Après la corrida (1873)

Cassatt, Mary (1844-1926)

Après la corrida (After the Bullfight)
1873
Oil on canvas, 82.5 × 64 cm
Art Institute of ChicagoChicago

Mary Cassatt chose a quintessentially Spanish subject, executing this composition of a bullfighter, or torero, in full regalia during an extended stay in Seville. Having trained in Philadelphia and Paris, Cassatt ventured to Spain to study the country’s Renaissance and Baroque works and to follow the path of French avant-garde artists like Édouard Manet. Depicting the performer at a relaxed moment, far removed from the spectacle and violence of the ring, Cassatt omitted narrative detail. Instead, with a modernist sensibility, she focused on the male figure in a casual pose, employing vigorous brushwork and rich pigment to describe the bullfighter’s costume and suggest his characteristic bravado. (AIC)

See also:

• Sevilla (España)