Woman with a Sunflower

Art Historical Context

Mary Cassatt's *Woman with a Sunflower* (c. 1905) captures the quiet elegance of a woman holding a vibrant sunflower, rendered in lush oil on canvas. Measuring92.1 x 73.7 cm, this painting hails from the artist's later career, when the American Impressionist—long based in Paris and a close associate of Edgar Degas—had refined her signature style. Cassatt, who participated in seven Impressionist exhibitions, often depicted women in intimate, everyday moments, infusing them with warmth and psychological depth. By 1905, her work showed a matured palette of bold colors and loose brushwork, moving beyond early influences like Japanese prints toward a more personal expressionism. The oil medium allowed Cassatt to layer rich textures and luminous light, evoking the dappled effects of sunlight on fabric and flowers—hallmarks of Impressionism's fascination with perception and modernity. Sunflowers, symbols of admiration and vitality in fin-de-siècle art, add a touch of natural splendor, perhaps nodding to the era's floral motifs. Part of the Chester Dale Collection at the National Gallery of Art, this piece exemplifies Cassatt's enduring contribution to portraying female subjects with dignity and vitality, bridging American and European traditions for generations of viewers.

About the Artist

Mary Cassatt · 1844–1926

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was an American painter and printmaker who became the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists. Born to a wealthy Pennsylvania family, she defied social conventions to pursue art professionally, settling permanently in Paris where Edgar Degas invited her to join the Impressionist group in 1877. Her paintings of mothers and children—rendered with Impre...