How does mary cassatt assert a more active role for the woman in her painting in the loge?

In the Loge, 1878, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

    The artist suffered several social restrictions because she was a woman involved in painting, but she still used art for her independence and freedom of expression, even at a time when speaking of genres was impossible.

    In this work, the artist teases portraying an older and elegant lady, whose dark costume sets her apart from the glamorous artists, and attentively observes the scene.

    Even with a man in a cabin in the distance making an effort to see her, the lady does not seem to care - a role a respectable lady could only play in public.

    The woman watches the spectators on the other side of the theater before the performance begins.

    The style of the painting, as well as the composition, highlight the lady, with her dark costumes in a dimly lit box and her face very well traced.

    These elements contrast with the opulent, lighted auditorium as well as the sketched details of the stateroomed audience.

    The viewer has the impression of following the scene set beside the binocular girl, so that the edge of the cabin seems to split the composition in half.

oranienbaum, russia.