“The cup of tea” is an “oil on canvas” painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), an American artist born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The painting was created between 1880 and 1881. The painting represents Mary’s sister Lydia Simpson, but the picture is not about the portrait rather the cultural activity represented by the cup of tea,. The activity played a major role in the impressionist imagery, a mainstay of Cassatt in her contemporary life. Cassatt had good knowledge of color, and her impressionist imagery was greatly displayed by this fine piece of art. The artist was keen not to make the portrait or the surrounding outshine the main point of the image. Even with the selection of great color to represent a sister in a dress and a big seat, in some way she was able to make the cup visible. With the portrait holding the cup steadily, the main theme of the painting remains relevant. Cassatt also uses the title of the painting to force the viewer to keenly search for the cup in order not to miss the main theme for those who may not be keen enough. The image remains attractive, and a masterpiece of Cassatt’s art.
The painting was created at a time when realism in art and other disciplines had set in. Artist had started moving away from the divinity in art and the painting of religious and supernatural images. As seen in the image, the viewer can identify a portrait of a woman holding a cup of tea. The woman represents the reality of the said activity which was a real and not mythical activity in the artist’s life. The artist showed a mastery of color and simple representation of the dress and its pink color points to realism. Cassatt made the dress appear in a luminous quality of the color pink in order to attract attention to the portrait. This has been complimented by the pink on the saucer and the chair. Cassatt also showed recognition of the light effects as reflected by the shadow on the chair’s armrest side. The combination of color and light makes the portrait stand out and complement the surrounding with some white on the dress, on the gloves and the flowers. Cassatt adds some spontaneity in the image by letting the canvas be part of the image composition,.
The masterpiece shows a mastery of color and knowledge of art. It may have been included in the impressionist exhibition in Paris, France 1879. But it made it to the 1881 version of the group’s exhibition. Realism combined with the mastery of colors and light brought together a story of the activity in Cassatt’s life. The viewer can tell the story without being distracted by the beautiful portrait of Cassatt’s sister in the attractive pink dress. Cassatt also limits the view of the room to probably avoid the distraction from the theme. Critiques may have viewed the inclusion of the canvas in the composition as lack of finishing, but just a glimpse on the image tells a beautiful story of the tea and its importance to the artist. Another theme may be the America style of taking tea; holding the cup plus the saucer with no table seen in the image. The portrait is also relaxed and concentrating on the tea calmly. This is a creative display and a masterpiece in the art of painting.
Works Cited
Met Museum . "The Cup of Tea." 1880. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/22.16.17/>.
