My Baby (Cosy) 1888

William Merritt Chase made “My Baby (Cosy)” using pastel, a medium of pure pigment, ground and formed into sticks. Chase's choice of pastel lends this portrait a soft, ethereal quality. Unlike oil paint, which can be blended laboriously, pastel demands a quicker, more immediate approach. Each stroke is direct, leaving a trace of the artist's hand. Look at the way Chase has built up layers of color to create the child's face, the red and black to model the jacket, and the loose mark-making that evokes a sense of coziness. Pastel's portability also allowed artists to work en plein air, directly from life. This directness connects "My Baby (Cosy)" to the wider social changes that happened with industrial manufacturing in the 19th century, influencing the development of art materials and practices, encouraging artists to create works outside the studio, capturing everyday life. Here, the very qualities of the pastel—its softness, its immediacy—contribute to the intimacy of the work, and the charm. It’s a great reminder that understanding art requires an appreciation of making and materials, not just social content.