This is an oil on canvas by Mary Cassatt, an American painter from the 19th century, who was very much influenced by Impressionist artits like Degas, Monet and Renoir. It is 100 cm wide by 66 cm long and you can see it today at the Art Institute of Chicago.
It is called THE BATH and the scene is set in a bedroom. In the foreground you can see a white jug and a basin full of water on a red pattern rug. In the middle-ground, the mother is holding her child, and gently washing her foot. In the back ground, there is the wall, covered with a flowery wallpaper and a painted chest of drawers.
The composition is made of circles and curves, like for instance, the jug and the basin, the towel around girl’s waist, and the circle formed by the two characters. Their heads are touching, and the mother is embracing her daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter is the subject of the painting. It shows their itimacy, their mutual love and girl’s confidence in her mother.
