The Art of the Pastel

Coauthors Burns (Ontario-based independent researcher) and Saunier (formerly Musée d'Orsay, Paris) offer the first book to show the complete history of the pastel, from its beginnings as painting's handmaiden to its "golden age," a subsequent decline, and then a renaissance in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Colored chalks rose from a sketching tool to a portrait medium in the 16th century. By the mid-18th century, pastel portraits were all the rage in France. Following the French Revolution, the use of the medium lessened but in 1840 was once again in fashion with new interest emerging in the rococo period. The 19th-century impressionists took pastel to new heights with their application of color and design, while Odilon Redon and the symbolists pushed its limits. The authors emphasize women's role as pastelists, both as professional artists and accomplished amateurs. The large-format presentation contains 337 color illustrations, including details; a "technical appendix" describing pastel's materials and techniques, an extensive bibliography, and an index of artists mentioned in the text.