Masters of Pastel Painting

The term pastel comes from the Italian pasta for dough, which is then used to form the crayons. From the late Middle Ages onwards, painters used pastel crayons for their work. The initially not very noble sounding working material was ideal for sketches and studies. At first, the crayons were only available in the colors black, white and red. It was not until the early modern period that other colored pastel crayons were developed and artists recognized their potential. The luminosity of the velvety matte surfaces gives portraits in particular a unique appearance that cannot be achieved in oil. The Getty Center in Los Angeles brings this special medium into focus with Pastel Portraits: Drawn from Life? which rapidly lost its importance in the 19th century in the wake of new art movements such as Impressionism. The exhibition runs from March 14 through September 17.

The show features famous experts in their field, including Venetian Rosalba Carriera (1675 - 1757) and Frenchman Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704 - 1788). The two rococo painters are considered important representatives of pastel painting, who portrayed numerous personalities of their time.