In the Loge (1878)

In the Loge, 1878
Mary Stevenson Cassatt, American, 1844–1926
81.28 x 66.04 cm (32 x 26 in.)
Oil on canvas
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I've never thought too much of Impressionism in general or Cassatt in particular, but this opera painting did catch my attention on a recent jaunt over to Boston. The painting compares favorably to Renoir's La Loge (1874), the woman in Cassatt's painting seems more self-possessed, her look less blank than the smiling one in Renoir. Of course, I'm partial, everyone knows I do like a nice hat.