Post 12: Impressionism and the Revival of Pastels Part II

Lack of finish or modern art ?

"What do you do with the rules? Nothing worthwhile. What is needed are new, personal sensations, where to learn this? There are obviously some simple concepts that are easily accessible to everyone. They were known in the last century and applied...with a nice artistic feeling because in those days life was easy." 

Berth Morisot in 1891, on XVIII century art and pastels 

Young Girl Playing Ball; Portrait of a Red-Haired Woman, 1886
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)
58 x 41 cm, pastel on paper
Morisot pastel Musée Marmottan

The question discussed increasingly in the XIX century was: when is an artwork finished? The French Academy set up rules, critics made sure rules were applied, and the French government bought art accordingly. They all required the canvas to be fully primed and covered, the brush moves to be invisible, and the subject matter to be dignified. But, louder and louder, artists started challenging those restrictive rules, fighting for more freedom and power, stating - their art is finished when they say it is. 

I am skipping here the standard art history narrative of pastels in France in the XIX century, which consists of Salon's sweethearts - Emile Levy, Jacques-Emile Blanche, and Loise Breslou and important symbolists like Levy-Dhurmer, Odilon Redon, and Jozsef Rippl-Ronai. 

But we need to stop at Eugène Delacroix, who used pastels extensively (60 of them presented in the book Delacroix Pastels by Lee Johnson). He was called "the last Romantic," "the last Old Master," and I am adding here - the last great painter who wouldn't exhibit his pastel drawings and paintings. 

Sunset, 1850
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)
20.4 x 25.9 cm, pastel on blue laid paper
Delacroix pastel Met Museum

Many pastel artworks were attributed after their author's passing, but some never. Painters (like Delacroix in the example above) did not want to sign pastels used as preparatory sketches for oil paintings. But Impressionists, being revolutionary as they were, (and by the way, all of them were against the Empire and fervent Republicans) proudly signed their work the moment they felt their intention was achieved (as Morisot did in the first example).

Some critics were laughing at their nonprimed canvases seen through the paint, sketchy forms, and visible handwork. But, these young rebels didn't give up, had the last laugh, and freed artists since then from the punishing power of criticism. Speaking of critics, I am always reminded of the scene between actor/director and theatre critic in the film Birdman. With this scene alone, director Inarritu pays homage to the artists' passion versus the critics' profession, enjoy:  'Birdman' Extended Scene with Michael Keaton (2'39" video)

Woman Combing her Hair, 1880-90
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
61.3 x 46 cm, pastel on paper
Degas pastel the Met

The King of Pastels in the XIX century is for sure Edgar Degas. At a younger age, his idols were Ingres and Delacroix. He started by using pastels traditionally but later mixed them with water, oil paint, and aquarelle paints. Brave and innovative, he stressed different types of paper and cardboard glued on wood or canvas and used their textures for the effect that he was aiming for.  

After Bath, the Naked Woman Wiping her Neck, 1898
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
62.2 x 65 cm, pastel on paper glued to cardboard
Degas pastel Orsay Museum

He worked with pastel sticks, his fingers and sometimes rubbed multiple layers of color with closed fists to achieve shiny and smooth surfaces. The vibrancy of his work often comes through the juxtaposition of the orange and green tones (both used in depicting the hair and skin of his models). Although his use of colors is frequently expressionistic he preferred to be called a Realist rather than Impressionist.  We can still enjoy his strong palette as he was the first to use a fixing medium over his pastels to protect them and make them durable. 

Ballet, 1876/77
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
58.4 x 42 cm, pastel on monotype
Degas pastel Ballet Orsay

Under the broad umbrella of Impressionism, Degas' favorite theme was - exploring movement under artificial light in interiors. His compositions and angles are the most radical among the Impressionists, as it was easy for him to modify them quickly with pastels. His subjects (most famously ballet dancers and women doing their toilettes) were portrayed in their intimate, relaxed moments when seemingly no one was watching.  

Two Dancers Resting, 1898
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
92 x 103 cm, pastel
Degas Two Dancers Orsay Museum

Two Dancers Resting is the last work Degas did on a flat surface. His sight weakened and from then on, he focused on sculpting, which he had done only occasionally earlier. More than 70 ballet dancers' wax figurines were found in the atelier after his passing. They were recast in bronze and we can see them today in many museums: Little Dancer Age Fourteen (1'video)

Connection to modern and contemporary art: 

A hundred years later, Paula Rego (1935-2022), the most accomplished pastel artist of the XX and the beginning of the XI century, says: "With pastel, you don't have the brush between you and the surface, your hand is making the picture. It's almost like being a sculptor..."

I've loved her work since visiting Casa das Historias Paula Rego Museum in Cascais, Portugal in January 2024. Remarkably brave, she takes on the obscure side of women's reality. To me, she sees women as creatures sometimes caught and sometimes free but never to be underestimated.  

Here is an example from her famous series - Dog Women. I find these pastel paintings of hers to correspond magically to Degas' pastels of bathers. A shocking look back at the male gaze. In this video, she explains why she used pastels for them: Paula Rego on using pastels for Dog Women (3' video)

Dog Woman, 1994
Paula Rego (1935-2022)
120 x 160 cm, pastel on canvas
Paula Rego pastel Victoria Miro Gallery London

At the moment, there is an exhibition in Brussels Drafts - Museums of Fine Arts Belgium dealing with questions about when the sketch becomes a finished piece of art, showing examples from the 16th to 20th century.

Sources:

Louise Catherine Breslau — Wikipédia
Pastel paintings of Eugène Delacroix – The Eclectic Light Company
Delacroix pastel - "A Garden Path at Augerville" - How to Pastel
The Aesthetic of the Sketch in Nineteenth-Century France | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Mère et enfant sur fond vert - Mary Cassatt | Musée d'Orsay

Degas The Pastel Artist | Musée d'Orsay

prog salle_ManetDegas_ANG.pdf

The Surprising History of Pastels - Streamline Publishing

Pastel | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Around the exhibition Pastels paintings from Millet to Redon | Musée d'Orsay

Exhibition Manet / Degas | Musée d'Orsay

Paula Rego's pastel world | Art UK