You may think that a mouse pad is an unimportant thing with one purpose only: to support the computer mouse when it stays on your desk and prevent it from slipping away or falling from the desk. You may be right, but again you may be wrong. Some people just like to turn every little simple thing around them into sources of beauty and endless joy. So if it is necessary to have a mouse pad why not have a work of art? That is exactly the case with people who want to have reproductions of famous paintings printed on their mouse pads. Some mouse pads manufacturers saw the opportunity and they offer, in a limited edition of course, mouse pads printed with paintings by Mary Cassatt. You may ask who is Mary Cassatt?

Well, Mary Cassatt was an American painter and printer who lived most of her life in France. There she became friend with Edgar Degas and was charmed by its vision and also embraced the Impressionist movement. She is most famous for her paintings reflecting the private life of women, especially the strong bond between mothers and children. She illustrated all these in her paintings and succeeds to transmit the feeling to the person who looks at her paintings.



I can see why these paintings (though they are reproduced on mouse pads, they still are very valuable and beautiful paintings) belong to the Impressionist movement in art, as they impress us and show us the artist impressions and feelings. There are only five models of mouse pads with paintings by Mary Cassatt printed on them and they are all provided by www.zazzle.co.uk.

The first one is called "Mother combing her child's hair" and is full of an endless feeling of love and tenderness between the two. You can feel the special bond the two persons share and the simple act of combing the child's hair is in fact an act of devotion and a strong proof of love. Their reflection in the mirror is like a reflection of their feelings in the eyes of a stranger, the stranger that looks at the painting, at the mouse pad. You are a silent witness of this love and devotion and you are delighted by what you see. In moments like this you forget you are actually looking at a mouse pad and do not make a difference between it and a real painting. As a matter of fact they both show the same thing and the purpose of the work of art has been attained. That's what really matters, doesn't it?



This is called "Margot in blue" and is the portrait of a little girl dressed in a nice blue dress. She is shy and just beautiful and watches the others with innocence and rosy cheeks. She holds her hands tight in her lap and sits quiet and still waiting for the painter to make her portrait. Her name is Margot, but this only matters because it shows the fact that the painter is close to the little girl. The design of the dress reflects the period during which the girl in the painting lived, that is the end of the 19th century. Everything in this painting shows peacefulness, beauty and childishness. Her face takes us back into our own childhood and brings the child in everyone of us onto the surface again.



"The Loge" is the portrait of two young ladies coming to the ball room, all dressed up and anxious to enter the good world, the dazzling world of ladies and gentlemen. They hide a part of the face under the fan, but you can see their young and shy faces and the expectation of what is about to begin. They carry beautiful coloured bouquets in their hands and the whiteness of the dress also suggests  their purity and untouched soul. It is a world we only dream of and we are moved to see it so well portrayed in front of our eyes. Innocence and restlessness, youth and grace.

The portrait made by the painter to her father and brother is not typical for her work that consists mainly in portraits of women and girls. But it is nevertheless beautiful and painted with love. You can see a slight resemblance between the two masculine figures in the painting and almost sense the relationship between them. As all the people in Mary Cassatt's works, they are, too, peaceful and quiet, at ease with their lives and pleased with things around them.It's a beautiful painting and an amazing Mary Cassatt mouse pad at the same time, isn't it?



"The Letter" shows a young lady who has just finished writing a letter and now she prepares it to be posted. Her face does not show excitement or other strong feelings, but rather sadness. The same feeling of sadness is suggested by the predominant colour in the picture: blue. However, she seems at peace with herself and we can only try to guess who is the person to whom she sends the letter or what is the content of this letter. It's a moment in the life of a young woman and it is beautifully described as it is.



It is a little unusual to speak with such sensibility and impression about mouse pads, as they are considered rather dull, but necessary things around your computer. But when you see such beauty and emotion depicted in front of you, you react and you like it and it really does not matter that much if this is shown in a museum or printed on an ordinary mouse pad. You just love the mouse pad for the nice painting it has printed on it and are glad that you had the chance to admire it. I honestly did not know by now who Mary Cassatt was, but I am glad I found out and now I have one more reason to love her work and to appreciate art in whatever form it comes to me.