Comparison and contrast analysis

¶ … Caress" by Mary Cassatt and "Atlas's Slave" by Michelangelo are works of art coming from different artistic periods and this is definitely reflected in the way that each reflects the artist's credo and beliefs. It is much easier to support the idea that the two works are completely different, starting with basic observations, such as the fact that "The Caress" is a painting, while "Atlas's Slave" is a sculpture. However, the scope of this paper is also to identify potential similarities between the two.

Mary Cassatt is one of the representative Impressionists of late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in the United States and "The Caress" reflects this in a distinct tendency to suggest rather than clearly state. This suggestive style can be noticed, for example, in the wavy lines that define the bodies of female figures and the baby. This brings out a certain delicacy that the painter surely wanted to pass on to the viewer. Since the title is "The Caress," Mary Cassatt wants to show an image consisting of tenderness and care: a mother holding her baby, with the daughter simply participating in this happy familial picture and supporting the idea of happiness in a familial framework.

We should also note the coloring, supporting the same idea of coziness and tenderness. These are not rough colors, they are bright and generous. The mother's dress is a pleasant and relaxing dark green, while the little girl has a yellow dress on, which goes well with her blonde hair. The entire picture is that of familial bliss, and of relaxing happiness and the painting is thus created to support this idea.

The work "Atlas's Slave" should be seen from a completely different perspective. There is no tenderness here, the work is rough because of its subject. There is no caressing here, only the rough image of a slave holding on his shoulders the entire weight of the world. The material is the first that suggests this and that contrasts with the previous work of art. As we have seen, Mary Cassatt uses bright colors and wavy lines in her oil painting in order to suggest peaceful tenderness and gentility, going well with the theme of caressing that she has picked for her work. Michelangelo has preferred a hard rock in order to express not until the roughness of the scene, as I have previously mentioned, but also to express the pain of the slave in his attempt to carry on his shoulders the entire weight of the world.

I think that the fact that the statue is not finished also helps in conveying the message that Michelangelo wanted. The figure is barely sketched and much of the interpretation is in fact left to the eyes and mind of the viewer. The slave has no face yet, which means that we can imagine whatever we want and that his face and body is actually formed in our mind, at that level.

This is probably one of the main differences between the painting and the sculpture we are analyzing: the painting is already well formed and well defined, with the characters being shown as such and with little room left to the viewer's mind to recreate the respective image. Michelangelo's work is almost partly created by the viewer himself, who can use his imagination to create the work of art.

Despite the fact that this is an unfinished work of art, Michelangelo was extremely careful and detailed about the way he represented the body of the slave. The muscles are very explicitly sculpted and one can almost see the physical effort of the slave. His body is very lifelike and one can almost see the muscles contracting and the veins pulsating with life in the effort.