Adventures in Art History Art Adventures    

Lesson 16: The Boating Party

by Mary Cassatt

Directions

Study the painting for one week.

Over the week:

• Look at the painting.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the artist.
• Practice reciting the names of the artist and the painting.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Mary Cassatt's 'The Boating Party' shows three people in a sailboat. A relaxed woman holds a tired looking, sprawled out child while a blue-sashed man in black rows. It is hard to tell how the man feels, as we only see his profile. The sail billows with the wind, and faint lines of white in the water may represent whitecaps. The land in the background looks far away.

Vocabulary

Sailboat: A boat propelled by sails.
Sail: A piece of material that catches the wind and propels a boat, ship, or other vessel.
Sash: A long strip or loop of cloth worn over one shoulder or around the waist.
Oar: A pole with a flat blade.
Whitecap: A small wave with a foamy crest.
Shoreline: The line along which a large body of water meets the land.

Concepts

Mary Cassatt painted 'The Boating Party.'

1. Mary Cassatt was born in 1844 in Pennsylvania. See her self-portrait below.

2. Find Cassatt's state of birth (PA) on the map of the continental United States below.

3. As an adult, Mary Cassatt spent much of her time in France. Find France on the map of Europe below.

4. Cassatt captured moments in the lives of ordinary women and children, often featuring the bond between mother and child.
5. She painted in a style called 'Impressionism.' Impressionism originated in France in the 19th century.
6. Rather than rendering detailed, precise images, impressionists used visible brush strokes of different colors to create a gauzy 'impression' of scenes from everyday life.
7. Cassatt died in 1926 at the age of 82 in Paris, France.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

During the week, study the painting and find the following:

• Woman
• Baby
• Man
• Shoreline
• Lake
• Sail
• Oar
• Sash
• Waves
• Building

Activity 2: Narrate the Painting

• After studying the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point them out in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Act Out the Painting - Take a Boat Ride

• One day this week, make believe something in your home is a boat, whether it is a couch, an old box, or a space under a table.
• Get inside the boat, and row through a windy lake. Be careful - the waves are getting big. Warn them not to fall in!

Activity 5: Color the Painting   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 22 of 'Kindergarten Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the painting?

1 / 4

Answer 1

A woman, a baby, and a man.

1 / 4

Question 2

What is the setting of the painting?

2 / 4

Answer 2

Outside on a lake in a boat.

2 / 4

Question 3

What is the man doing?

3 / 4

Answer 3

He rows the boat.

3 / 4

Question 4

What is the woman doing?

4 / 4

Answer 4

She holds the baby and rides in the boat.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the painting? A woman, a baby, and a man.
2. What is the setting of the painting? Outside on a lake in a boat.
3. What is the man doing? He rows the boat.
4. What is the woman doing? She holds the baby and rides in the boat.

References

'Mary Cassatt.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.