Who Is Lilla Cabot Perry?
Lilla Cabot Perry (1848 – 1933), an American artist and writer, is best known as an Impressionist painter, but she also published four volumes of original poetry and a translation of classical Greek verse. According to National Museum of Women in the Arts,
“Although she had no formal art training until age 36, Lilla Cabot Perry became a professional painter and a devotee of French Impressionism with a formidable body of work. Perry developed a solid reputation during her lifetime as a painter and a poet, helping to promote Impressionism in the U.S. and Japan.” (nmwa.org)
![aScreenshot_2018-12-30 1Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462300296[...]](https://atsunnyside.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/aScreenshot_2018-12-30-1Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462300296....jpg?w=1000)
French Impressionism
In 1889, at the age of forty-one, Lilla Cabot Perry “saw her first Impressionist painting” which happened to be by Claude Monet. Thereafter, Perry sought Monet’s counsel at every opportunity, and he became her mentor. In fact, “for nine summers the Perrys rented a house at Giverny, near Monet’s, and although he never took pupils, he often advised Perry on her art.” (nmwa.org)
![iScreenshot_2018-12-30 4Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462301135[...]](https://atsunnyside.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/iScreenshot_2018-12-30-4Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462301135....jpg?w=1000)
Japan: 1898-1901
In 1897, Lilla Cabot Perry’s husband became an English professor at the Keiogijku University in Japan, and the family lived in Japan between 1898 and 1901. Lilla was active in the Japanese art community, and her exposure to Japanese art allowed her to develop a unique style that brought together western and eastern aesthetic traditions.
“This experience gave Perry a rare opportunity to study the sources of Impressionism—notably Japanese fabrics and prints—in depth. There, she produced some 80 paintings; she continued to be prolific throughout her life.” (nmwa.org)
Two Questions
- What Japanese influences can be found in ‘The Blue Kimono’?
- Why is she so sad?
Click For Enlarged Detail:
Details:
- Lilla Cabot Perry (1848 – 1933) American
- Impressionist
- THE BLUE KIMONO
- signed Lilla Cabot Perry and dated -1915- (lower left)
- oil on canvas
- 34 by 25 1/2 inches, (86.4 by 64.8 cm)
- Source: Sotheby’s
- Link: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.65.html
![gScreenshot_2018-12-30 2Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462300586[...]](https://atsunnyside.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/gScreenshot_2018-12-30-2Screenshot_2018-12-30-perry-lilla-cabot-the-blue-kim-portrait-sothebys-n09635lot9klvmen-e15462300586....jpg?w=1000)
Sources:
National Museum of Women in the Arts, “Lilla Cabot Perry”, https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/lilla-cabot-perry, (accessed 30 Dec 2018).
Boston Athenaeum, “Lilla Cabot Perry, Sept. 2012, https://www.bostonathenaeum.org/library/book-recommendations/athenaeum-authors/lilla-cabot-perry , (accessed 1 Jan 2019).
Wikipedia contributors, “Lilla Cabot Perry,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lilla_Cabot_Perry&oldid=873333928 (accessed December 31, 2018).
Thanks for Visiting! 🙂
~Sunnyside
At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 
I love Monet’s art and it is so interesting to learn about Perry and the wonder of her life and work. Thank you for this fascinating share. 👍
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My pleasure,krishnapriya! I appreciate your comment, and I was also intrigued by the association with Monet. Now I must find out more! 😎
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Just amazing how lifelike people can make with simple things.
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They make it look so effortless….
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Lol!! Yes…. I’m learning patience. You can NOT rush art. And I don’t have steady hands. So absolutely no coffee before art time lol..
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Good advice (*taking notes*) 🤓
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No pressure, right? Lol!
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Nope. None. *fingers crossed behind back* 🙊🙉🙈
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Your posts are like water in desert!!!!!!!!! THANk YOU!!!!!!!!
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{{{{{{dear efi}}}}}}}} You are so kind and encouraging – thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️😊
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Soulful.
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Nico (Ancient Skies) just remarked how tired she looks. A little realism going on here! Thanks for commenting, Rosaliene. 😉
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I never knew Cabot wrote poetry! This is a beautiful painting even though the mother looks tired. 🙂
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She does look completely exhausted – really contrasts with the otherwise idyllic setting, I have never read her writing, but plan to remedy that. 😊
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I will check her poetry out too. 😎
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What a lovely story.
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I appreciate your visit, Dale – and your generous comment. 😊
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Thank you for this introduction to a new Impressionist (new to me, at least)! The features in the beautiful portrait are so soft.
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