The Surprising Longevity of Pastels

It’s not widely known just how remarkably durable pastel paintings truly are. When properly cared for, these delicate-looking artworks can last hundreds of years without fading or discolouring – a testament to the medium’s inherent stability that often surprises collectors and art enthusiasts alike.

Understanding the Risks: Smudging vs Fading

Whilst pastels boast exceptional colour permanence, they do face one primary vulnerability: smudging. The powdery nature of pastels means they can be easily disturbed by touch or vibration. However, once a pastel painting is safely secured behind glass, this risk disappears entirely, allowing the artwork to maintain its pristine condition indefinitely.

The Artist’s Medium: Why Pastels Endure

As noted on the About Leon Fouché page, pastels possess unique properties that contribute to their longevity. Unlike oil or acrylic paints that can crack or yellow over time, pure pastel pigments remain stable, maintaining their original brilliance for centuries when properly preserved.

Essential Care Guidelines

Ideal Display Conditions

To ensure your pastel artwork remains in optimal condition, consider these essential factors:

• Lighting: Hang your pastel painting in a well-lit area, but avoid strong, direct sunlight.While this advice applies to most artistic mediums, it is especially important for pastel drawings to prevent condensation from forming inside the glass, as moisture can damage the artwork.
• Environment: Keep artworks away from moisture and dampness, which can damage both the paper support and the pastel medium itself.
• Dedicated Lighting: Consider fitting a dedicated picture light to illuminate your pastel painting. Since pastel is essentially a reflective powder, proper lighting will ensure the artwork displays its full range of colours and subtle tonal variations at their absolute best.

The Fixative Debate: Why We Say No

A common question amongst collectors is whether fixatives should be used to “seal” pastel paintings. Our position is clear: we don’t use any fixatives – not even those marketed as “archival” quality.

Here’s why:

• Fixatives can immediately dull the luminous quality that makes pastels so special.
• Over decades, even high-quality fixatives can yellow and discolour the artwork.
• The best protection is proper framing, not chemical intervention.

Our advice? Simply stay away from fixatives altogether.

Professional Shipping and Framing

When it comes to transporting pastel artworks, we take no chances:

• All artworks are boxed with exceptional care and security.
• Paintings are shipped already framed with plexiglass (rather than traditional glass) to eliminate any risk of breakage during transit.
• Every piece is fully insured whilst in transit, providing complete peace of mind.

Pastel paintings, when properly cared for, offer collectors the best of both worlds: the soft, luminous beauty unique to the medium, combined with remarkable longevity that rivals any other artistic technique. By following these straightforward care guidelines – proper framing, thoughtful placement, and avoiding fixatives – your pastel artwork will continue to captivate viewers for generations to come.

Remember: pastels have adorned museum walls for centuries, their colours as fresh as the day they were created. With proper care, your pastel painting will do the same.