The Child's Bath by Mary Cassatt
The Child's Bath Source: Wikimedia Commons Everyone living in the Western world has seen a Mary Cassatt painting at some point. Her work, which is dominated by domestic scenes that typically feature women and children, is extremely popular and Cassatt prints can often be found decorating homes and public spaces. Her success is even more impressive when you consider how difficult it was for female artists to find success in the male dominated art world of the nineteenth century. Cassatt is known for her expressive Impressionist style, which conveys movement and energy while celebrating the nuance and complexity of domestic life. The Child's Bath is one of her most famous paintings and is one of the most popular treasures of the Art Institute of Chicago. As the title suggests, the piece depicts a woman—presumably the mother—bathing a little girl in a basin of water. Both figures look downward, studying the little girl’s feet as they splash in the water. The painting has a ve...