Untitled 

Paul Ranson created this untitled pastel drawing on paper. Pastels are interesting. The medium sits between drawing and painting, made of pure pigment ground into a chalk-like stick. The texture of the pastel itself, soft and yielding, influenced Ranson’s approach to the image. Look at the delicate, velvety surface. He uses the pastel dry to create a hazy effect, blurring the edges of the figures and the surrounding landscape. Ranson was associated with Les Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist artists interested in Symbolism and spiritualism. They were known for their interest in decorative arts and design. The use of pastel lends the image a dreamlike quality. It also democratizes the artistic process. Pastels were relatively inexpensive and easy to use. This meant that artists could create images quickly and experiment with color and composition without the fuss of oil painting. By embracing the medium, Ranson blurred the boundaries between fine art and more accessible forms of visual expression.