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The category of "painter in pastels" was recognized by the Academy when Maurice Quentin de La Tour, after becoming an associate in 1737, was made a full member in 1746. The arrival in Paris of the Venetian propagandist for pastel, Rosalba Carriera, converted La Tour to the medium. The powdery, delicate effect of pastels enchanted aristocratic clients, yielding a fashionable art which repeated the same pose, same smile, same absence of background. From 1740 to 1760, La Tour produced portraits ranging from the royal family to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Madame de Pompadour.
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