After the Bullfight 1873

Curator: Here we have Mary Cassatt's "After the Bullfight," completed in 1873. Cassatt, an American artist who spent much of her career in France, often defied convention in her choice of subjects. Editor: Oh, I like this. He seems contemplative, almost weary, which I didn't expect. It makes me think about what we consider masculine displays. Curator: Exactly. This painting moves past spectacle. The bullfighter in his elaborate costume is caught in a very private moment, seemingly disconnected from the performance we might associate with the arena. Consider, too, how tobacco functions. Editor: It is like a small ritual of calming or perhaps savoring victory, depending on his success. There is so much symbolism around that single roll of the cigarette. Do you think he feels regret? The light in the canvas falls softly, not on the rich fabrics of the jacket, but directly onto his brow and eyes. Curator: Interesting point, but in what specific aspects do you perceive it? As the picture captures the stillness that follows such a vibrant clash. I sense here something related to the cycle of ritual violence. Is the bullfighter himself caught up in the violence? I find a connection of human suffering here. Editor: I think violence is certainly something, even a feeling, hanging there as he takes a cigarette, looking almost melancholic, a contrast that feels very...human, maybe even like looking at ourselves in a mirror? I mean, thinking on it...there is always a cost. Even after victories. Curator: Indeed, the psychological insight is rather impressive given the standards of academic painting at the time. Even Cassatt might not have imagined these interpretations would linger. Editor: Well, whatever Cassatt’s intentions were, her artwork created a real and lingering impact here.