GE 105 (Art Appreciation)

Lesson 6: Medium and Technique in the Arts

Medium and Technique
The term medium refers to the materials which are used by an artist to create works of
art to interpret his feelings or thoughts. Medium denotes the means by which an artist
communicates his idea. The plural of medium is media. Many materials have been used in
creating different works of art thus, the medium is very essential in the arts. Without a medium,
there is no art. However, each medium has certain advantages and limitations.
The artist thinks, feels, and gives shape to his vision in terms of his medium. When an
artist chooses his medium, he believes he can best express the idea he wants to convey. The
distinctive character of the medium determines the way it can be worked on and turned into a
work of art.
The medium an artist chooses for a given work has an important bearing on how the work
is going to look, and not all media lend themselves to the same expressive ends.
The technique, on the other hand, is the manner in which the artist controls the medium
to achieve the desired effect. It is the ability with which the artist fulfills the technical
requirements of his particular work of art. It has something to do with the way he manipulates his
medium to express his ideas in the artwork.
Media Used in Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
Painting
In painting, media refers to both the type of paint used and the base on ground to which
it is applied. A paint’s medium refers to what carries a paint’s pigments and is also called a
“vehicle” or a “base”. A painter can mix a medium with solvent with solvents, pigments, and
other substances in order to make paint and control consistency. Here are some examples of
common paint media: acrylic paint, encaustic, fresco, gouache, magna paint, oil paint, pastel,
tempera and watercolor.
Sculpture
In sculpture, sculptors use a variety of materials to create their art. These include: hard
materials, sound and light.
1. Hard Materials
The most recognizable and most popular form of sculpture has been created with hard
materials. This is also the oldest form of sculpture. Statues, kinetic sculptures, and environmental
sculpture are all examples of sculptures that use hard materials as a medium. Some materials
used are concrete, bronze, clay, stone, marble, granite, wood, glass, and stainless steel. Some of
the alternative mediums used by contemporary artists are iced, sand, plastic and found objects.
These sculptures may often be representational or may be created in abstract forms as well.

2. Sound
Some experimental artists create sound sculptures, meaning the three-dimensional
structures also produce sounds. This art may also be known as a sound installation because the
sculptures are regularly installed in art galleries. Sound sculptures differ from musical
instruments in they are not manipulated by human player to make a sound; they simply make a
sound on their own due to their design. This medium that makes this type of sculpture unique is
the element of sound.
3. Light
Light sculptures are unique type of medium because they use a various form of light or
lighting to create an aesthetic effect. The medium of light may use fractal manipulations or
gaseous forms of light (electricity) to produce an image. Some light sculptures produce light due
to the hard materials in a sculpture while others are nothing but light.
Architecture
In architecture, an architect uses building materials as its media in the construction of
buildings and other physical structures. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rocks,
sand, and wood, even twigs, and leaves, have been used to construct buildings. Apart from
naturally occurring materials, many man-made products are in use, some more and some less
synthetic. A man-made material is a material that is manufactured through human effort using
natural raw materials. A list of these man-made materials would be glass, steel, and concrete
cement. They provide the make-up of habitats and structures including homes.