Houses in Mangalia 

Francisc Sirato made this pastel drawing, Houses in Mangalia, using chalk pastels, composed of pure powdered pigment and a binder. Pastels produce a matte surface with a soft, velvety texture that reflects light in a particular way. The physical properties of the medium allow for quick application, but also demand careful layering to build up depth of color. Notice how Sirato has used horizontal strokes to suggest the sky, and shorter, more varied marks to describe the buildings and landscape. The pastel medium, although used for preparatory sketches by painters for centuries, gained prominence as a fine art medium in the eighteenth century. It perfectly captured the tastes of the well-to-do: pastels could produce flattering portraits, and their light tonality was well suited to the fashionable interiors of the time. Sirato engaged this history of creative practice, while also creating a vista of more ordinary buildings. Ultimately, understanding the materials and making process allows us to appreciate the artwork's subtleties and cultural significance, and challenges traditional distinctions between craft and fine art.