The Pastellists was an organization of artists that formed in New York at the end of 1910 for the purpose of exhibiting artwork produced in the medium of pastel. The group helped organize four exhibitions in New York between 1910 and 1914 before disbanding in 1915. Some Pastellist members are credited with the initial idea for the exhibition that later became the 1913

Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of ...

, the first major exhibition of European modernism in America.

History

Many artists worked in pastel but few organizations were promoting or including pastel works in their annual exhibitions. The exhibit at the Rand School, organized by

Leon Dabo Leon Dabo (July 9, 1864 – November 7, 1960) was an American tonalist landscape artist best known for his paintings of New York, particularly the Hudson Valley. His paintings were known for their feeling of spaciousness, with large areas of the ...

in 1909 and the Exhibition of Independent Artists, organized by

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

, in 1910, had fostered a desire among artists to present more personal work and exhibit irrespective of the expectations of conservative organizations like the

National Academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with State (polity), state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but ...

. That year, Dabo became leader of The Pastellists. A diary kept by the secretary/treasurer of the Pastellists, artist Elmer Livingston MacRae, records the activities of the young group during their first two exhibitions. The president was Leon Dabo and the Board of Control included

Jerome Myers Jerome Myers (March 20, 1867 – June 19, 1940) was an American artist and writer associated with the Ashcan School, particularly known for his sympathetic depictions of the urban landscape and its people. He was one of the main organizers of the ...

Everett Shinn Everett Shinn (November 6, 1876 – May 1, 1953) was an American painter and member of the urban realist Ashcan School. Shinn started as a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia, demonstrating a rare facility for depicting animated movement, a ...

, and

Juliet Thompson Juliet Thompson (1873–1956) was an American painter, and disciple of Baháʼí Faith leader ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book ''The Diary of Juliet Thompson'' though she also painted a life-sized portrait of ʻAbdu'l-Ba ...

. Mr. Dabo engaged his lawyer and artist friend Henry Wellington Wack to draw up the papers for incorporation, which were agreed upon at a members meeting on February 15, 1911. There are no known records by MacRae or other artists of the member meetings or the later exhibitions. The first two exhibitions, were held at the Folsom Galleries and according to the MacRae diaries, met with good reviews and high attendance. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said the second show "surpasses in interest its predecessor, which certainly was sufficiently charming.""Art at Home and Abroad", ''

'', Magazine Section Part Five, Page SM15, December 17, 1911. Available online at
The New York Times
'. A "striking and important" work was ''L'enfant a l'orange'' by

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...

; ''Big Wave Design'' by

Arthur Bowen Davies Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde United States, American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928. Biography Davies was born in Utica, New York, the son of ...

had "vigor and free handling, with the addition of a feeling for great rhythms". National-arts-club

The daily newspapers chronicled the activities of the Pastellists and we do know that the third exhibition was held at Powell Art Gallery and artists like

Arthur B. Davies Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928. Biography Davies was born in Utica, New York, the son of David and Phoeb ...

Walt Kuhn Walter Francis Kuhn (October 27, 1877 – July 13, 1949) was an American painter and an organizer of the famous Armory Show of 1913, which was America's first large-scale introduction to European Modernism. Biography Kuhn was born in New York ...

, and Edward Adam Kramer had become regular exhibitors. Guests like

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Geo ...

showing some large figure works and Max Weber with "his cube forms, his weird women, his astonishing color schemes", caused such a stir that one critic wrote that the show was “the best exhibition yet held by the progressive and gifted artists constituting this group.” The fourth exhibition, held at the National Arts Club, was a sister exhibit to a Contemporary Art Exhibition held in the main galleries at the same time. By 1915 the

American Art Annual The ''American Art Directory'' is a yearly publication covering art museums, arts centers, and art educational institutions as well as news, obituaries, book and magazine publications, etc. related to the artistic community in the United States ...

listed the Pastellists as "Inactive." It is notable that several of the members of the Pastellists were the same activist artists that exhibited in the initial, non- juried MacDowell Club shows, again organized by Robert Henri. Many of these more radical artists came together to create the ''Association of American Painters and Sculptors'', the group that mounted the infamous

Armory Show of 1913 The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of t ...

. An account states that one evening after a successful day at the second Pastellist exhibition, a few of the artists began to discuss forming a larger organization of artists, that would include not only easel painter but sculptors as well. The new organization was to exist for the express purpose of mounting large scale exhibitions, using the same progressive ideas of the Pastellists and the MacDowell exhibits, creating shows that would rival the more conservative juried exhibitions of the

. Like the American Painters and Sculptors, the Pastellists may not have been in existence very long but the impact they had on the American art scene, reached far into the future.

Pastel

Pastel is an

art medium Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...

and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low

saturation Saturation, saturated, unsaturation or unsaturated may refer to: Chemistry * Saturation, a property of organic compounds referring to carbon-carbon bonds **Saturated and unsaturated compounds ** Degree of unsaturation **Saturated fat or fatty aci ...

. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Viking Adult; 5th revised and updated edition, 1991.

Artists

Some of the artists involved with The Pastellists. File:Robert Henri.jpg,

: his Exhibition of Independent Artists was a stimulus File:Leon Dabo.jpg,

, leader of The Pastellists File:Jerome Myers 3038098686.jpg,

, on the Board of Control File:Shinn self portrait 1901.jpg,

, on the Board of Control File:Arthur B. Davies.jpg,

, an exhibitor File:Walt Kuhn 2.jpg,

, a regular exhibitor File:Gutzon Borglum 1919.jpg,

, a guest exhibitor File:Max Weber (artist).jpg, Max Weber, a guest exhibitor File:Juliet Thomspon painting Grace Coolidge taken February 8, 1927.jpg,

, On the 1910 Board of Control

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastellists Cultural history of New York City American artist groups and collectives Artist cooperatives in the United States Arts organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1910 Arts organizations disestablished in the 20th century Organizations disestablished in 1915 1910 establishments in New York City 1915 disestablishments in New York (state)