18th century British and French Pastels

These luminous pastels belong to the Metropolitan Museum of Art,  New York who started to collect them only in the middle of the 20th century. 

They are not on display often because they are sensitive to light degradation but they were exhibited in the spring and summer of this year to cheer us.

 

 

DSC02867

DSC02868

DSC02872

Olivier Journu and detail, 1724-1764, pastel on blue-grey laid paper laid down on canvas.  Jean-Baptiste Perroneuau, 1715-1783, French.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

 

Gustavus Hamilton (1710-1746), Second Viscount Boyne in Masquerade Costume, 1730-31, pastel on paper laid down on canvas.  Image from the web of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

 

DSC02904

DSC02906DSC02907DSC02911

Mrs. William Man Godschall (1730-1795) and detail, pastel on paper laid down on canvas, 1791.  John Russell, 1745-1806, British.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

 

William Man Godschall, 1720-1802, pastel on paper laid down on canvas, 1791.  John Russell, 1745-1806, British.  Image from the web of the  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. 

The museum’s notes point out that the white on the sitter’s collar is wig powder dusting to denote the material comfort which the sitter could afford himself.

 

 

 

DSC02873DSC02875DSC02876DSC02880DSC02879DSC02877DSC02883DSC02881DSC02878DSC02882

Francois de Julienne (1722-1754) and his wife (1724-1795) and detail,  pastel, black chalk, watercolour on four joined sheets of handmade blue laid paper, mounted on canvas and adhered to a stretcher, 1743.  Charles Antoine Coypel, 1694-1752, French.  Metropolitan Museum, NY

 

 

DSC02858

DSC02856

Study of a Boy in a Blue Jacket and detail, pastel and chalk on blue laid paper, laid down on paste paper, 1717.   Benedetto Luti,  1666-1724, Italian.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

 

DSC02896DSC02897DSC02898

Madame Elisabeth de France (1764-1794) and detail, c. 1787; pastel on blue paper, seven sheets joined, laid down on canvas.  Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, 1749-1803, French.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

DSC02934

Detail of a pastel of Mrs. Robert Shurlock and her daughter Anne, 1801, pastel on paper laid down on canvas. John Russell, 1745-1806, British.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

 

 

The Two Sisters, 1770, pastel on paper laid down on canvas.  Jean Claude Richard,  Abbé de Saint-Non, 1727–1791. French. Image from the websit of the  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

This copies this magnificent little Fragonard which is in oil.

 

 

DSC02918

DSC02923DSC02921DSC02922

The Two Sisters and detail, oil on canvas, 1770.  Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1732-1806, French.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

 

 

And here is a Cy Twombly drawing.  

This was included in a review at MOMA in 2017 of the work of Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008, American) and some of his friends.  Of whom Cy Twombly, friend from their art college days, and sometime lover of Robert Rauschenberg, was one. 

Difficult for me to see anything in this but scribbling. 

It has no other meaning for me than that our (Western) symbolic systems have crashed into this unreadable scribble;  and the work, unlike the vast work left by Robert Rauschenberg, demonstrates no skill.

Cy Twombly situated his work firmly in the Western tradition and he does have many fans.

 

 

DSC00429

Untitled Drawing, 1954, gouache, wax crayon and coloured pencil on paper.  Cy Twombly, 1928-2011, American. 

4 thoughts on “18th century British and French Pastels”

  1. Thanks for again catching such riches on your camera. Love the tongue in cheek addition of contrasting Twombly.

    1. It is tongue in cheek but it does hide the anxiety connected to what seems to be the total crash of our (Western) symbolic systems. That is the meaning of Cy Twombly’s work to me…………

  3. J’ai l’idee que le pastel est la technique le plus difficile. The Metropolitan Museum dit qu’on ne peut pas melanger les couleurs. On ne peut que de les ajouter les une apres les autres pour arriver a un effet.

    J’aime les pastels tellement et je suis triste qu’il n’ y a pas beaucoup des artistes qui en utilisent maintenant!

Comments are closed.