Christiane Kritzer

The interdisciplinary PhD project "Pastel and Color in Classical Modernism" is dedicated to the art-historical, art-technological, and conservational exploration of the material pastel in connection with the art and cultural history of color in Classical Modernism.

The project is divided into three thematic areas that influence and, in part, determine each other.

One goal is to work out the relevance of the pastel for classical modernism. The research hypothesis is that the pastel technique met the artists' desire for greater color combined with an interest in color theories. Likewise, this painting technique was suitable for the increasingly spontaneous design processes.

Another aim is the investigation of the material and advertising history of the pastel medium in Germany between 1900 and 1940. During this time, the producers of art materials, such as Müller & Hennig, Schmincke, Pelikan and Talens, responded to the increasing demand by establishing new product ranges of pastel colors for artists. The research is based on written sources and historical pastel boxes.

Last but not least, the focus lies on conservational aspects of pastel paintings of the early 20th century. In pastels from this period many color changes are observed today, which can be attributed to the lack of light fastness of the colors. The systematic study of the pastel crayon's materiality will make it possible to fundamentally reassess the conditions of storing and presenting pastels.

The interdisciplinary research project on pastel painting in the early 20th century will be continued at the the "Institut für Technologie der Malerei" at the ABK Stuttgart, headed by Christoph Krekel