3 Tea Paintings: Cassatt, Matisse, Pollock

In this month's installation of the Art of Tea, we'll do a quick study of the development of art through the interpretation of tea. We'll cover three pieces by great artists from different periods, including Mary Cassatt, Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock. While the art varies greatly from the earlier to the later pieces, each artist was equally inspired by this great beverage.

1880 - Five o'clock Tea Mary Cassatt was a painter whose work was greatly influenced by Manet and Degas, whose friendship and esteem she enjoyed. Her pictures are notable for their refreshing simplicity, vigorous treatment and pleasing color.

1919 - Tea Henri Matisse was a painter, sculptor and lithographer. Along with Picasso, Matisse is considered one of the two foremost artists of the modern period. His contribution to 20th-century art is inestimably great.

1946 - The Tea Cup Jackson Pollock, generally known as the primary figure in the Abstract Expressionism movement, was famous for splattering or dripping paint on a canvas. Like Adagio Teas, Jackson Pollock's work has appeared in Time Magazine.