Actress brings Mary Cassatt to life
SUN PHOTO BY BARBARA BEAN-MELLINGER
Actress Jenny Aldrich performed “A Visit with Mary Cassatt” on Friday at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda.
SUN PHOTO BY BARBARA BEAN-MELLINGER
Aldrich told the story of Cassatt’s life as a first-person narrative, detailing her early life, her decision to paint and live in Paris, her friendship with Edgar Degas, and the evolution of her art.
SUN PHOTO BY BARBARA BEAN-MELLINGER
Actress Jenny Aldrich performed “A Visit with Mary Cassatt” on Friday at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda.
SUN PHOTO BY BARBARA BEAN-MELLINGER
Aldrich told the story of Cassatt’s life as a first-person narrative, detailing her early life, her decision to paint and live in Paris, her friendship with Edgar Degas, and the evolution of her art.
It was as if Mary Cassatt herself took the stage Friday at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda. Dressed as a proper lady of the Victorian era, she wore a high-necked long dark suit and a high-necked white blouse with jabot, trimmed all over in extravagant lace.
But what really sealed the personification of Cassatt by actress Jenny Aldrich was her attitude. The zeal and sparkle with which she described her art — and even the work of other artists — combined with a slightly haughty delivery captured both the fervent love of art and the feisty, difficult personality for which Cassatt was known.
