Pastel is one of the most versatile mediums in art history, and for the first time, Color into Line brings together a powerful selection of pastel masterpieces spanning from Renaissance to contemporary art. Highlighting women artists who have historically used this medium, this book, and the exhibit it accompanies, showcases the pastel collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, drawing on works from the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, which have never before been studied or exhibited as a whole. From canonical works by artists ranging from Jean-Baptiste Peronneau, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, and Odilon Redon, to John Altoon and Wayne Thiebaud, the book highlights the medium's technical aspects, emphasizing the design process behind each work. It presents a new scholarly approach, reviewing the medium's history in context with issues of attribution and connoisseurship. The 90-some works include selected loans from local private holdings and public institutions, celebrating the richness of Bay Area and other California collections.

Introduction by: Furio Rinaldi