7/21/2019 Pastel and Art History

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Guide To Art History

Famous ArtistsArt Styles and PeriodsArt MediumsAncient Art 

Pastel: The History and Development of a MediumBy ArtHistory.net

Unlike other artistic media, pastel offers the experience of painting with dry colors.Pastel is made from pure pigment in powdered form, which is bound together intosticks, similar to chalk. However, unlike colored chalks, pastel is composed of the samepigments found in oil paints. As pastel colors are applied dry, artists know immediatelywhat effect a color will have on a composition. With techniques, like blending andscruffing, artists control tones and shading. One disadvantage of pastel is that the image

is never secure, and the slightest touch can compromise the composition. Liquidfixatives, such as those used for charcoal, are apt to reduce the brilliance of the color.Therefore, the protection of glass and gentle handling are often the best means of preservation.

By the 15th century, pastel was used in studies for paintings or murals. Da Vinci isbelieved to have used it in his “The Last Supper” studies. Through the ages, many artistshave created in pastel. From the 17th century, as artists used it to further their owncrafts, their work contributed to the development of the medium. Venetian artist,Rosalba Carriera popularized pastel in the late-1600s. Her works possess a delicatefeeling and soft look, which results from her rubbing and blending techniques. In her1721 work, “Young Girl Holding a Crown of Laurel,” pastel produces a gently refinedimage with discreetly elegant effects.

A century later, Maurice Quentin de La Tour, strongly influenced by Carriera, took pastelin new directions with brilliant color, crisp detail and clarity never before seen in pastelworks. One of his celebrated portraits, “Henry Dawkins,” illustrates the artist’s agilehand in capturing the subject with remarkable clarity, such as the chromatic effects of the golden buttons and the soft sheen of the velvet coat. La Tour’s work provided pastelwith a new range and respect equal to that of oil painting.

Edgar Degas’s work with pastel also contributed greatly to the medium. Experimentingwith combinations of pastel and other media, such as gouache and watercolor, hecreated luminescent colors. Using a variety of surfaces, such as paper, canvas andcardboard, he created a range of effects. With a variety of tools and techniques, such aswet brushes and hatching, he manipulated pastel colors with expressive grace. His 1888,pastel-on-wood, “Race Horses” captures a moment frozen in time, with the racehorse’sraised leg, while still evoking the vibrancy of swaying grass with his hatching technique.Pastel is a delicate craft, and its colors are easily swept off the page. However, with the

7/21/2019 Pastel and Art History

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major developments made by the pastelists of the past, its significance is firmly affixedin history of art.

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