Description
A soft, blendable, pigmented drawing stick. Pastel chalks or crayons were first documented by Da Vinci in 1495 with a reference to their use by Jean Perreal in France (Shelley 1999). They became very popular for portraiture in the mid-18th century and were revived in the late 19th century. Pastel crayons are made with a finely ground pigments mixed with a small amount of a water-based binder, such as gum tragacanth or, from the mid-20th century, methyl cellulose. Many pastels contain pure pigments producing intense, deep colors; lighter colors are diluted with an inert filler (chalk, gypsum, talc, kaolin, etc.). Pastels produce a powdery, easily smudged drawing. To minimize smudging, some pastels are 'fixed' or secured with an aerosol-sprayed, thin layer of varnish called a fixative. Fixatives, however, tend change the optical appearance of the pastels.
See also oil pastel.
Synonyms and Related Terms
pastels (pl.); pastel (Esp., Fr., Port.); colored chalk; French chalk; pastel crayon
Other Properties
Binder is water soluble.
Hazards and Safety
Some organic colorants used from the 19th c. on may not be lightfast.
Additional Information
° M.Shelley, "Pastel" in Media and Techniques of Works of Art on Paper, New York University Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York, 1999.
° G.Monnier, "Pastel", The Dictionary of Art, Grove's Dictionaries Inc., New York, 1996.
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Last updated on: 8/7/2009 4:54:47 PM
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