to circulate, keeping this profound meditation on motherhood widely accessible.