Description

PASTELS “à L’ECU” & it’s application.

It took over three years, at the turn of the 20th Century, to formulate the Sennelier range of Extra Soft Pastels “à l’écu” and thus to create one of the largest chromatic range of pastels. Throughout the century, this range of tones has evolved, but the heart of its making remains unchanged. A Sennelier extra soft pastel is composed of high quality pure pigment grounded with a natural transparent binder. The high quality composition of “à l’écu” pastels is the result of a perfect balance between binder and pigment. For gradient shades, increasing amounts of mineral fillers are added, ultimately tending towards white. The exceptional brightness is the result of the pigment and of the natural mineral load discovered by Sennelier in 1905 and that have been used ever since. The manufacturing process of the Sennelier cylindrical pastel does not compress the paste and the pastel dries naturally in open air. The life span of a piece of work is guaranteed by the quality of the pastel, but also by the quality of the surface. If a lot of overlapping is performed, it is preferable to fix between layers. Avoid, however, fixing the final layer too heavily, as the original vibration of tones will be lost.

In 1887, Gustave Sennelier, a devoted chemist, established himself as a purveyor of fine artists’ paints. Having thoroughly researched the history and usage of pigments, he developed a distinctive process for manufacturing oil colours, formulating precise methods for mixing tones and for controlling their opacity and transparency. His work was so meticulous and his eye for colour so accurate that artists soon began to regard the Sennelier palette as the ultimate standard of quality. Since then, Sennelier artists’ quality oil paints can be admired in the world’s greatest museums, and the Sennelier name has become a legend. Not only is it renowned for sustaining the traditions of the Old Masters, but it is admired worldwide for combining those traditions with the innovations of modern chemistry. Sennelier has become the “reference” brand that it is today for artists because it has always been able to combine the traditions of the Old Masters with the innovations provided by modern chemistry.