Françoise in Green, Sewing 1909

Mary Cassatt painted 'Françoise in Green, Sewing' with oil on canvas, and it’s a dreamy snapshot of childhood. The painting is awash with soft greens and whites, built from gentle brushstrokes. You can almost feel the cool, quiet atmosphere of the room. I imagine Cassatt, brush in hand, watching Françoise, trying to capture a fleeting moment of concentration. The girl's focus on her sewing is so intense, you wonder what's going through her mind. The ruffles of her green dress are so luscious, achieved through layering paint, building up the surface and the volume of the skirt. Look at the way Cassatt uses strokes of white and light green to give the fabric form, and the shadow! Cassatt must have been looking at Manet and Degas, but she really brings her own sense of quiet observation to the domestic scene. In a way, all painters are in conversation with each other, across time, experimenting with different ways of seeing and feeling. Painting is ultimately a way of embodying emotion, and Cassatt does this so well.