Modern pastels are a derivative of the twentieth century art movement that birthed oil pastels. Characterized by simple, gentle colors that go with almost any design genre. This style was pioneered in the twentieth century, but really the history of
modern pastel paintings extends well beyond the twentieth century.
Encaustics, or the 2,000 year old paintings, are the very first oil pastels that we can see. These were used by early humans to document battles, feeding grounds, or cultural norms. However,
modern pastel paintings didn’t pick up until 1925 when Sakura Cray Pas created the non-toxic crayon and pastel. This was a novel invention that forever changed the face of pastels forever. Ever since then, the colors of pastels has changed widely to include more earthy tones that tend to be more neutral.
One famous artwork is known at Water Lily Pond which was created using 12 neopastels. Being one of the more notable modern pastel paintings Water Lily Pond is off the market. However, there are multiple modern pastel paintings that are reasonably priced and that evoke a similar reaction.
Typically, modern pastel paintings are gentle to the eye and evoke a calming sensation. They are meant to be soothing to the viewer. Additionally, modern pastel paintings are to bring on closer to the artist through the use of color and style. Each stroke is a message that communicates who the artist is, and what they want the viewer to feel and experience through their artwork.