Chapter 2

The Artist’s
Medium
Objectives:
• To familiarize oneself of how an art work is made, put together, or
organized
• To determine the meaning conveyed by the art an how an artwork
makes life more meaningful
• To appreciate the vase of self – trust in producing art
• To compare and contrast the different medium in art production
Medium Technique

Medium which comes from the Latin word medium,

denotes the means by which an artist communicates his
idea. These are the materials which are used by an artist
to interpret his feelings or thoughts.
 Medium Technique

MEDIUM

VISUAL AUDITORY

DIMENSIONAL THREE LITERATURE

MUSIC
OR TWO- DIMENSIONAL
DIMENTIONAL
Technique is the manner in which the
artist controls his medium to achieve
the desired effect. It is the ability
with which he fulfils 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.
Medium Of
The Visual
Arts
 Medium Of The Visual Arts
 The most common visual arts are painting, sculpture,
and architecture. Their mediums are discussed as follows.
 Painting - It is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat
surface by the use of pigments.
 Watercolor – It is difficult to handle because producing warm
and rich tones using this medium proves to be a challenge. On
the contrary, watercolor pigments invite brilliance and a variety
of hues
 Fresco – It is a painting method done on a moist plaster surface
with colors ground in water or a limewater mixture. Fresco must
be done quickly because it is an exacting medium – the moment
the paint is applied to the surface, the color dry into plaster and
the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.
 Tempera – The mineral pigments are mixed with egg yolk or egg white
and ore.
 Pastel – It is a stick of dried paste made of pigment ground with chalk
and compounded with gum water.
 Encaustic – This is done by applying wax colors fixed with heat.
 Oil – It is one of the most expensive art activities today because of the
prohibitive cost of the materials. In oil painting, pigments are mixed
with linseed oil and applied to canvas. One good quality of oil paint as
a medium is its flexibility.
 Acrylic – this synthetic paint is mixed with acrylic emulsion
as binder for coating the surface of the artwork. Acrylic
paints do not tend to break easily.
 Mosaic – it is the art of putting together small pieces of
colored stones or glass called “tesserae” to create an image.
 Stained glass – this artwork is common in Gothic cathedrals
and churches it is made by combining small pieces of
colored glass, held together by bands of lead.
 Tapestry – it is a fabric produced by hand – weaving
colored threads upon a warp.
Drawing – it is usually done on paper using pencil,
pen, and ink or charcoal. It is the most fundamental of
all skills necessary in arts.

Bistre – it is a brown pigment extracted from the soot

of wood, and often use in pen and wash drawings.
Crayons – are pigments bound by wax and
compressed into painted sticks used for drawing.
Silver point – the artist uses a silver stylus to produce
a thin grayish on specially prepared paper.
 Print making – a print is anything printed on a
surface that is direct result from the duplication
process.
Lithography – it is a surface printing done from an
almost smooth surface which has been treated
chemically or mechanically so that some surface areas
will print and others will not.
Sculpture – in choosing a subject for sculpture, the
most important thing to consider is the material.
 Architecture – In its strictest meaning, it is the art of
designing a building and supervising its construction. In its
broader meaning, architecture is producing shelter to serve
as protection of men in carrying out his activities – work,
recreation and sleep. One of the primary purposes of
architecture is to fulfill man’s needs. These needs include:

1. Physical needs – shelter which must have the necessities

and comfort.
2. Emotional needs – endowed with rich beauty and interest
3. Intellectual needs – a building for science, education,
government, etc.,

4. Psychosocial needs
a. For recognition, prestige, civic, and personal –
palaces, skyscrapers, cathedrals, public buildings,
monuments, etc.
b. For response – due to love, friendship and sociability
(banquet halls, ballrooms, living rooms, etc.,)
 Classification of Architectural Materials (Salvan, 1999)
Materials used in architecture are classified into three: (1)
the materials found in nature ;( 2) materials manufactured or made
by man; and (3) indigenous materials.
► Materials in nature – These materials are direct products of
nature, given as gift to man. Examples of these materials are
stone (granite, sandstone, marble, limestone) and wood.
► Materials Manufactured by man – This type of materials constitutes
the majority of building materials. It requires the manipulation of man
before it acquires its finished form.

