MEDIUMS OF THE VISUAL ARTS

Medium refers to materials which are used by an artist; the means by which he
communicates his ideas.

A. Painting
Painting is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments.
Different mediums used:

1. Oil
Used since 15th century. Pigments can come from many sources: minerals, vegetable matter, coal tars
and other chemical combinations. These are ground by hand or machine then mixed with oil.

Characteristics Disadvantages Paintings

1. provide a medium that gives
richness in the opacity of light
and depth of shadow
2. Two methods of painting in
oil: direct and indirect method
3. The pigment may be applied
in a thick and heavy opaque
manner or in washes of almost
watercolor transparency
4. used on canvas, wood, paper
and metal.
1. Oil paint dries slowly and has a
tendency to rise to the surface
and form a film over the picture
making it appear dull.
2. It also has tendency to
become yellow and crack so that
preservation usually becomes
problem
1. Maria Makiling (1980) by
Carlos Francisco
2.Sari-Sari (1979) by Norma
Belleza
3. Red Talisman (1975)by Jose
Joya
4. Parisian Life (1892) by Juan
Luna

2. Tempera
Used by Egyptian, Medieval and Renaissance painters . Mixture of ground pigments and an albuminous
or colloidal vehicle either egg, gum or glue

Characteristics Disadvantages Paintings

1. special characteristics- being 1. When tempera is varnished, 1. Resurrection with Two Angels
an emulsion ( An emulsion is a many problems may arise. The (1460-1616) by Bernardino
watery, milk-like mixture of oily airy quality of the color may be Fungai
and watery consistency) lost. Some colors may appear
2. Dries readily with the glaring and others may stand out
evaporation of water in a very unpleasant way.
3. Usually done on a wooden
panel that has been smooth with
a coating of plaster.
4.It is hard to obtain rich deep
tones and shadows.
5. This medium needs careful
and details.
6. Its advantage is its great
luminosity of tone. The colors
are clear and beautiful.
7. Use of tempera falls into three
principal dimensions:
a.unvarnished or gouache-like
tempera
b. garnished tempera
c. tempera as an under painting
for oil
8. Unvarnished tempera is the
simplest to use.
9. Since tempera is essentially a
watercolor, it must remain so if
its qualities have to be
preserved.

3. Watercolor
The pigments are mixed with water and applied to fine, white paper. The colors are applied in very thin
layers

Characteristics Disadvantages Paintings

1. Paper is the most commonly 1. Not easy to make; require high A process familiar to every
used ground. Other materials degree of technical dexterity. school child
like parchment, ivory, silk and
cambric are also used as ground.
The ground must be very clean
and white and at the same time
unchangeable.
2. Opaque watercolor is called “
gouache”. It is made by grinding
opaque colors with water and
mixing the product with a
preparation of gum by adding
Chinese white to transparent
water colors. It differs from the
brilliant quality of transluscent
watercolor painting whose major
effects are caused by the white
paper.
4. Pastel
The more recent medium. The pigment is bound so as to form a crayon which is applied directly to the
surface, usually a paper.

Characteristics Disadvantages Paintings

1. Pastel color possesses only
surfaces of light, gives no glazed
effect and closely resembles dry
pigment.
2. As support for pastel painting
1. It is not a very popular
medium because no one has yet
discovered the way to preserve
its original freshness.
The chalk tends to rub off and
paper, pasteboard or canvas is the picture loses some of its
used. brilliance.
2. technique: the painter is free
to handle the material to suit
himself
3. a very flexible medium
4. Varied effects may be
produced in pastel painting

5. Fresco
Flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries when Masaccio, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Tintoretto and
others covered the wall of Italian churches with their masterpieces. The colors are mixed with water and
applied to fresh plaster which absorbs the color.

Characteristics Disadvantages Paintings

1. The most popular type of 1. Almost impossible to move a 1. paintings on the Sistine Chapel
painting. fresco. in Rome by Michaelangelo.
2. Since the pigment has been 2. The painting is subject to the
incorporated with the plaster, it disasters that may happen to the
lasts until the wall is destroyed. wall of which it has become a
3. The process begins with part.
preliminary sketches, later
enlarged to full size cartoons
which are transferred to rough
plaster.
4. The coloring must be ready as
soon as the plaster is put on the
wall. It is prepared by mixing a
pigment with water and lime.
When this is applied to the wet
plaster, the lime binds the
pigment to the plaster and
makes the painting a part of the
wall.
5. Since fresco must be done
quickly, it is a very exacting
medium. There is no changing
once the design is begun. Only
earth pigments are used because
of the chemical action of the
plaster on the paint. These
colors have uniformity of tone
and no glaring contrasts.

