Pastel, composed of pure pigment combined with a binder, is a beautiful and versatile drawing medium. Typically made by mixing powdered pigment with gum arabic and forming the compound into sticks, pastel creates vibrant, saturated colors when applied to paper. The medium is by nature very fragile and as a result, the support, usually paper, must have a rough texture in order for the pastel to adhere. The powdery quality of pastel means it can be easily blended to create soft shading. Although they have existed since the Renaissance, pastels were not widely used until the seventeenth century, when artists like the French Robert Nateuil and the Italian Benedetto Luti and Rosalba Carriera created works of art solely using pastel. Pastel portraits had a surge in popularity in the eighteenth century, especially in Britain and France. In the nineteenth century, the Impressionists, especially Edgar Degas, frequently created pastel paintings.

Today, artists continue to admire the saturated hues and subtle gradations of color possible with pastel. The invention in the twentieth century of oil pastel, in which the pigment is mixed with oil and wax, presented a less friable but equally vibrant alternative to the traditional pastel. Artists who incorporate pastel into their practice include Leonard Koscianski, Chuck Close, Francesco Clemente, Robert Rauschenberg, Lisa Yuskavage, and Anish Kapoor.