Male portrait 1807

Andreas Joseph Chandelle made this 'Male Portrait' with pastel on paper. Here, the artist is working with readily available materials of the time, and the material is a dry pigment held together with a binder to form a crayon. The beauty of pastel lies in the way it captures the soft light and delicate textures of skin and fabric. Notice how the pastel has been applied in layers to create subtle tonal variations, particularly on the face, rendering a convincing likeness. The process of creating a pastel portrait is labor-intensive, demanding the skill and patience to build up layers of pigment. Chandelle’s expertise lies in the ability to blend and manipulate the pastel to create a lifelike image. The importance of this artwork isn't just in its realistic depiction, but in the labor and skill that went into creating it.