Bullard, Edgar John. Mary Cassatt: Oils and Pastels. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1976.
This monograph is about the oil and pastel painting of The Impressionist Mary Cassatt. The book begins with a short biography on the artist followed by a chronological listing of the important events in the artist's life. The colored plates in the book are well printed and very well selected. I have to take a stand against the author in Mary Cassatt's defense.
Throughout the book, he constantly refers to Ms. Cassatt's work as being "owed" to or "copied" from another artist instead of giving her full credit for her work. There are many examples of this in the book. Such as in describing A Woman in Black at the Opera House, the author writes, "Cassatt has attempted the extreme juxtaposition of scale and perspective found in Degas' loge compositions. . . . Perhaps more than any of Cassatt's other mature works, this picture is indebted to Edouard Manet." (32)
Another example of this is Bullard's description of The Bath. He writes, "The scene is observed from above, a type of oriental perspective often used by Degas. . . . The large pitcher pins down the composition. . . . Similar pitchers are used by Degas in many of his paintings of bathing women." (52)
Even today, it seems Mary Cassatt lives in the shadow of the male artists that were her contemporaries. Bullard needs to give credit where credit is due and realize that Cassatt is as much of, if not more, a master as the rest of the Impressionists, regardless of sex. Her paintings are as powerful than any of the other Impressionist's works.
After reading this book I was very disappointed in that it really doesn't mention the achievement of Mary Cassatt at all. It does, however, give you the impression that she couldn't think on her own as an artist and copied or borrowed everything she ever painted. I would not recommend this book to anyone wanting a "true" idea of the kind of artist Mary Cassatt was.