6. Acrylic
The newest medium and one that is used widely by painters today. Synthetic paints using acrylic
emulsion as binder. They combine the transparency and quick- drying qualities of watercolor and are
flexible as oil.

Characteristics Paintings
1. Completely insoluble when dry and can be used 1. Anting-Anting (1975) by Rodolfo Paras- Perez
almost on any surface. 2. Blue Odyssey (1973) by Jose Joya
2. Do not tend to crack, and turn yellow with age.

B. Sculpture
In choosing a subject for sculpture, the most important thing to consider is material.
Two (2) major sculpture processes: subtractive and additive. Sculpture in general may be
divided into two (2) types: relief and free-standing.

1. Stone and Bronze

Stone Bronze Disadvantages Famous Sculptures
1. durable, resistant to 1. most commonly used 1. Stone is heavy and 1. Stela of Akhenaten
elements, fire and other of all metals. breaks easily. (from Egyptian Art
hazards 2. Most large bronze 2. Bronze have the through the ages)
2. Marble is the most statues are hollow tendency to crack when 2. U. P. Oblation (1949)
beautiful stones. because using a solid cooled. by Guillermo Tolentino
Because of its hardness, metal would make the 3. Have difficulty and 3. Pieta of
it is more or less statue very heavy and intricacy in casting Michaelangelo
permanent. expensive. bronze. 4. Head of Ptolemy I
3. Bronze: Its rich color 4. Bronze statues may
and smooth texture be melted for other
make it one of the most purposes
beautiful of all the
media for sculpture. It is
also relatively light and
the figure can support
itself in many positions
that would be
impossible on stone
2. Wood
Advantages Disadvantages Famous Woodcarvings
1. cheap, readily available, and 1. using wood – limited in size Woodcarvings as folk art popular
easy to cut. and burns easily. in the towns of Paete and Pakil
2. polishes well and has a 2. Wooden sculptures are known in Laguna and in Betis,
smooth shiny surface and to discolor and decay easily in Pampanga.
beautiful color. the Philippine climate
3. relatively light and can be
made easily into a variety of
shapes.
4. The grain of wood that can be
seen, adds to its beauty.
 3. Ivory
Advantages
1. A large number of old ivory
statues have survived to the
present time. The survival is due
to the intrinsic value of the
material.
2. Ivory lends itself to technical
mastery. It is also popular to
ordinary craftspeople.
4. Terra Cotta
Advantages
1. literally means “cooked earth”
2. a moderately coarse clay
product fired at comparatively
low temperature; usually
painted and coated with heavy
glaze.
3. For a more durable work in
clay, the sculptor can fire the
original in a kiln.
C. Architecture
It is the art of designing and constructing a building. One of the primary purposes of
architecture is to fulfill a need that led to its creation.
1. Materials used in a building
Wood
1. common building material
today.
2. advantages: abundance,
relative durability and high
tensile and compression
strength.
3. Easily destroyed by moisture,
insects and fire.
Disadvantages
1. Ivory cracks like wood.
2. Like terra cotta, it is seldom
used today.
Disadvantages
1. Breaks and chips easily; not a
strong material and it cannot
stand great strain or weight.
2. Unfired clay is a fragile
material and sculpture in this
medium would have a short life.
Stone
1. the material used in most of
the great architecture of the
world where permanence is
desired.
2. concrete: building material
made of sand and gravel mixed
with cement; has high
compressive strength; doesn’t
easily crumble or break down
when subjected to heavy
weights; does not rot or corrode present-day structures without
and is fire resistant.
3. For stronger structures, ferro- space and the weight of other
concrete or reinforced concrete
is used. It is concrete reinforced 5. It has also made possible the
with steel.
Famous Artworks
1. A Comb (6th Century B. C.)
Famous Artworks
1.
Steel
1. in great demand today.
2. It is a tough alloy of iron in
variable amounts.
3. It is malleable under proper
conditions and greatly hardened
by sudden cooling. It has tensile
strength.
4. The use of structural steel
makes it possible for the
architect to build to many of the
worrying about the problem of
materials.
building of the high-rise
structures which are very
popular these days.
 2. Three Basic Construction Types
post-and-lintel arch
1. earliest type of construction 1. dominant in Roman
2. consists of two vertical posts architecture.
for support(post) and a 2. It is an architectural form built
horizontal one (lintel) from pieces of wood called
Ex. Parthenon in Athens, Greece voussoirs with joints between
(454-438 B. C.) them and are arranged in a semi-
circle.
3. Since stone can stand great
pressure and is durable, this
method is typical for stone
construction.
4. The dome is an extension of
the principle of the arch. It is a
roof resembling an inverted cup
or hemisphere, formed by
rounded arches or vaults rising
from a round or many-sided
base.
cantilever
1. any structural part projecting
horizontally and anchored at one
end only.
2. needs a beam with great
tensile strength that can be
securely fastened at the
supported end. Steel has great
tensile strength, and does not
crack or break easily.
3. Therefore, the cantilever is
utilized largely in buildings with
steel as a medium. Wood is also
suited to cantilever construction
because of its strength, but its
use is limited since it has the
tendency to warp, sag and rot.
4. used in the construction of
skyscrapers ( Ex. “Petronas
Towers,” Malaysia
ELEMENTS OF THE VISUAL ARTS

