Pastel colors have long held a special place in art, offering artists a delicate and versatile palette to convey light, atmosphere, and emotion. The use of pastels as a medium dates back to the Renaissance, but it was during the 18th century that pastels became particularly popular, especially in portraiture. Artists like Rosalba Carriera and Jean-Baptiste Perronneau were pioneers of the pastel medium, using it to create luminous, lifelike depictions of their subjects.
Carriera, an Italian Rococo artist, is credited with elevating pastels to a highly respected art form in the 18th century. Her portraits are known for their soft, graceful depictions of aristocratic figures, often rendered in light pinks, blues, and creams. Her works, such as Portrait of a Young Girl Holding a Dove, demonstrate her ability to capture the delicate textures of skin and fabric, giving her subjects a luminous, almost ethereal quality.
Similarly, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, a French portraitist, used pastels to create deeply expressive and intimate portraits. His works, such as Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (1749), are characterized by soft transitions in color and light, allowing him to bring out the unique personalities and emotions of his subjects. Perronneau’s mastery of muted tones and soft contrasts made his pastel portraits particularly sensitive and lifelike.
Beyond portraiture, pastel colors have been used by artists throughout history to capture nature, light, and mood. Impressionists and Post-Impressionists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Vincent van Gogh used pastel tones to explore the fleeting beauty of nature and the subtleties of human experience.
Here are eight paintings that showcase the beauty of pastel colors in art:
1. Rosalba Carriera’s Portrait of a Young Girl Holding a Dove: Pastel Elegance
Rosalba Carriera’s Portrait of a Young Girl Holding a Dove is an exquisite example of her skill with pastels. The soft, muted tones of the young girl’s skin, the dove’s white feathers, and the light blue dress all blend seamlessly into the light, airy background. Carriera’s use of pastel colors gives the painting a dreamlike quality, emphasizing the innocence and purity of the subject.
Her delicate use of light pinks and blues, combined with the subtle texture of the pastel medium, creates a painting that feels intimate and tender. The soft transition between colors and the way light is captured on the girl’s face and the dove’s feathers exemplify Carriera’s mastery of pastels in portraiture.
2. Jean-Baptiste Perronneau’s Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville: Intimacy Through Pastels
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau’s Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (1749) is another iconic example of pastel portraiture. The painting features Madame de Sorquainville in a delicate blue gown, with soft light falling across her face and highlighting the texture of her skin and hair. Perronneau’s choice of pastel colors—subtle blues, soft creams, and warm pinks—creates a sense of intimacy and realism, bringing out the refined grace of his subject.
Perronneau’s handling of pastels allowed him to create depth and texture with gentle, blended strokes, enhancing the lifelike quality of the portrait. The pastel tones also lend a softness and warmth to the image, making it feel personal and emotionally engaging, as if the viewer is in the presence of the sitter.
3. Vincent van Gogh: Cypresses, Pastel Hues in Irises and The Pink Peach Tree
In contrast to the bold, expressive colors he is often known for, Vincent van Gogh’s Irises and The Pink Peach Treedemonstrate his mastery of pastel tones to evoke calm and serenity. Irises (1889) features pale blues, muted purples, and soft greens, creating a soothing, almost meditative atmosphere. The pastel colors in this painting contrast with the darker earth tones, highlighting the fragile beauty of the flowers.
Similarly, The Pink Peach Tree (1888) showcases van Gogh’s use of light pinks and soft blues to capture the delicate beauty of spring blossoms. These pastel colors evoke a sense of renewal and hope, offering a moment of peace in van Gogh’s often tumultuous artistic journey. Both of these works reveal how van Gogh used pastels to explore the softer, more reflective side of nature, creating spaces of calm and introspection.
Vincent van Gogh’s Cypresses: The Power of Pastels in Motion
While Vincent van Gogh is often associated with bold, vivid colors, his painting Cypresses (1889) demonstrates his ability to work with pastel tones to evoke both intensity and calm. In this painting, soft greens, pale blues, and delicate yellows swirl together in the sky, creating a sense of motion and turbulence. Van Gogh’s pastel-like use of color softens the scene, making the powerful movement of the cypresses appear less aggressive and more like a natural, flowing force.
The contrast between the towering, dark cypresses and the delicate sky creates a sense of balance, where nature’s quiet strength is enhanced by the soft pastel tones. Van Gogh’s mastery of these hues allows him to explore both the serenity and dynamic energy of the landscape. The painting captures a fleeting moment in nature, where pastel colors convey the calm before a storm, the stillness amidst constant motion.
