UNIT 3 ARTIST AND ARTISAN

Lesson 1: Definition/Description

Artist and Artisan

Artist is an art practitioner who produces or creates indirectly-functional arts with aesthetic
value using imagination.

The old-aged concept of an artist fulfills the following functions:

First, artists record. Painters, sculptors, photographers, cinematographers give visual

images that can be preserved for historical reference. They gave people today the idea on what
people, places or things from the past looked like.

Second, artists give tangible form to the unknown. Artists attempt to record what cannot
be seen with the eyes or what has not yet occurred. By presenting concrete images to these
unknowns, artists can help people tame or handle, if not overcome fear or anxiety these unknowns
may have on people.

Third, artists give tangible form to feelings. The feelings usually expressed by artists are
those feelings shared by many people—love, hate, anger, fear, despair, etc., which allow
communication amongst people who have felt the same thing.

Lastly, artists offer an innovative way of seeing. Artists introduce new ideas, techniques
and even styles on seeing things. Their creativeness and influence capacitate observers to see
artworks in a new light.

Artisan is a craftsman who produces directly functional and/or decorative arts. A craftsman
helps us in meeting our basic needs. A craftsman makes things that make our life easy,
comfortable and convenient.

Artist and Artisan both develop works of art, address different needs of man, works are
both valued and noticed. Both require skills and technical competence, serve society in different
ways, and help preserve our culture.

Nowadays, some societies consider artisan an artist. They are known as artists with
specialized or technical training who carry out practical role or function.

GAMABA
  The Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award
is conferred on Filipinos who are at the forefront of the practice, preservation and
promotion of the nation’s traditional folk arts.

 Institutionalized 1992 through Republic Act No. 7355, the Manlilikha ng Bayan Act

 The National Commission for Culture and the Arts oversees its implementation.

 First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry, the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan has its roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by
the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala.

 As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and cultural
traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of our national character.

GAMABA Awardees

o Lang Dulay was a textile weaver (T’nalak) from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. She
was awarded in 1998. She died in 2015.
o Teofilo Garcia is a hat weaver from San Quintin, Abra. He is known for his
kattukong, which can last up to three to four generations if taken care of properly.
He received the award in 2012
o Magdalena Gamayo is a textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte. She was awarded
the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan Award in 2012.
o Samaon Sulaiman was a musician, particularly a kutyapi player from Mamasapano,
Maguindanao. He received the GAMABA Award in 1993. He died in 2011.
o Eduardo Mutuc is a metal smith/metal sculptor from Apalit, Pampanga. He was
awarded in 2004.

Lesson 2: Mediums of Art

This lesson includes discussion of common coloring materials used in painting, the common
mediums used by sculptors, and the mediums of music that would help increase the knowledge
and familiarity of the students regarding mediums used by renowned painters and sculptors around
the world, and the different types of vocal and instrumental mediums used in creating music.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
 1. Identified the mediums used in painting, sculpture, and music;
2. Discussed the medium used in painting, sculpture, and music;
3. Gained an experience in using one or more traditional and unconventional mediums
of painting, sculpture, and music in their own art work;

Warm Up

Group Activity (5 groups): You are given two minutes to list down as many as you can,
the materials in painting, sculpture and music that you know based on your stock knowledge.
Browsing the internet is not allowed. Upload your list in our mVLE account.

Highest score—5 points Fourth—2 points

Second highest—4 points Fifth—1 point

Third highest—3 points

In Focus

A. Mediums of Painting

Mediums of painting generally refer to the pigments or coloring matter used by painters in
creating their art work. The following are the most common mediums used in the history of
painting.

Encaustic. In the technique known as encaustic, the medium for the powdered color is hot
wax which is painted onto a wood surface with a brush. It is then smoothed with a metal instrument
resembling a spoon, and then blended and set over a flame to soften and set the colors into the
wood. This method produces durable colors and permits sculptural modeling of the paint surface.
Because of the wax medium, the colors are semi-translucent and look fresh and lively. This
technique is rare today, but it was practiced in late Roman times; for example, we have burial
portraits from Faiyum, Egypt, 2nd century, A.D.

