Summertime 1894

Mary Cassatt painted "Summertime" using oil on canvas, and it now resides at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The composition is striking, dominated by a dance of light and reflection across the water's surface, as two figures recline in a boat amidst a flurry of ducks. Cassatt uses loose, impressionistic brushstrokes to capture the fleeting effects of light, building up a dense, shimmering texture. The reflections in the water are not mere copies of the objects above; they are transformed into abstract patterns of color and light, challenging our perception of reality. The composition invites us to reflect on the changing nature of perception and representation. Cassatt, through her handling of paint and light, destabilizes fixed meanings, suggesting a world in constant flux. This work moves beyond a simple representation of a scene to become an exploration of how we see and understand the world around us.