PRODUCT DETAILS
Color, Texture, and Shape
Regarding color creation, the founder had unique insights. It is said that he believed, "Japanese people tend to be less aware of colors like blue and red, but they have a heightened sensitivity towards green and gray. The consciousness of the artist directly influences the consciousness of the manufacturer." Furthermore, unlike other manufacturers, Gondola Pastel produces only two types of achromatic colors: white and black, and consciously adds hues to the intermediate gray shades. This can be attributed to the influence of traditional Japanese culture, which appreciates subtle variations in gray.
Additionally, while traditional pastel manufacturing often involves creating base colors and then adjusting shades, Hazama didn't settle for simple gradients. Instead, he meticulously mixed different pigments for each color, reflecting his efforts to cater to the discerning color perception of the Japanese, who excel in discerning delicate colors. Samples and prototype papers remain, showcasing Hazama's experimentation while drawing inspiration from French pastels. Despite changing times, we continue the tradition of producing pastels with the same strength of color as envisioned by the founder.
Texture
Portraits drawn with pastels in the 18th century exhibited delicate coloration with barely any visible strokes. When employing a technique where pastel particles are carefully blended into the paper, pastels are required to be somewhat fragile yet soft.
On the other hand, pastels can also be used for line drawing. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) famously referred to himself as a "colorist who uses lines," and Chiyoji Yazaki (1872-1947) expressed his method as "drawing with color" rather than simply applying color. Some contemporary artists view pastel drawing as a shape of drawing with color.
Our pastels are suitable for "color sketching," allowing for both line drawing and coloring applications. They possess a quality that excels in preserving strokes while also providing flexibility for coloring, making them versatile tools for artists to express both shape and color simultaneously.
Shape
The typical length of regular pastels is around 7 to 8 centimeters, and they are usually wrapped in paper. This paper serves the purpose of displaying the manufacturer's name and color number, as well as preventing the fingers from getting dirty. However, Chiyoji Yazaki (1872-1947) believed that the paper wrapped around pastels was unnecessary. He often broke the paper to adjust the pastel to a suitable length and frequently used the sides of the pastel, and dirty fingers could easily be cleaned with a cloth without any issue.
Our pastels are not wrapped in paper and are about 2 centimeters in length. The shorter size allows for various strokes, and they maintain a consistent strength even without paper wrapping. They are also suitable for outdoor sketching as they are easy to carry. By reducing the size to one-third of the regular length, you can carry three times the number of colors with the same volume and weight. From the beginning, we have packaged them in paulownia boxes to make them lighter for transportation.
