Author(s): Amanda Lowry
Mentor(s): Andrew Kent-Marvick
Institution SUU
My thesis explores the careers of two significant and contrasting female Impressionist artists: Mary Cassatt and Eva Gonzalès. By comparing and contrasting their lives, artistic practices, and varying degrees of success, this research seeks to address the broader issue of gender inequality in art history. Throughout the field, both art historians and feminist scholars have long sought to understand why so many talented women artists remain overlooked or marginalized in historical narratives. As I have examined this problem, I have come to ask a more specific question: Why do some women artists achieve fame and recognition while their female contemporaries, despite producing equally compelling work, remain largely forgotten or underappreciated? In order to explore this question, I focus on Mary Cassatt, one of the most well-known figures of the Impressionist movement, and Eva Gonzalès, who, despite her close ties to the group, has not received comparable recognition. My research compares these two artists by examining key aspects of their careers, including their personal lives, their most iconic works, and their highest-selling pieces at auction. Through this analysis, I seek to uncover underlying factors that may explain why Cassatt has attained a prominent place in the art historical canon, while Gonzalès has not. In particular, I investigate several potential contributing factors, including the artists' differing levels of success during their lifetimes, their respective ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the aesthetic choices in their works, and the thematic contrasts in their subject matter. Furthermore, I examine how these factors intersect with the broader historical context of gender and the ways in which societal expectations of women shaped both their professional opportunities and the reception of their art. By placing Cassatt and Gonzalès in dialogue with their male contemporaries, I explore how their careers were shaped not only by their individual talents but by the gendered dynamics of the art world at the time. Through this comparative study, I aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which gender expectations continue to shape the legacies of women artists, both in the past and in the present.