The eyes have it 1914

Rolf Armstrong created this pastel drawing of a woman, around 1914. Pastel is essentially pure pigment, ground into a dry medium and formed into sticks. Look closely, and you can see the marks made by the artist's hand, the delicate strokes and soft edges. The powdery pigment gives the image a velvety texture, enhancing the woman's glamorous aura. There is the sense that her image is somehow both solid and ethereal at once. The medium of pastel was particularly well-suited to the era of mass reproduction, where images were easily and cheaply printed. The rise of celebrity culture and consumerism are interwoven here: the artwork blurs boundaries between portraiture and commercial art, hinting at the social context of leisure and entertainment. When we consider materials, making, and social context together, we see that this artwork offers far more than just a pretty face.