Mosaic. The design is created by small pieces of colored glass, stone, or ceramic (called
Tesserae), embedded in wet mortar which has been spread over the surface to be decorated. Their
slightly irregular placement on a surface creates a very lively, reflective surface when viewed at a
distance. This was often used to decorate walls, floors, and ceilings.

Fresco. Also known as Buon Fresco or True Fresco, it entails painting on freshly spread,
moist plaster. First, layers of plaster are applied to the surface. While the final layer is still wet, the
artist applies the colors, which are earth pigments mixed with water. The colors penetrate the wet
plaster and combine chemically with it, producing a painted surface which does not peel when
exposed to moisture. As the paint must be painted on wet plaster, the amount of plaster which may
be put down at one time is limited to what can be painted at one sitting. Often lines can be seen in
frescos around an area which was one day's work. The painting must be done rapidly and without
mistakes. This technique was perfected in Renaissance Italy.

Examples: The Lamentation by Giotto, The Last Supper by Da Vinci, School of Athens by
Raphael, Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo

Tempera. In this method, the pigment is mixed with egg yolk or both the yolk and white
of an egg. It is thinned with water and applied to a gesso ground (plaster mixed with a binding) on
a panel. It was also used on parchment or paper to illustrate or embellish books in the era before
the 15th century development of the printing press. This type of painting dries very quickly and
produces an opaque, matte surface. The colors tend to dry to a lighter value than they appear when
wet. The colors produced are bright and saturated. Modeling is achieved by hatching. Egg tempera
was used for panel painting until the 15th century. Examples of artists that worked in egg tempera
include Cimabue (14th C.); Duccio (14th C.); Andrew Wyeth (20th C.). Islamic and Medieval
miniature paintings in books and manuscripts are another important class of egg tempera paintings;
the celtic Book of Kells is a well-known early example, as is the Book of Hours commissioned by
the Duc du Berry in the 14th century.

Examples: Madonna and Child by Duccio, The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

Oil. Prior to the 15th century oil paints were thick and hard to control, so they were initially
used only for utilitarian purposes. In the 15th century turpentine was discovered to be an effective
thinning agent. The Van Eyck brothers were credited with perfecting the technique of oil painting,
which they initially attempted to keep secret.

Powdered colors are mixed with a fine oil, usually linseed oil. A solvent, traditionally
turpentine, is also used to thin the colors as desired, so that the paint can be applied thickly and
opaquely, or thinly and transparently. The oil paint is applied to a prepared ground, usually a
stretched canvas with a coating of neutral pigment. The earliest technique of oil painting involved
building up layers of colors, moving from darker to lighter values. Fine brushes were used, and a
glossy, smooth finish was achieved. When applied in this way, the colors are somewhat
translucent, so that the darker layers of color below added depth and
luminosity to the surface, and permitted a remarkable degree of realism.

Other artists came to discover that because of its slow drying, oil paints could actually be
re-worked on the surface to blend colors, and when applied thickly, with a larger brush or palette
knife, could also add real surface texture to the image. This technique of applying oils lent itself
to more expressive, dramatic effects in which fine detail was less important than total effect. Artists
who worked in this way include Rembrandt, (17th C); Monet (19th C), Cezanne (19th c.,
above), William de Kooning , (20th C).

Examples: Monalisa by da Vinci, Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp, Whistler’s

Mother by James Whistler, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
 Pastel. Pastels or pastel colors are the family of colors which have high value and low to
ntermediate saturation.

The name comes from pastels, art media characteristic of this color family. The colors of
this family are usually described as "soothing”, "soft", "near neutral", "milky", "washed out",
"desaturated", lacking strong chromatic content.

Pink, mauve and baby blue are typical pastel colors.

The 1980s saw a huge trend in the use of pastel colors in men's fashion. In particular, the
NBC television police series Miami Vice popularized what was already a growing trend even
further as its lead character Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson) all but exclusively wore pastel shirts
and suits, setting a fashion that stood popular even years after the show ended. The abundance of
pastel was also abundant in the shooting locations with Art Deco buildings around the Miami area.

Examples: Woman Combing Her Hair by Edgar Degas, The Scream by Edvard Munch

Gouache. Gouache is a water based paint consisting of pigment and other materials
designed to be used in an opaque painting method. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the
particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white
pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater
reflective qualities. Like all watermedia, it is diluted with water.