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4. The Dreamy World of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies: A Pastel Symphony
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series is an exquisite exploration of pastel colors in nature. These paintings, with their soft pinks, light blues, and pale greens, capture the reflections of water and the delicate interplay of light on his garden pond at Giverny. Monet’s pastel palette evokes tranquility, inviting viewers into a dreamlike world where time seems to slow down, and the senses are lulled by the gentle movement of water and the floating flowers.
Monet masterfully uses these soft colors to express the fleeting beauty of nature, creating a peaceful, immersive experience. The pastel tones create a sense of depth and luminosity, as if the water itself is alive with the subtle shifts of light and color. Through the use of pastels, Monet captures the fleeting, ever-changing beauty of nature in a way that feels both timeless and ephemeral.
5. Pierre Bonnard’s The Terrace at Vernon: Pastel Hues in Modern Impressionism
Pierre Bonnard’s The Terrace at Vernon (1928) is a vibrant example of how pastel colors can be used to create depth and emotion within a modern Impressionist framework. The painting features light greens, pale yellows, and soft purples, creating a luminous and peaceful depiction of a sun-drenched terrace surrounded by lush vegetation.
Bonnard’s use of pastels imbues the painting with warmth, inviting the viewer into the soft light of a quiet afternoon. The pastel colors give the scene a sense of calm and contentment, suggesting a peaceful moment of solitude in nature. Bonnard’s attention to how light interacts with color heightens the sense of immersion, making the viewer feel as though they, too, are sitting on the terrace, bathed in the delicate light of late afternoon.
6. James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s Nocturne in Blue and Silver: A Study in Subtlety
James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s Nocturne in Blue and Silver (1871) is a masterful example of how pastel tones can evoke mood and atmosphere. The painting, dominated by soft shades of blue and grey, depicts a quiet, fog-covered night over the River Thames. The pale pastel colors create a sense of tranquility and mystery, as the muted tones blur the lines between sky, water, and land.
Whistler’s subtle use of pastels in this nocturne evokes a dreamlike, almost abstract atmosphere, emphasizing the mood over detail. The soft color transitions and delicate use of light and shadow make the painting feel as though it is suspended in time, capturing a moment of calm and stillness in the heart of the city.
7. David Hockney’s Pearblossom Highway: A Modern Use of Pastel Colors
David Hockney’s Pearblossom Highway (1986) stands out as a striking example of how pastel colors can be used in a contemporary context to reflect both the natural world and the artificial landscapes of modern life. Although Hockney is known for his vibrant palette, many of his works, including this photomontage, feature pastel hues that lend a softer, more atmospheric quality to the piece.
Pearblossom Highway is a large-scale photomontage, made up of over 700 individual photographs that capture a stretch of California’s iconic desert highway. The use of light pinks, pale blues, and soft greens creates a sense of expansiveness and light, while also giving the scene a dreamlike, nostalgic feel. The pastel colors soften the otherwise stark landscape, emphasizing the blending of natural and human-made elements. Hockney’s innovative approach to color and form in this piece exemplifies his ability to fuse traditional artistic techniques with modern, experimental methods.
8. Alex Israel’s Self-Portrait (Waves): Contemporary Pastels in Pop Art
Alex Israel, a Los Angeles-based artist known for his exploration of celebrity culture and the aesthetic of Southern California, uses pastel colors to create bold, graphic works that are distinctly modern. His Self-Portrait (Waves) (2018) features soft shades of pink, lavender, and light blue to depict stylized ocean waves, referencing both the physical and cultural landscape of LA.
The use of pastels in this piece creates a sense of calm and ease, evoking the laid-back, sun-soaked atmosphere of California’s beaches. At the same time, the flat, graphic style of the painting reflects Israel’s interest in the artifice of pop culture and the imagery of Hollywood. The pastel colors contribute to the dreamlike, almost surreal quality of the work, blending the natural world with the hyper-stylized visual language of contemporary media.
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Sources:
- Pastel Society. “History of Pastels.” Pastel Society, 2023.
- Connolly, Margaret. “The Evolution of Pastels in Art.” Art History Journal, 2019.
- Gombrich, E.H. The Story of Art, Phaidon Press, 1995.