1. Line
Characteristics Kinds 3 Classification
1. The artist uses lines to 1. Horizontal lines are lines of 1. lines which follow or repeat
represent figures and forms. repose and serenity. one another.
2. Lines always have direction. 2. Vertical lines are lines posed 2. lines which contrast with one
They are always moving. for action. another
3. We associate the emotions 3. Diagonal lines suggest action 3. transitional lines which
with the lines that define their and movement. modify or soften the effect of
accompanying actions. 4. Curve lines suggest grace, others.
movement, flexibility,
joyousness and grace.
2. Color
Characteristics Dimensions/Attributes Color Harmonies Psychology of Colors
1. Delight in color is a 1. Hue is the dimension 1. Related color 1. One important thing
universal characteristic. of color that gives color harmonies. May either the artist has to
2. Color is a property of its name. Color names be monochromatic or remember is that colors
light. When light goes such as red, etc., adjacent. are known to have
out, the color goes with indicate the color Monochromatic varied psychological
it. characteristic called harmony is made up of and emotional
3. The white light of the hue. several tones of one connotations.
sun contains all the 2. Value refers to hue. In adjacent or 2. Architects are known
colors of the spectrum: lightness or darkness of neighboring harmony, to use different color
ROYGBIV a color. It is a quality two or three relationships in order to
4. Objects that appear which depends on the neighboring hues on create the right mood
to be black absorb amount of light and the color circle are used among the observers.
practically all the color dark in color. An together. For example,
rays and reflect none, understanding of values tones of green, yellow
while objects that will help the artist to and orange can produce
appear white reflect all use colors to the best a delightful harmony.
the color rays equally. advantage. ( Tints are 2. Contrasted color
Gray is due to the values above the harmonies. Colors
partial reflection of the normal and shades are which lie directly
color rays. values below the opposite each other in
5. White, gray, and normal.) the color circle are
black have no color 3. Intensity refers to called complementary
quality. They are called the brightness or colors.
the neutral colors. darkness of color. It
gives color its strength.
3.Texture
Principles Importance
1.Texture is the element that deals more directly 1. In architecture, the different feel of wood,
with the sense of touch. It has to do with the concrete, and metal, determines the texture of the
characteristics of surfaces which can be rough or building.
smooth, fine or coarse, shiny or dull, plain or 2. In painting texture is used to represent the skin,
irregular.
2. Texture is found in all visual arts.
3. Together with the other elements, texture can
contribute to the total effect of the finished work
of art.
4. Texture gives a surface unevenness which
causes the color of the surface to be broken into
gradation of light and shade, giving it a charm of its
own.
4. Perspective
Principles
1. Perpective deals with the effect of distance
upon the appearance of objects, by means of
which the eye judges spatial relationships.
2. It enables us to perceive distance and to see the
position of objects in space.
5. Space
Principles
1. Space is of great importance in painting as in architecture.
2. The exterior of a building is seen as it appears in space while the exterior is seen by one who is inside
as enclosing space.
3. Painting does not deal with space directly. It represents space only on a two-dimensional surface.
4. Sculpture has very little to do with space relationship or perception of space.
6. Form
Principles
1. Form applies to the overall design of a work. It
describes the structure or shape of an object.
2. Sculpture and architecture deals with exterior
form alone because we do not get inside a statue
but we always get inside the building.
3. The sculptor is restricted to masses in relation
to other masses as a means of interpretation.
clothes, jewelry, furniture and others. Texture can
add richness and vitality to paintings.
3. The sculptor can leave marks on the surfaces of
a statue or he can polish it to give it a shiny and
smooth texture.
4. During the 19th and 20th centuries, a high
premium is placed on very smooth surfaces and
forms.
5. Texture is very real to the sculptor and architect
because wood, stone, brick, concrete and metal
feel different to the touch.
6. To the painter, texture is an illusion. He must
make an object look like the way it would feel
when one touches it
2 Kinds of Perspectives
1. Linear perspective is the representation of an
appearance of distance by means of converging
lines. Linear perspective has to do with the
direction of lines and with the size of the objects.
People or objects at the background of a painting
seem to be shorter than those in front. A facet of
linear perspective which applied chiefly to the
human figure is foreshortening
Ex. “Pieta” (1459), by Mantegma
2. Aerial perspective is the representation of
relative distances of objects by gradations of tone
and color. Objects become fainter in the distance
due to the effect to the atmosphere.
Function
1. Form follows function. This means that the
inner content of purpose or function governs the
outer appearance.
2. Great architecture, therefore, is produced only
when the elements of function and construction
are integrated by creative design.
4. Good architecture allows outward forms to be
governed by what goes on inside them.
5. Triangles, circles and rectangles are favorite
designs used by painters.

