Portrait of Louis of France 

Maurice Quentin de La Tour made this portrait of Louis of France using pastels, a medium that was perfect for capturing the soft, powdered aesthetic of the French court. Pastels are made from ground pigments, the same that go into oil paints, but mixed with just enough binder to hold them together. This gives them a uniquely matte, velvety texture. La Tour was a master of this medium, exploiting its potential for both delicacy and bravura. Note the way he builds up layers of color to create the effect of light on fabric and skin, and how he uses hatching strokes to define form. There’s something inherently tactile about pastel, inviting a haptic response. While oil paintings are often prized for their illusionism, pastels remind you of their own materiality. They bring a sense of immediacy, as if the artist has just laid down the pigment with their own hand. This directness, combined with the image's opulence, brings us closer to the world of Louis, and the labor behind it.