Portrait Head of Mme Albert D’Arleux ,ca. 1906 by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), pastel on paper, 14 3/4″ x 14″, signed lower right.
Portrait Head of Mme Albert D’Arleux is created at the tail end of Cassatt’s artistic career, as an imminent arthritis diagnosis would soon render her unable to paint. The piece, however, shows no indication of lapsing dexterity, rather a quick and focussed execution of Cassatt’s ability to replicate likeness and emotion. Our sketch appears to be a study of Countess Morel d’Arleux and Her Son, a full pastel portrait of both the familiar woman and her unfamiliar son. Portrait Head of Mme Albert D’Arleux ca. 1906 appears in the first National Gallery of Art exhibition of Cassatt’s pastel works, published in 1978 with commentary by Adelyn Breeskin, author of the definitive catalogue raisonne of Cassatt’s works. Though lacking the complete composition, Cassatt is able to create complexity out of simplicity, as the woman’s expression communicates clarity and integrity.
Medium: Pastel on paper
Towards the end of her prolific career, Mary Cassatt penned her views on the future of art: “In art what we want is the certainty that the one spark of original genius shall not be extinguished, that is better than average excellence, that is what will survive.” Undoubtedly, Cassatt possessed that spark of original genius.
Born in Pennsylvania to an affluent family, Cassatt began her artistic career at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, while frequently travelling to Europe to further her studies of the masterpainters. By 1874, she had permanently settled in Paris, where she studied under Jean Leon Gerome and refined her technical precision. Cassatt's work earned consistent recognition in exhibitions and salons across the continent.
In 1877, Edgar Degas invited Cassatt to exhibit in the Impressionist salon– an offer that bestowed her the honor of being the sole American welcomed by the group. She exhibited a total of twelve works across four of the first Impressionist exhibitions, where she gradually revised her style to embrace the avant garde. Degas continued to mentor Cassatt in technique and composition, a relationship that pushed her to embrace unconventional domesticity across paintings and print-making alike. She earned global recognition for her pastel depictions of women, children, and motherhood, cementing her legacy not just as a revolutionary of stylistic progression but social progression in the art world.
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