"Sleepy Nicolle," created by Mary Cassatt American, 1844-1926, is an intimate and tender portrayal that exemplifies the artist's mastery of pastel as a medium for domestic scenes. Executed between 1895 and 1905, this piece showcases Cassatt's characteristic focus on the naturalistic study of women and children, capturing a moment of profound vulnerability and repose. The drawing was originally executed on blue-gray wove paper, which, over time, has faded to a delicate tan hue, lending the resulting composition a soft, aged quality. The careful application of pastel allowed Cassatt to achieve the luminous texture and psychological depth characteristic of her mature style.
Although the artist spent the majority of her career abroad in France, her contributions remain fundamentally important to the history of art in the United States. Cassatt effectively employed the Impressionist emphasis on light and shadow to create an immediacy in the depiction of the child, whose head rests against a soft surface, clearly on the verge of sleep. This drawing highlights the shift in late 19th-century art toward observational realism rooted in everyday experience.
The enduring popularity of this subject means that the imagery of Sleepy Nicolle has entered the public domain, making high-quality prints and reproductions widely available for study. The work serves as a crucial document of Cassatt's late period. This celebrated drawing remains a key highlight within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrating the enduring power of American Impressionism.
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