Mary Cassette is one of the first great female American painters. She followed her dreams and became an artist. She was born on May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child . Her family returned to the United States and at the age of 16,Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.Four years later she found she couldn't learn any more in Philadelphia,so her parents sent her back to Europe.There she studied the techniques of the masters in Rome,Seville,Antwerp,and Paris.     Mary received the chance of a lifetime in 1877 when the famous French painter,Edgar Degas,asked her to join a group of painters that included now--famous artists like Monet and Renoir.Their style of paintings is called Impressionism .They used primary color1s and short brush strokes in their works.They recognized Mary's powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.     Mary painted what she saw:gardens, and portraits,especially of mothers and children in everyday life.One of her paintings,Young Mother and Two Children,was donated to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.     Mary never married and,in 1877,her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her.Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 1 8 years.Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue.She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Mary Cassette stopped painting because  _  .
she lost interest in painting she took a new interest in writing her eyesight became too poor to continue her parents encouraged her to travel abroad