Friday, June 4, 2021

Firmin Baes

Firmin Baes, Sunlit village at Faux-les-Tombes, pastel on paper; 44.5 x 60 cm

Firmin Baes (1874-1943) was a Belgian painter who specialized in pastels.

Firmin Baes, De schoonmaakster, 1910

He developed "a pastel technique on canvas which contributed in large part to his fame. The new techniques allowed the application of a powder, with the tip of the thumb or the little finger, to creates a discreet or vigorous aspect to the tone as well as a velvety delicacy to his compositions."

Firmin Baes, Sheaves of Corn

Book: Exposition Firmin Baes, Galeries de l'Art Belge 1900 [Leather Bound]
Wikipedia on Firmin Baes

4 comments:

Peace said...

Can you elaborate on what that technique was? Thank you.

Amanda said...

Thanks for posting this James. I have a particular interest in pastels and it can be difficult to dig up masters of the medium beyond the really wel-known ones.

SummaSummanum said...

@Peace I have read the french article from the encyclopedia wich is the source for that particular quote. And the wording is different, he starts with thumb and fingers, and then applies his secret technique.

If I would have to guess, probably some kind of direct transfer method, putting some pastel marks on a waste piece of paper, and then applying it by applying pressure from the other side with a pointed instrument (pencil).

SummaSummanum said...

@Peace Also, cutting a paper mask for preserving contours comes to mind. Draw a figure or some detail on the paper and cut it out. Or one could use impromptu curved mask and use it as a spray painter would.