Sennelier Pastels
The Sennelier legacy began in Paris when Impressionist artists were on the rise. In 1887, Gustave Sennelier opened the doors to the exquisite Maison Sennelier, which became a rendez-vous for artists including Picasso, Cézanne, Monet, and Gaugin. Gustave worked to create a vibrant range of 100 oil colors with the aesthetic guidance of his artist comerades.
As the Sennelier empire expanded to include watercolors, egg tempera, papers, pads, and albums, the line of art supplies became a favorite of the 20th century masters. Gustave eventually handed down the burgeoning business to his son Henri, who worked closely with Picasso to develop the Sennelier line of pastels. Pastels were an avant-garde medium since they were handheld sticks capable of expressive, loose techniques.
Not only is the Sennelier legacy steeped in art history and family-owned roots, Sennelier products are derived from true, artistic passion. Vibrant, precious colors such as cinnabar, malachite, cadmium red, and lapis lazuli have been added to the range of unique pigments. Today, Gustave's grandson Dominique runs the Maison Sennelier, which remains a true resource for artists across the world.
Sennelier Pastels carry a deep legacy of venerable art history, and a true devotion to artistic passion. Sennelier's art supplies are a true testament to the importance of color, vibrancy, and expressionism.
Today, Henri’s son Dominique is the third generation to direct the Maison Sennelier, and the legacy of tradition and innovation continues with the development of Tinfix Design silk dyes, a 104 color range which is the evolution of the original Tinfix line created in the 1950’s. Recently, a line of artist grade oil sticks made from the same ingredients as Sennelier oils was created for contemporary expressive techniques, allowing painters to apply the paints by hand. Like his grandfather Gustave, Dominique Sennelier holds store hours, and is available to help artists visiting the store with any questions on materials.
The essential factor in all this history is a passion for color, embodied in Sennelier’s choice of pigments used in its color ranges. Sennelier circles the globe to find classic pigments such as cobalt, cadmiums and Italian earths that possess qualities that are both beautiful and unique. Rare and precious pigments such as genuine cinnabar, lapis lazuli, gamboge, malachite, verdigris, and bismuth white are the jewels of the Sennelier collection, as well as exquisite natural colorants such as madder and indigo. Sennelier offers a veritable treasure chest of legendary painting mediums and resins such as Dutch Gloss, Turner Transparent and Satin Varnish Medium, as well as true European Venetian Turpentine and a special Maroger Medium formula. Extremely specialized materials such as authentic 19th century lead carbonate primer is also available. Sennelier can provide the artist with whatever materials he or she may need, no matter how esoteric or historic they may be.
Sennelier’s expertise in colors and art materials is surpassed only by their passion for them. Sennelier has been a resource for artists since the era of the Impressionists, and that tradition continues today for all customers of the Maison Sennelier.
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