Pastel and oil painting in comparison

There is truly something to discover here: a pastel painting and a copy in oil made 20 years later can be seen right next to each other. The National Gallery in London invites you to a rare opportunity to directly compare the two techniques. Both works are by Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789), a highly sought-after pastel painter of his time. For the first time in 250 years, the two paintings are reunited in Discover Liotard and the Lavergne Family Breakfast. They were last shown together in London in 1754 and have rarely been on public view even individually since then. Visitors will also have the opportunity to delve deeper into the materials and techniques of pastel and oil painting from November 16, 2023 to March 3, 2024.

Jean-Étienne Liotard was born in Geneva to French parents. He mainly produced portraits in pastel and miniature portraits. After several years of educational travel as a young man, he first settled in Constantinople, then lived in Vienna, Darmstadt, Paris and London before spending the last years of his life in Geneva from 1758. Liotard was known throughout Europe as a portraitist and was one of the most sought-after pastel painters of his time. His painting The Chocolate Girl (1743/45) was considered by contemporaries to be the most beautiful pastel ever painted.