12/11/2023
I love this painting by Mary Cassatt because of the juxtaposition between the look every mom has given her toddler and the toddler’s oblivious legs crossed, satisfied expression, snack in hand, contentment.
I love how she has both arms around the toddler for safety but the look in her eyes say, “You’re going to grandma’s tomorrow.”
The toddler is so secure, pleased, and relaxed, but the look in this mom’s eye tells me they were up together no less than four times. We know toddler’s feel no shame and this painting illustrates that perfectly.
All moms know and have given this exact look to a person we’d kill for but a person who has also snapped our last nerve in clean in half.
I love how the toddler is leaning into his or her mother, enjoying her softness and warmth, eating her breakfast, with a distant look contemplating running naked through the garden later completely oblivious to mama’s stare of loving annoyance.
The painting is called, “Breakfast in Bed” but an alternate title could be, “The Audacity.”
They should hand out little postcards of this painting in hospitals after a mother has given birth. It’s perfect. Just perfect.
