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The Boating Party

Mary Cassatt, 1890s

The Boating Party is a painting by the American artist Mary Cassatt, dated to the 1890s and measuring 90 by 117.3 centimetres. It shows a woman holding a small child in a boat while a man rows, seen against a high wall of blue water. This page covers where the work is held and what to look for when you stand in front of it.

Where to see it

The fact sheet records both the collection and the location of The Boating Party as Wikidata item Q214867, which corresponds to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Works in a permanent collection are not always on view, because they can be rotated, lent or removed for conservation. Before you travel, check the National Gallery of Art's official website for the painting's current display status and for opening hours and visitor information.

What to look for in person

A flattened, tilted view

Step back first and notice how little sky there is. The horizon sits near the top edge of the canvas, so the water rises behind the figures like a flat blue backdrop rather than receding into depth. The boat is seen from above and cropped at the edges. Art historians widely link this compressed space and unusual viewpoint to Cassatt's interest in Japanese woodblock prints. Look at how the shapes of boat, sail and sea lock together almost like pieces of a pattern.

The rower in silhouette

The man at the oars dominates the right side of the picture, yet we never see his face clearly. He is shown from behind as a dark, solid mass, his arm and the oar forming strong diagonals that lead your eye toward the woman and child. Notice how his bulk contrasts with the lighter, softer figures opposite him. The composition keeps him anonymous and turns the scene's attention, and the viewer's, toward the pair he is facing.

Mother, child and colour

On the left, the woman holds a small child on her lap, a pairing that recurs throughout Cassatt's work. Look closely at the child's relaxed, heavy pose and at the woman's attentive gaze across the boat. Then take in the colour: broad areas of yellow in the boat's interior set against the deep blue of the water, with the white and pale tones of the sail and clothing in between. These bold, clearly separated blocks of colour give the picture much of its graphic strength.

About the painting

Mary Cassatt was an American painter who built her career in France and is closely associated with the Impressionist circle, with whom she exhibited. She is best known for scenes of modern women's lives and, above all, for images of women with young children, a subject she treated with close observation rather than sentiment. The Boating Party, dated to the 1890s, is one of her larger and more ambitious canvases, measuring 90 by 117.3 centimetres. In front of it, the scale lets you appreciate how carefully the composition is built. Instead of a deep, open seascape, Cassatt presents a tight, almost cut-out arrangement: the curve of the boat, the crossing lines of oar and sail, and a high band of water that pushes the figures forward toward the viewer. This approach reflects her well-documented engagement with Japanese prints, whose flat colour areas, strong outlines and unexpected angles influenced many artists working in Paris at the time. The picture also brings together two of Cassatt's interests: the intimacy of a woman and child, and the more public, outdoor world of leisure. The rower, seen only from behind, acts as both a framing device and a counterweight, his dark form balancing the lighter figures on the left. When you visit, try viewing the painting from a distance to see its bold design, then move closer to look at how the paint is handled in the faces, the clothing and the water. The contrast between the broad overall structure and the softer passages of brushwork is part of what makes the work rewarding to study in person.

Key facts

More by Mary Cassatt

• The Child's Bath — Art Institute of Chicago

Sources

• Wikidata Q15876324
• www.nga.gov