Head of Simone in a Green Bonnet with Wavy Brim c. 1904

Mary Cassatt made this pastel drawing of Simone in a green bonnet with wavy brim sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Just look at that hat! It's like a dark, enveloping cloud, contrasting with the soft pinks and whites of Simone's face and dress. I imagine Cassatt, charcoal in hand, gently coaxing these colors onto the paper. She begins with a flurry of strokes, building up the form, finding the light. It’s interesting to see that the material of the paper showing through the marks is part of the work. Maybe she was thinking about her friend, Edgar Degas, who was also working in pastel. Degas, of course, was deeply involved in the textures of modern life and Cassatt seems to echo that interest, bringing a particularly feminine sensibility to these very immediate gestures. These artists have always been in an ongoing conversation, each inspiring the other's creativity, don't you think?