Gender Role - Cassatt versus Eakins

When comparing the works of Cassat and Eakins, it is inevitable to talk about gender roles. Both artists have a few things in common in their background. They were born in the same year (1844) and they’re both from Pennsylvania and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and then later both studied in Europe.

Both artists have a couple of things in common when comparing their works, both Cassat and Eakins reject the notion that the portrait of a woman should be flattering in order to be successful. They refuse to idealize their female sitters. On the other hand, there are many differences among both artists. First of all, they have different genders. However, this gender role should not be interpreted as simply inborn qualities of masculinity and femininity. It must be envisioned as social and historical conditions. It’s easy to discern gender difference in a simple opposition in iconography. Eakins’ Swimming Hole depicts young men and boys swimming naked outdoors while Cassat’s Five O’clock Tea depicts ladies drinking tea in an elegant parlor.

In Swimming Hole, Eakins was constructing an image of an American hero and his democratic freedom. He used nature and nudity to depict freedom. Eakins, a more traditional painter, uses three dimensionality, with a vanishing point drawing our eye to the horizon. In Five O'clock Tea, Cassatt depicts ladies having their moment, away from the men's gaze. As opposed to Eakins, Cassatt erases space in Five O'clock Tea. She is anti-depth. 

At a time when men were known to have the ''power of gaze,'' Cassatt tried to depict an all active  modern woman having the "power of the gaze" in Woman in Black at the Opera. Cassatt gives her energy and control. There's a guy in the back that is possibly gazing at her but she's not even aware because she is very focused having her gaze at the opera. This could even be a self-portrait of Cassatt herself.


     Even though Eakins also tried to represent heroines of Modern life, they are depicted as having less power and being less active than Cassatt's heroines. Even though Eakins' females are active, as in his The Concert Singer, they are just part of the scenario. The man's hand on the left bottom of the painting still depicts men as having more power and control over the woman. The man is still the leader.


Eisenman, Stephen F., Nineteenth Century Art - A Critical History. Fourth Edition. 



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