Mary Cassatt / Signed Autograph Letter / Degas / Her Painting / Cubism / Art

Autograph letter signed "mary cassatt" to art critic achille segard villa angeletto - greasy, 14 April [1913, according to an inscription by another hand], 6 p. A moving and precious letter from the American artist looking back on his entire career, his successes and his regrets, following the book dedicated to her - his first biography - which is about to be published by the art critic, achille segard.

"Dear sir, I told you that I could not write. Yes, I believe your book. Very beautiful but do you put in my place, I have never been spoiled, and how can you believe everything you say about my painting?

If I had kept a little of what I did, it would have allowed me to see myself better. The only time I saw myself with the others was at mme havemeyer's. And I wasn't too bad. I told you once you wrote about painting like a painter and it's true.

I told him again what you were saying about his originality and his joy of painting, it made him very happy, and I was very happy to please him. [sic], but I passed very quickly on the fact that your lines on him were found in a book about me, for I believe that he does not find me at all up to the level. Except for degas and pissarro, they all had this opinion about me. Now, Renoir finds that pissarro was below everything!

I am stunned when I find them [sic] so little judgment - how to do it. I can't go to bet at the moment it would be losing everything I've won here, despite the fact that it's cold here snowstorms yesterday, but much less cold than in bets - again, believe that I find your book very beautiful, but confessed that there is vanity on my part to accept it. And then I wanted to be such a great painter, titian or rembrandt, just that.

At the same time as your letter, I received a letter from Mr. Who tells me that in ten years from here my paintings will sell more expensive than the degas!!!

And then from new york and also from my family come letters asking for explanations about the cubists and other farcers, we only talk about that there. I'm the head - I'm so little known that I understand that you've found it hard to find a publisher. The other day, I get a letter from a journalist, she finds that my painting deserves an article for her, and invites me to have tea at the ritz, to talk about it, convinced that she is the first to know me, she is American, of course. Nevertheless, I believe your book will be sold.

Maybe I'm wrong, but first it's so well written, clearly, and we still have some curiosity on my account. We live in a period of anarchy, in art; also, it seems to me in literature, and we buy the paintings so without judgment, and we speculate so much on the paintings, and we do not see the difference between advertising and true fame - since the sale rouart. Anything degas sells at great prices, things unworthy of him, and fortunately Renoir makes a fortune, he who could not sell his beautiful canvases, he even works in his bed.

If I could talk to you, you will see that I know perfectly well that you have made a beautiful book, of measure, and soberly, and that I am very happy with the place you give me, perhaps still have to survive - as soon as I can I would go home but I cannot set a date it is necessary for the good weather to return to be beautiful. Believe dear sir to my very friendly and grateful feelings. Summoning the memory of his friends renoir, degas, pissarro, mary cassatt returns to these lines, to open court, to his painting, his creative work, to the impressionists and this emerging art that she does not understand: the cubism spotted by degas at the salon of 1874, cassatt - rare female figure of Impressionism - was considered during his lifetime as the greatest American artist. The letter presented here, with testamentary accents, bears witness to the artist's creative twilight.

Indeed, from the dawn of 1914, struck by cataract, cassatt had to permanently renounce painting. At the reading of the book that is devoted to him, cassatt shows himself honored and humble: "How can we believe in all that you say of good of my painting?

And evokes with disdain the emergence of the cubist current led by picasso: ". There are letters asking for explanations about cubists and other farcers. "We live in a period of anarchy, in art; also, it seems to me in literature.

"And then I wanted to be such a great painter, titian or rembrandt, just that. Mary cassatt is one of the three great ladies of Impressionism (according to the geoffroy gustave formula) alongside berthe morisot and marie bracquemond. A painter of children and mothers. Louisine waldron, wife of the American industrialist Henry havemeyer, who had begun with him one of the most important collection of art in the world, and who had resorted from about 1889 to the advice of mary cassatt. The American banker james a.

Stillman, who retired in betting in 1909, asked mary cassatt to advise him for the enrichment of his art collection. The collection of paintings and drawings by henri rouart was divided into two sales, on December 16-18, 1912 and April 21-22, 1913. The castle of beaufresnes, located in the commune of mesnil-théribus, was acquired by mary cassatt in March 1894. This item is in the category "collections\letters, old papers\autographs\others". The seller is "laurent-autographs" and is located in this country: fr. This item can be shipped to the following country: whole world.

number of pages: 6
subtype: autograph on paper
theme: art