7. Volume
Principles
1. Volume refers to the amount of space occupied in three dimensions. It refers to solidity or thickness.
2. Volume is perceived in 2 ways:
a. by contour lines or outlines or shapes of objects
b. by surface lights and shadows
3. The building must have everything neatly in place no matter at what angle the lights fall on it or from
what view we look at it.
4. The sculptor is concerned also with volume because his figures actually occupy space and can be
observed from any direction. The outlines and shadows change every time the viewer changes his
position.
5. Because painting is two-dimensional, volume is an illusion because the surface of the canvas is flat.
The painter can only suggest volume. To make his figures have the illusion of thickness, the painter
decides arbitrarily from what direction he wants the light to fall.
ORGANIZATION OF THE VISUAL ARTS
1. Principles of Design
Principles
1. The organization of the various elements of the
visual arts is governed by different principles of
design.
2. The artist can form more beautiful and
interesting color harmonies and more beautiful
combinations of shapes, texture and lines.
2. Harmony
Principles
1. Harmony is essential to beauty.
2. There is harmony if the various parts of a design
will give an appearance of belonging together.
3. Variety may be achieved by the diversity of
materials used and slight contrasts in color,
texture, shape, and space arrangements. Media
with different textures and colors may be used.
3. Balance
Principles
1. If all the parts are equally distributed around a
central point, we achieve balance. Balance gives a
feeling of stability and rest
2. Balance makes an object not only interesting
but also pleasant to look at.
3. Any design or picture to be truly artistic must
therefore give a feeling of rest and stability.
4. Shapes, colors, and lines must be arranged on
each side of the center to produce good balance.
Function
1. Design makes it easier for an artist to express
his ideas in such a way that the observer becomes
interested in his work.
2. The design of an art object makes it possible for
an observer to tell its function.
3. Through the combination of lines, colors, and
forms, an artist can give the observer new, varied,
and satisfying experiences.
Function
1. A sculptor may obtain variety through the use
of contrast in texture, such as smooth and rough,
in his work.
2. The monotony produced by vertical lines or
columns in buildings may be relieved by transition
lines.
3. The artist must be careful that the variety he
introduces does not destroy the harmonious
effect.
Forms of Balance
1. Formal balance. Also called symmetrical
balance. Objects of the same size and shape when
arranged on two sides of a center will produce
formal balance. This kind of balance gives an
atmosphere of dignity and formality. It is common
in typical classical architecture like the Parthenon.
2. Informal or asymmetrical balance. Sometimes
called occult balance. Informal balance is
generally used when we want to attract the
attention of observers and set them thinking about
the object under observation.
3. Suggests spontaneity and movement; active
balance
4. When informal balance is used, the smaller
objects are moved farther out from the center
while the larger objects are placed nearer the
center.
4. Proportion
Principles
1. Proportion is determined by a comparison of the size of different parts of an object or of an
arrangement. Objects which are out of proportion are not pleasing to look at.
2. In painting, the principle of good proportion is useful in combining colors successfully and in
determining the margins for mounting.
3. In sculpture, the comparative size of the different parts of the object should be considered. The
relation of the size of the statue and the background or surrounding is also important.

5. Rhythm
Principles
1. Rhythm is organized movement, a beat, a repetition. Through the repetition of lines or forms, a
pattern is produced which the eye follows as it moves from the right to the left.
2. Rhythmical patterns help the eye to move easily from one part of the room to another or from one
part of a design to another. Therefore, rhythm helps to create harmony in a design or a room. It is used
as the most effective way of creating aesthetic unity in prose, music, dance, painting, architecture and
sculpture.
3. In the space arts, rhythm is used in repetition, alteration and gradation of the elements of art, line,
form, color and texture.

6. Emphasis
Principles
1. Emphasis is produced by the design or form that catches our attention while the rest are
subordinated.
2. Emphasis may be defined as giving the proper importance to the parts or to the whole.
3. Emphasis in the visual arts may be secured through size and position.
4. Color is also used to create emphasis. Contrast of colors can be used to produce a center of interest.
5. Emphasis is important because it relieves monotony. It can also be used to call attention to pleasing
centers of interest.

Prepared by Prof. Serena B. de Castro