Analyzing Mary Cassatt's Little Girl In A Blue Armchair

Japanese artists have influenced many artists from Europe by inspiring them with new perspectives of art. This influence can be seen in the design of many pieces of artwork. The image that I have chosen is, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair. (https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/impressionism/a/cassatt-little-girl-in-a-blue-armchair). This artwork was created in 1878 by Mary Cassatt and was made using oil on canvas. The dimensions of this painting are 89.5x129.8 cm. Japonisme describes the way the work of Japanese artists influenced others. In Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, you can see the body of little girl elongated as she is slouched on the couch. Japanese aesthetic used abstract colors and lines in their art.

As viewers, our eyes are drawn to them. In contrast, the girl’s clothing and the dog on the couch next her compliment each others dark color. You are also able to see different perspectives when looking at the painting. When you look at the subject, the dog and the girl, the perspective is directly in front of them. As you look at the couches, you are looking at them from the side or even above. Japanese artists often included multiple vantage points in their artwork for their subjects to be seen from. The space in the background of Cassatt’s painting is empty and plain except for the two resembling couches. This artwork was created in 1878 and it is said that this painting was created to depict disorientation. A tired little girl can be seen; you can practically hear her breathing heavily and see that she is in a daze. The girl is out of place in a very plain room with couches whose colors are also out of place. Cassatt’s artwork was influenced by Edgar Degas. The girl in Cassatt’s painting is actually the daughter of a friend of