Final answer:
Mary Cassatt was a prominent Impressionist painter, known for her intimate depictions of women and children. She was the only American artist to exhibit with the Impressionists and significantly impacted the movement with her distinctive style.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mary Cassatt is best known as a prominent Impressionist painter. Her association with the Impressionist movement began after she met Edgar Degas in 1877. Degas invited Cassatt to exhibit with the Impressionists, recognizing her talent and potential. Unlike many of her peers, Cassatt was an American artist who chose to continue her art education in Paris due to the limitations she perceived in American art schools. Her work prominently featured themes of women, children, and domestic life, characterized by a distinctive use of light, color, and expressive brushwork synonymous with Impressionism.
She would go on to become one of the only American artists and one of the few women to join this revolutionary art movement. Cassatt's paintings and prints often focused on the private lives of women and their children, bringing a personal and intimate perspective to the Impressionist style. She continued to work within this movement, contributing significantly to its development and legacy until her eyesight failed in her later years.