Sara Wearing a Bonnet and Coat c. 1904 - 1906

Curator: This is Mary Cassatt's "Sara Wearing a Bonnet and Coat," a colored pencil drawing created circa 1904-1906. Editor: The pastel hues lend it such a delicate, ephemeral feel. Almost as if this child and her frilly bonnet could vanish with a puff of wind. Curator: Precisely. Cassatt’s strategic use of colored pencil creates both structure and ethereal light. Consider the concentric rings of the bonnet, and how they frame Sara’s face, leading the eye directly to her gaze. The chromatic restraint draws all attention to form. Editor: I’m struck by how much visible process is retained. You can see the individual pencil strokes layered to build up color and shadow. The textures! Those hatches define the form of the coat and the depth of the bonnet; they speak to the hand of the artist and, by extension, the work involved in rendering proper young ladies ready for display in society. Curator: It's true, Cassatt refrains from complete representation, allowing areas to remain as suggestive sketches. But, note the psychology in her eyes, the hint of self-awareness. Does she recognize herself as an object of aesthetic or perhaps social contemplation? Editor: Perhaps. Or is it also possible this is less about capturing the perfect social portrait and more about capturing the experience of girlhood in those transitional, fleeting moments? The texture almost seems unfinished to highlight how fleeting life can be when living so young. The hat, the material signifier of bourgeoisie wealth, rendered so imperfectly. Curator: A point well-taken, considering the Impressionist project sought to capture temporal effects. Perhaps these pastel works show the true labor that creates upper-class society for this child. Editor: It makes one appreciate Cassatt's capacity to embed this tension within what appears, at first glance, a sweet depiction. Curator: Indeed, by examining how she applied line and color, we gain a sharper appreciation for both the technique and underlying meaning. Editor: Agreed; acknowledging the means by which such depictions are created adds depth. This certainly pushes past surface readings.