Introduction

According to Esaak 2018, medium in art refers to a substance that artist uses to create an
artwork.

Each medium has its own particular characteristics and each requires its own
techniques for creating art.
The emotional response to a person’s portrait painted on canvas, for instance, is considerably
different to that same face engraved in wood or metal. The best medium not only supplements
the effect of a work of art but adds an extra dimension in the form of texture, solidity and
tension.

For example, the medium Michelangelo used to create "David"(1501-1504) was marble

This word has array of meanings in the art world.

Medium can be:

As a type of art

As an Artistic material

As a pigment additive

Anything

1. As a type of art

Plural: Media

A broad use of the word medium is used to describe a specific type of art.

For instance, painting is a medium, printmaking is a medium, and sculpture is a medium.

Photography/Film/ Technology
Black and white
Digital
Photoshop
Graphic design

Every category of artwork has its own medium.

Many art forms are defined by the media they use; for example, a textile artist primarily works
with textiles made from yarns of spun wool, flax or cotton.

2. As an Artistic material

Plural: Media

Specific materials that they used to create a piece of artwork.

Physical objects used by artists to convey messages to audiences through the senses.

Artists choose the materials they enjoy working with or those that work best for a particular
piece of work.

For e.g

Painting – type of paint used (ink , pastel, oil, etc)

Sculpting- metal, wood, clay, bronze, or marble 

Mixed media - Artists who use multiple media in a single piece of art typically

One common application of mixed media is the collage, where several images, texts and
found objects are combined into a single artwork, according to the Own Art website.

3. As a pigment additive
Plural: Mediums
Also used when referring to the substance which binds a pigment to create a paint. 

The actual medium used is dependent on the type of paint.

For instance, linseed oil is a common medium for oil paints and egg yolks are a common
medium for tempera paints.