SKU:ROCHE72PORT
A gorgeous selection of Henri Roche pastels by portrait artist Rubén Belloso Adorna. Ruben is an artist from Seville, Spain. His larger than life, hyper realistic pastel portraits are quickly gaining him world wide recognition. This set comes is a beautiful, handmade wood box.
Roche pastels
where first produced in 18th Century France, in a workshop that was
then known as La Maison du Pastel. During the 19th century, this
workshop dealt with all types of artists materials, including pastels.
Around the year 1865, Henri Roche, a chemical engineer, chemist,
biologist, and artist, started to produce his own pastels. A student of
Pasteur, who also worked with Pastels, Roche was in regular contact with
artists such as Degas, Cheret, and Whistler. These artists all
submitted their desires for pastels- they should have a wide range of
colors, varied, harmonious, luminous, and with an adherence to the
support such that no fixative is needed. In 1878, Henri Roche bought and
headed La Maison du Pastel. He decided to abandon selling other artists
materials, so that he could dedicate himself entirely to pastel. In
1912, Dr. Henri Roche, Roches son, started to divide his time between
his medical practice and his fathers work and research. He moved the
workshop to where it still stands today: 20, rue Rambuteau. Dr. Roche
nearly lost the shop completely during World War I, and the workshop was
looted and occupied by the Germans during WWII. Dr. Roche managed to
keep in contact with his artists during the war, and started pastel
production again in 1946, with the help of his wife and three daughters.
La Maison du Pastel was taken over by Mrs. Roche after Dr. Roche died
in 1948. In 1972, the three daughters took over the business, led by the
eldest daughter. When she died in 1999, at the age of 85, the remaining
two daughters decided to transfer their skills to their great cousin
Isabelle Roche, a young engineer. Fascinated by the history of La Maison
du Pastel, Isabelle has since dedicated all of her energy to the
conservation of this wonderful national and family heritage.