Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child, 1884/1894, oil on canvas, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
American artists Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) and Elizabeth Nourse (1859-1938) both spent most of their careers in France, where they established a reputation for their moving interpretations of the mother and child theme. Yet, as you can see, their approaches differed: Cassatt depicted middle and upper class subjects, utilizing an impressionistic style, while Nourse was known for her realistic portrayals of peasants.
Elizabeth Nourse, Normandy Peasant Mother and Child, 1900, oil on canvas, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
