Mary Cassatt

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Artfully designed and loaded with high-quality reproductions, these first three entries in the First Impressions series of artist biographies pack a visual wallop. Not surprisingly, their texts match up to the dazzling illustrations--including an electrifying study by Leonardo of rabbits in motion--with varying success. Times being what they are, the artists' personal lives are scrutinized closely. The boundary between fact and colorful speculation can be fuzzy, and Meyer's Mary Cassatt is marred by the author's clumsy (and, in at least one instance, factually inaccurate) efforts to explicate Cassatt's still mysterious intimate life. Conversely, McLanathan nimbly hints at Leonardo's homosexuality while depicting the artist's shifting political milieu with a remarkable immediacy. The dreamlike images of Marc Chagall, a generally less eccentric individual, are gracefully complemented by Greenfeld's down-to-earth, sympathetic prose. Upcoming subjects in the series include Picasso, van Gogh and John James Audubon. Ages 10-up. (Nov.)

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

Richly illustrated, artfully designed (including a four-page gatefold) and intelligently written, this biography is enclosed within an irresistible, full-color, full-cover reproduction of the featured artist's work. This and others of the exemplary "First Impressions" series are consistent in approach, yet each author's voice and style is distinct, and all are unusually respectful of the intended young adult audience. Biographies of Faberg, Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Carl Farergé, Francisco Goya, Frank Lloyd Wright, James McNeill Whistler, John James Audubon, Leonardo Da Vinci, Marc Chagall, Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Peter Paul Rubens, Hieronymus Bosch, J. M.W. Turner, Henri Matisse, and Rembrandt are also currently available. If your library, like mine, circulates large, framed reproductions, make art a natural part of your youngsters' environment. Borrow and hang them in your room throughout the year.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-- In presenting the life of this talented and strong-willed woman of the late 19th/early 20th century, Meyer briefly relates Cassatt's early years and education in America and Europe, and then concentrates extensively on her time in France. Cassatt's commitment to her family, her determination to succeed as an artist, and her strong sense of ethics and self are shown vividly against the backdrop of Paris in an artistic uproar. Meyer shows, without proselytizing, the conflict between the artist's desire to paint and the expectations of society at that time. Quotes are used from Cassatt's family, friends, and artist-comrades; unfortunately, no sources for these quotes are given. The illustrations are listed with title, medium, and location, but there are no references for any of the information Meyer supplies. While this is a common flaw in nonfiction for children, it is still surprising in a book of this quality. Nicely presented, with 28 full-color plates and 18 black-and-white illustrations, this is lively and eminently readable, and will help round out any collection in the area of women and the arts. --Janice M. Del Negro, Chicago Public Library