” The Bath”
This is an oil on canvas by Mary Cassatt, an American painter from the 19 th century, who was very much influenced by Impressionist artists like Degas, Monet and Renoir. It is 100 cm wide by 66 cm long and you can see today at the Art Institute in 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 pattern rug. In the middle ground, the mother is holding her child on her kneesand gently waching her foot. In the background, there is the waal covered with a flowery wallpaper and painted chest of drowers.
The composition is made of curves and circles life 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 embaracing her daughter. the relashionship between mother and daughter is the subject pf the painting. It shows their intimacy, their mutual love and the girl’s confidence in her mother.
