Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lesson 4 Materials and Techniques in Contemporary Arts
Lesson 4 Materials and Techniques in Contemporary Arts
Welcome to the fourth module of the course on Philippine Contemporary Art from the Regions.
For this chapter, we will discuss the materials and techniques used by contemporary artists.
In this chapter you will be able to familiarize yourself with what materials and techniques
contemporary artists use locally. By learning about the materials and techniques, you will be able
to critique and justify the materials and techniques used by artists when appreciating their works.
Your knowledge in this chapter may also be applied in your own artwork.
Some artists salvage materials that they can still use to make creative forms. They can
combine materials like wood and metal that can interact with the wind to make music. There are
some who use everyday items like plastic cover for food, paper for sculpture, mirror or yarn.
Some may use their personal things like clothes or accessories.
LAGUNA. “Wings” by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, made up of used rubber slippers collected from Singapore
Correctional Facility.
(http://drawingroomgallery.com/artist/alfredo-isabel-aquilizan-
2/)
LAGUNA. “Formosa Series 1” by Ryan Villamael. Paper sculpture.
(http://www.silverlensgalleries.com/artist.php?ryan-villamael=15)
In outdoor sculpture, artists may use brass welded together and mounted on concrete or
metal stand. For indoor sculptures, wood, glass and resin may be used. Found objects may be
combined to make interesting or unusual forms and may be covered in resin.
Paintings are no longer just paint on canvas. Artists may choose to paint on whatever
surface is available to them, some paint on the walls of buildings or even bridges. The
community or students may be asked to get involved in outdoor painting to make the
environment more pleasant or raise awareness about certain issues to the public.
In architecture, there is extensive use of glass and steel. Big glass windows or walls are
used to give indoor spaces a view of the outdoors, to give the indoor space a sense of extension.
In the recent years, there have been a lot of construction of buildings, like malls, convention
centers, business process centers, industrial parks and government service buildings. These
structures demand artworks and contemporary artists produce a huge body of works to match the
structures, both for indoors and outdoors.
For performance art, artists have used a variety of props like rope, plastic, textile, found
objects or food. Paint is also used for body art.
MANILA. Martin de Mesa’s performance “Bagik Pamhod”
(http://boveemaureen.tumblr.com)
The choices of artists for materials are expanded by the availability, variety and what
possibilities these new materials can offer. This expansion is essential in the development of
contemporary art.
When it comes to art production, an artist can work alone or collaborate with other
artists. Interactive and collaborative work is gaining popularity among Filipino artists. Visual and
performance artists combine talents and skills for public performances. Some hire resin makers,
house painters and materials fabricators to help them bring to life their ideas.
(http://www.projectbakawan.com/index.php/performing
- arts/up-diliman-travelogue)
There are different types of techniques that artists can choose from. Below are some
examples:
Assemblage is putting together found objects like scraps, junk, paper, wood,
metal, cloth, stone, arranged in an artistic composition. The output is a three-
dimensional artwork, as opposed to a flat artwork in a collage.
MANILA. Miguel Puyat, Untitled (Self-portrait), found wood, found objects, variable sizes,
2013. (Image courtesy of the artist)
Decalcomania is the process of applying gouache to paper or glass then
transferring a reversal of that image onto canvas or other flat materials.
Decoupage is done by adhering cut-outs of paper and then coating these with one
or more coats of transparent varnish.
MANILA. Lopez Museum, the tables in the café area have decoupage of old published texts and comic strips
culled from various newspapers and magazines that talk about art and society.
(http://www.vintersections.com/2014/09/art-exhibition-lopez-museums-articles.html)
Frottage is the technique of rubbing with a dry medium on a piece of paper which
has been placed over an object that has texture. The impression of the texture will
be left on the paper.
MANILA. Lee Aguinaldo ‘s “Frottage #131”, 1966.
(http://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/Salcedo/81/584281/H4644-L90939197.jpg)
Some contemporary artists mix different materials. They can get varied effects when
they do this. Texture can be applied to a painting by adding elements on the canvas. Or as
mentioned earlier, wood and metal can be used in one sculpture.
Videos
Readings
“Assemblage” (3:00)
< https://www.britannica.com/art/assemblage>
“Decal” (3:00)
< https://www.britannica.com/art/decal>
“Montage” (3:00)
< https://www.britannica.com/art/montage-filmmaking>
Glossary
composition the artistic arrangement of the parts of a picture
References
Ramirez, Veronica E. Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions. Manila: Vibal Group,
Inc., 2016. Print.