Examples: Self-Portrait by Mary Cassatt

Water Color. Powdered pigments are mixed with gum-arabic or a similar substance that
will help them adhere to a surface. The artist then mixes them with water and applies them to a
ground, usually paper, with a soft brush. The final effect is that of translucent washes of color.
This method was the most important method of painting in China and Japan from an early date,
but did not become popular with European artists until after the 16th century. Chinese and Japanese
painting techniques have had a great deal of influence on modern watercolorists.

Examples: Albrecht Durer, 16th C; John Marin, 20th C.

Acrylic. A 20th century medium, acrylic paint has provided artists an alternative to a very
expensive oil paint, with quality which is almost the same as oil. It was first picked up by
prominent painters such as David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko.

B. Mediums of Sculpture

Marble. It is the most beautiful stone medium; used by the Greek sculptors, by
Michelangelo in his Pieta, David, etc., by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in his Ecstasy of St. Theresa.

Granite. It is a hard, granular stone suited for bold effects, used for outdoor sculptures.
 Limestone. It is used in sarcophagi sculptures

Jade. A semi-precious stone. For the Chinese, it is associated with merit, morality, grace
and dignity

Clay. It is used as a modelling material.

Terracotta or baked earth. It is used in pottery, tiles, statuary and architectural

decorations.

Ivory . It is creamy white, obtained from tusks of elephants.

Wood. It is easy to cut, carved and polished, used in making beautiful furniture, statues of
saints, etc.

Bronze. It is a common medium for casting, an alloy of copper, tin and zinc, used for
outdoor or public sculptures, used by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, etc.

Gold and silver. These are precious metals used in making jewelry, medals and coins.

Metal sheets/galvanized iron. These are used in making assemblages.

Glass. It is hard, brittle and transparent, can be blown or cut/carved.

C. Mediums of Music: Human Voice

Human voice is the oldest and still the most popular medium of music. It has six classes.
Three for female voice-soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto, and another three for male voice-tenor,
baritone and bass.

Soprano. Derived from the Italian word sopra, meaning “above,” it is the highest human
vocal range.

Generally, it refers to the female singing voice but it also applies to boys, also called boy
sopranos.

Soprano voice can be classified into: lyric soprano, where the tone used is lighter;
dramatic soprano, the tone is more powerful; coloratura soprano, which has a very high range,
extending higher from the second C above middle C.

Mezzo-Soprano. An Italian word meaning “half soprano” is a type of classical female

singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. Its vocal
range usually extends from A below middle C to the A two octaves above. It is generally have a
heavier, darker tone than sopranos. The mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that
of a contralto.
 A coloratura mezzo-soprano has a warm lower register and an agile high register. The
roles they sing often demand not only the use of the lower register but also leaps into the upper
tessitura with highly ornamented, rapid passages. They have a range from approximately the G
below middle C (G3) to the B two octaves above middle C (B5).

Some coloratura mezzo-sopranos can sing up to high C (C6) or high D (D6), but this is
very rare.

The lyric mezzo-soprano has a range from approximately the G below middle C (G3) to
the A two octaves above middle C (A5). This voice has a very smooth, sensitive and at times
lachrymose quality. Lyric mezzo-sopranos do not have the vocal agility of the coloratura mezzo-
soprano or the size of the dramatic mezzo-soprano. The lyric mezzo-soprano is ideal for
most trouser roles.

A dramatic mezzo-soprano has a strong medium register, a warm high register and a voice
that is broader and more powerful than the lyric and coloratura mezzo-sopranos. This voice has
less vocal facility than the coloratura mezzo-soprano.

The range of the dramatic mezzo-soprano is from approximately the F below middle C to
the G two octaves above middle C.

The dramatic mezzo-soprano can sing over an orchestra and chorus with ease and was often
used in the 19th century opera, to portray older women, mothers, witches and evil characters.

A contralto, or sometimes alto, is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal
range is the lowest female voice type.

The contralto's vocal range falls between tenor and mezzo-soprano; typically between the
F below middle C to the second F above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can
reach the E below middle C or the second B♭ above middle C (B♭5).

A lyric contralto voice is lighter than a dramatic contralto but not capable of
the ornamentation and leaps of a coloratura contralto. This class of contralto, lighter in timbre than
the others, is the most common today and usually ranges from the E below middle C (E3) to the
second G above middle C (G5).

