Close to Nothing, but Still Something

Almost missed posting for today.  It's been a bit hectic. The new year doesn't seem to be cooperating any more than the old one did, but so far there is still much promise.  A couple of days ago, I answered a Facebook challenge from my friend Filippa to post a couple of favorite pictures by an artist she would assign, and to say a few words about the artist.  Filippa is gifted with immense insight and so I was unsurprised when I found my artist was Mary Cassatt.  Cassatt was an American artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who found intellectual and artistic acceptance among the developing Impressionist school in Paris.  My meager contribution for today is to share two of her paintings with you here.  

The upper picture is called "Breakfast in Bed" and I love it because it so clearly shows the casual intimacy of mother and child-- there is something in the look on the mother's face that keeps the picture from being too sentimental-- something real and questioning that is more than just a loving motherly gaze.  The painting is rather simple, but the feelings captured are complex.  The lower picture is "Girl in a Blue Armchair" and I love it because it showcases the spectacular ease and boredom of being a child, and yet, it too, shows something more in the girl's expression and body language.  I wish I knew how to analyze art more cleverly, but alas... I only know what I like.  

More tomorrow.