Margot in a Floppy Bonnet Leaning against a Chair c. 1902

Mary Cassatt made this print called ‘Margot in a Floppy Bonnet Leaning against a Chair’ using etching. Look how the lines swarm on the surface and create a tender portrait. I can only imagine Cassatt working and reworking the plate, making thousands of tiny decisions with the needle to slowly build up the image. It’s such a commitment! Thinking and feeling, feeling and thinking, the image appears through trial and error. What was she thinking as she etched? Was she aware of the history of women being portrayed passively? Maybe she was trying to find a new way of depicting her sitter. It’s like she’s gently encouraging us to look without staring, meeting Margot’s gaze without expectation. Cassatt’s always been in dialogue with other artists like Degas, Morisot and Manet. Her art offers a way to see the world through a different lens, a world of ambiguity and constant discovery.