The dramatic contralto is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest contralto voice, usually having
a heavier tone and more power than the others. Singers in this class are rare.

Tenor is the highest male vocal range. It is lower than the alto but higher than the bass.
This type of voice is usually used mainly to play the role of a hero in an opera. During the 13th to
16th century, the tenor voice was used for plainsongs.
 The word tenor came from the Latin word tenere meaning ‘to hold." This is because during
the time of polyphony, tenors "held" the melody. Its range is from the second B below middle C
to the G above.

Bass is the lowest male voice. It ranges from the second E below middle C to F# above.
The word bass is Italian for basso meaning "low." Its types are: basso profondo is a rich and low
voice; basso cantante, also known as the "singing bass," is lighter and more lyrical; basso buffo,
also known as "comic bass" is used primarily in opera buffa, meaning a humorous or comical
opera, and bass-baritone, a voice that ranges between the baritone and bass voice.

Musical Instruments

Musical instruments are mechanisms that are able to generate musical vibrations and
launch into the air. These are the means by which the composer communicates to the listeners.
These are his mediums of expressions.

These are classified into string (bowed and plucked), wind (woodwind and brass wind),
percussion and keyboard instruments.

Bowed Strings

Bowed strings consist of the violin (smallest), viola, cello, and double bass.

Violin, the most numerous in the orchestra, is the most versatile and expressive among
the bowed string family. The soprano of the bowed string family, it has a wide range of tones
which can be sustained indefinitely.
 Viola, slightly larger than a violin, has thicker strings and heavier bow. It is the alto violin,
and used more often for harmony. It has warm, rich tones.

Cello is larger than viola. It is held between knees, has thicker and heavier strings than
viola, and has shorter and heavier bow. Cello is the tenor-baritone of bowed string family. It has
a rich and romantic, deep and full tone.

Double bass is the largest member of bowed string family. It is less agile, has limited range
of expression, and is used as support supplying the bass tones for the string choir or orchestra.
 Woodwind Instruments

Woodwind instruments are used to be made of wood, which give them their names. But
today, they are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination. They are narrow cylinders or
pipes, with holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top. They are played by
blowing air through the mouthpiece and opening and closing the holes with the finger. Pitch of
the notes are altered by shortening or lengthening the column of air the vibrating inside the
instruments.

Flute produces silvery, haunting or liquid sound. It is very agile and can play rapid,
brilliant scale passages. It produces mellow and ethereal sound in its lower register, while thinner,
brilliant sound in its upper register. It has a breathy quality.
 Piccolo is a small flute, constructed like a flute. It produces shrill and piercing tones
especially in its upper range. It is an octave above the flute and the coloratura soprano of the
woodwind family.

Oboe has bell-shaped end. It is good in expressive solos, and has a reedy and penetrating
sound.

English horn is a large oboe, it has bulge in its bell, and has slightly lower range and soft,
mournful timbre.

Clarinet is the most versatile among woodwinds. It has a very wide range capable of great
expression. It takes the part of the violin in a band.
 The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music
written in the bass and tenor clefs, and occasionally the treble.

Contrabassoon is a bass bassoon and a larger version of the bassoon, and an octave
lower.

Brass Instruments

Brass instruments are wind instruments that is usually characterized by a long cylindrical
or conical metal tube commonly curved two or more times and ending in a flared bell, that produces
tones by the vibrations of the player’s lips against a usually cup-shaped mouthpiece, and that
usually has valves or a slide by which the player may produce all the tones within the instrument’s
range. It includes trumpet, trombone, tuba, and French horn.

Trumpet is often associated with martial songs and battle calls.

 Trombone is a large trumpet which can be a tenor or a bass. Its tone is rich and mellow. It
gives out an effect of nobility and grandeur.

Cornet is larger than the trumpet with a shorter body and possesses greater agility. The
tone is rounder but less brilliant than the trumpet.

French horn, or simply horn, is shaped like a long metal tube with one wide end, wound
round in a circle.

Tuba is the bass of the brass choir. Its tone is like that of the bass trombone but is fuller,
richer, and more powerful.
 Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments are sounded by striking, rubbing, shaking, plucking, and

scraping. It may be grouped into percussion instruments with definite pitch and percussion
instruments with indefinite pitch. It may also be classified into idiophones (own substance vibrates
to produce sound such as bells, clappers, rattles) and membranophones (stretched membrane
vibrates such as drums).

