Den fransk-amerikanska surrealisten Henri GOETZ kontaktade 1949 den berömda konstnärsmaterial-tillverkaren Henri Sennelier med en önskan om att skapa en ny typ av vaxkrita för sin vän Pablo PICASSO. Picasso, som ofta handlade i Senneliers butik i Paris tvärs över gatan från Louvren, letade efter ett medium som kunde användas fritt på olika ytor utan att blekna eller krackelera.
Deras samarbete gav resultat och den nya kritan, Sennelier Oil Pastel, skapades. Kritan tillverkades i en palett med klassiska nyanser som senare utökades med metallic och skimrande kulörer.
Beyond these classic hues a selection of unique shades is available, and in particular a gradation of greys, required for a balanced palette. This evolution is the fruit of a long-standing collaboration with European and North American painters, who have worked with our company in developing an exceptional palette of shades.
The Sennelier oil pastel is a product that makes use of the components used in all Sennelier colours: top quality pigme nts, an extremely pure synthetic binding medium and mineral wax. The pigments are ground with an inert, non-siccative binding medium that does not oxidise and that has no effect upon either film stability or surface. This base is then mixed with wax (neutral pH). The balance of this mix provides Sennelier oil pastels with a unique unctuousness and a creamy texture that allows for a great deal of freedom in pictorial expression.
The Sennelier oil pastels possess an extraordinarily high pigment content, thus providing them with a high colouring and covering potential, excellent brightness and a high degree of light stability (with the exception of metallic and fluorescent shades).
The remarkable properties of these components, along with their precise dosage, provide Sennelier oil pastels with unique properties, making the brand a world-recognised reference.
