Pastel
A pastel is an art color in the form of a stick. It is made of pure powdered pigment and a 'binder' which holds it together. Pastels have been used by artists since the Renaissance.
The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all kinds of colored art. The effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.[1] Chalk may be added to the pastel to tone down the more vivd colors.[2]
An artwork made using pastels is called a pastel, pastel drawing or pastel painting. As an adjective the word 'pastel' means pale in color.
Pastel Media
Commercial pastels
Scenery painter in Schlosspark Charlottenburg, Berlin
A pastel frottage created by rubbing pastel on paper laid over stone
On the Cliff by Theodore Robinson, 1887. A warm beige paper is used as a colored ground to enhance the pink colors. The rough textured ground provided by the paper also enhances the impressionistic style of the pastel work.
Rosalba Carriera, Self-portrait holding a portrait of her sister, 1715, pastel on paper; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
Maurice Quentin de La Tour, a bravura pastel portrait of Louis XV, 1748
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. Self Portrait, 1771, pastel on paper, The Louvre
Édouard Manet, Madame Michel-Lévy, 1882, pastel on canvas, National Gallery of Art
_-_Edouard_Manet_(National_Gallery_of_Art,_Washington_D.C.).jpg)
References
- ↑ Mayer, Ralph. 1991. The Artist's Handbook of materials and techniques. Viking, 5th revised edition. ISBN 0-670-83701-6
- ↑ Wilson S. & Lack J. 2008. The Tate guide to modern art terms. London: Tate. ISBN 978-185437-750-0