Art Information

Pastel does not refer to pale colors, as the word is commonly used in cosmetic and fashion terminology. The name "pastel" comes from the French word "pastiche". Pure, powdered pigment is ground into a paste with a binder, and then rolled into sticks. A particle of pastel pigment seen under a microscope looks like a crystal with many facets; therefore, a pastel painting reflects light like a prism. The infinite variety of colors in the pastel palette ranges from soft and subtle to strong and brilliant. Pastel should not be confused with colored chalk, which is a limestone substance impregnated with dyes.

An artwork is created by striking the sticks of dry pigment across an abrasive ground, embedding the color in the "tooth" of the paper, sand board, canvas, etc. If the ground is completely covered with pastel, the work is considered a pastel painting. Leaving much of the ground exposed produces a pastel sketch. Pastel can be blended, or used with visible strokes. Techniques vary among artists.

Historically, pastel can be traced back to the 16th century. Thereafter, a galaxy of famous artists such as Delacroix, Millet, Manet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Vuillard, Bonnard, Whistler, William Merrit Chase, and Mary Cassatt used pastel for finished work, rather than for preliminary sketches. Edgar Dégas was the most prolific user of pastel as well as its champion. Today, pastel paintings enjoy the stature of oil and watercolor as a major fine art medium.

from: Pastel Society of America