The kettledrum is a hemispherical copper shell with a stretched calfskin held in place by a
metal ring. It is played with two padded sticks and produces a sound of mysterious rumble to a
thunderous roll.
 The snare drum is the smallest drum in the orchestra.

The bass drum, like the double bass, is the biggest member of the percussion family and
therefore makes the lowest sounds. The bass drum is built like a very large snare drum, although
without the snare; it is also an untuned instrument. You play the bass drum by hitting either
drumhead with sticks that have large soft heads, often covered with sheepskin or felt. It can
produce a lot of different sounds from roaring thunder to the softest whispers.

The gong, also known as the tamtam, is a very large metal plate that hangs suspended
from a metal pipe. It looks similar to a cymbal and is also untuned, but is much larger and has a
raised center. To play it, you hit the center with a soft mallet. Depending on how hard you hit it,
you can make a deafening crash or the softest flicker of sound.
 Maracas come from Mexico. They are rattles, often made from gourds (a kind of squash),
filled with dried seeds, beads or even tiny ball bearings that make them rattle. Maracas can also be
made of wood or plastic; the sound they make depends on what they're made of. To play them,
you hold them in your hands and shake.

Cymbals are the biggest noisemakers of the orchestra. They are two large metal discs,
usually made of spun bronze. Cymbals, which are untuned, come in a range of sizes, from quite
small to very large. The larger the cymbal, the lower the sound they make. Cymbals can be used
for drama and excitement, to accent the rhythm or create delicate sound effects. You can play the
cymbals either by hitting one cymbal against the other, or you can use sticks, mallets or brushes to
hit one or both cymbals.
 A tambourine is a small drum with metal jingles set into the edges. Both the drumhead and
the jingles are untuned. To play it, you hold it in one hand and tap, shake or hit it, usually against
your other hand.

Castanets are fun wooden instruments that come from Spain and are used to punctuate the
music with a distinctive clickety-clack. These are made of two pieces of wood tied together. To
play them, you hold them with your fingers and click the two pieces of wood together. In the
orchestra, castanets are sometimes mounted on a piece of wood, and the percussionist plays them
by hitting them with his/her hands.

Glokenspiel consists of a series of horizontal tuned metal plates. The player strikes these
with mallets producing bright metallic sounds.
 The xylophone is made of tuned blocks of wood which produces a dry, crisp timbre when
struck.

Chimes are metal tubes of different lengths that are hung from a metal frame. When you
strike the tubes with a mallet, they sound like the ringing bells of a church. Each chime sounds a
different pitch.

The marimba is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with yarn
or rubber mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators or pipes suspended underneath the bars
amplify their sound.
 Triangle is a small metal bar that's bent into the shape of a triangle and makes a ringing
sound when you hit it. There are many sizes of triangles and each one sounds a different pitch.
You play the triangle by holding it on a string and striking it with a metal beater. The size and
thickness of the beater can change the sound the triangle makes.

Keyboard Instruments

Keyboard instruments produce sounds by pressing a series of keys, push buttons, or

parallel levers. In most cases, the keys correspond to consecutive notes in the chromatic scale, and
they run from the bass at the left to the treble at the right. Examples of these include the piano,
organ, celesta, harpsichord, harmonium, accordion, and others.

Piano, short for Italian word pianoforte, is the most popular and widely used keyboard
instrument. It is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo
Cristofori around the year 1700. The strings are struck by hammers when they player presses the
key. It is usually used for home entertainment and concert.
 Upright piano Grand piano

Organ has a physical property of a wind instrument. Its sound is made by air forced by
mechanical means through pipes. The term comes from a Greek word organon, meaning
instrument or tool.

Pipe organ

Celesta is like a miniature piano. It is sounded when the steel plates are struck by a small
hammer producing bell-like tones.

Harpsichord’s sound is produced by plucking their strings. The plucking mechanism,

called jack, rests on the key.
 Clavichord is a stringed keyboard instrument, developed from the medieval monochord.
It is usually rectangular in shape, and its case and lid were usually highly decorated, painted, and
inlaid.

(Source: google.com)