We look slightly down into a lime-green and white rowboat carrying a woman holding a baby and a man in this nearly square painting. The man wears midnight-blue shoes, pants, jacket, and soft, floppy cap. He sits with his back to us, bending forward to row the boat, which is cropped by the bottom edge of the canvas. The left side of his ruddy face is visible over his left shoulder. The woman and baby both have pale skin. The woman and baby sit across from the man, facing us to our left in the bow. The woman’s long-sleeved, sky-blue dress is crosshatched with pink lines. The baby leans back in the woman’s arms, and wears a pink dress, blue socks, and brown shoes. The wide-brimmed hats on both the woman and baby are painted pale celery green. They gaze toward or just past the man. The corner of the boat’s sail, also painted pale green, is pulled taunt by the wind to our left. Azure-blue water surrounds the boat up to the high horizon line, which brushes the top edge of the painting. The shoreline in the distance is lined with trees and dotted with white houses with red roofs.

The Boating Party

Mary Cassatt

We look slightly down into a lime-green and white rowboat carrying a woman holding a baby and a man in this nearly square painting. The man wears midnight-blue shoes, pants, jacket, and soft, floppy cap. He sits with his back to us, bending forward to row the boat, which is cropped by the bottom edge of the canvas. The left side of his ruddy face is visible over his left shoulder. The woman and baby both have pale skin. The woman and baby sit across from the man, facing us to our left in the bow. The woman’s long-sleeved, sky-blue dress is crosshatched with pink lines. The baby leans back in the woman’s arms, and wears a pink dress, blue socks, and brown shoes. The wide-brimmed hats on both the woman and baby are painted pale celery green. They gaze toward or just past the man. The corner of the boat’s sail, also painted pale green, is pulled taunt by the wind to our left. Azure-blue water surrounds the boat up to the high horizon line, which brushes the top edge of the painting. The shoreline in the distance is lined with trees and dotted with white houses with red roofs.

Colors in this work

Details
Artist
Mary Cassatt
Date
1893/1894
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 90 x 117.3 cm (35 7/16 x 46 3/16 in.) framed: 112.1 x 137.8 cm (44 1/8 x 54 1/4 in.)
Department
CF
Holding institution
National Gallery of Art
Palette

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Image provider
national-gallery-of-art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Chester Dale Collection

Art Genome Taxonomy

9 tags

Subject Matter

  • Human Figure Visual · 100%

    Three human figures are clearly visible within the boat: a woman, a baby, and a man.

  • Landscapes and Waterscapes Both · 100%

    The image shows a boat on open water with a distant shoreline; the museum description explicitly identifies the rowboat, water, and shoreline.

  • Water Both · 100%

    Blue water surrounds the boat and occupies much of the composition, as confirmed by the museum description.

  • Scenes of Everyday Life Both · 86%

    The work presents an ordinary boating activity involving a small group of people rather than a historical, religious, or ceremonial event.

  • Movement Visual · 88%

    The boat, sail, and rowing action produce strong diagonals, while the water and wind give the scene a clear sense of physical motion.

Styles and Movements

  • Impressionism Visual · 80%

    Visible, varied brushwork and the emphasis on changing color across water, clothing, and the boat support a visual association with Impressionism.

Visual Qualities

  • Bright and Vivid Colors Visual · 93%

    The painting is dominated by vivid blue, lime green, pink, pale green, and white passages set against darker blue water and shoreline.

Medium and Techniques

  • Oil Painting Metadata · 100%

    The National Gallery of Art identifies the work as a painting in oil on canvas.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 100%

    The museum dates the work to 1893/1894, placing it in the nineteenth century.

Source & rights

Mary Cassatt. The Boating Party. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

High-resolution sources

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