► Indigenous materials – these materials are found in the locality and

widely used in architecture.
 Mediums of the Performing Arts
► Performing arts are creative activities presented before an
audience, on stage, and in open places. When heard and seen
simultaneously, these arts become combined arts.
► Music – is defined as the art of combining and regulating sounds of
varying pitch to produce compositions that express various ideas and
feelings.
-Music particularly appeals to the emotions.
-As an art form, it can convey emotions with great intensity which can affect
people directly.
 Vocal medium– is the oldest and most popular medium for
music is the human voice. It is the mot personal as it comes
from within the person.

► Correct posture – keeping one foot forward will help

maintain body balance. When seated while singing,
keep your back away from the chair on a rising
position.
► Correct breathing – the quality and volume of the voice
depends upon breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is
advisable, a breathing supported by the diaphragm.
► Correct placement of the voice – to prevent throat singing and develop
good tone quality, never force out the voice.
► Correct diction – It includes correct pronunciation, clean enunciation,
and distinct articulation.
► Correct interpretation – how a singer use of his face, eyes, hands, and
other parts of the body assists his voice in conveying the meaning of the
song.
 Voice classification – voice differs considerably depending
on its timbre (quality) and range. As to timbre, voices are
classified into : women’s voices and men’s voices.
1. Women’s voices
► Soprano – tone is lighter in character, less somber, and
frequently more flexible.
► Alto or contralto – the tone is richer and fuller
► Mezzo - is a type of classical female singing voice
whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the
contralto voice types.
2. Men’s voices
►Tenor – the highest type in men’s voices
►Baritone – lies between tenor and bass
►Bass – lowest and deepest voice quality
Instrumental music – Aside from voice, instruments are the
other medium in producing music.
• Types of Musical Instruments – musical instruments are
of three main types:
► String instruments – instruments which are bowed (violin,
viola, string bass, etc.,)
► Wind instruments – instruments which are blown (flute,
clarinet, oboe, etc.,)
► Percussion instruments – instruments which are struck
(drum, cymbals, triangle, etc.,)
 The Properties of Musical Sound – Musical sounds have four
properties: pitch, duration, volume and timbre or tone color.
► Pitch – all musical sounds have pitch. By pitch, we mean the
highness or lowness of a tone in the musical scale.
► Duration – it depends on the length of time over which vibration
is maintained.
► Volume – refers to force or percussive effects, as a result of
which the tone strikes us as being loud or soft.
► Timbre or tone color – it is the individual quality of the sound
produced by other instruments.
Literature - is any collection of written work, but it is also
used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to
be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and
poetry.
Methods of Art Production and Presentation
In art production, certain methods are employed for the presentation to be
effective. A presentation can only be effective when the artist is able to express the
idea, he wants to make clear.
1. Realism – In painting, this is the attempt to portray the subject as it is. Realists try
to be as objective as possible. Here, the artist’s main function is to describe accurately
and honestly as possible what is observed through the senses.
2. Abstraction – abstract means “to move away or separate”. Abstract moves away
from showing things as they really are. The painter or artist paints the picture not as it
really looks. The picture is not just like life. It is rendered not realistic.
 3.Symbolism – A symbol in general, is a visible sign of something
invisible such as an idea or a quality. It can be an emblem or sign like: % to
represent percent, a lion to represent courage, or a lamb to represent
meekness. In poetry and painting, the symbol has freer development.
4. Fauvism – The fauves did not attempt to express ethical,
philosophical, or psychological themes. Most of these artists tried to paint
pictures of comfort, joy, and pleasure. They used extremely bright colors.
To fauve, for example, a tree trunk need not be brown. It could be bright
red, purple or any other vibrant color.
 5. Dadaism – It is a protest movement in the arts formed in 1916 by a
group of artists and poets in Zurich, Switzerland. The Dadaists reacted to
what they believed were outworn traditions in arts and the evils they saw in
society. They tried to shock and provoke the public with outrageous pieces
of writing, poetry, recitals and art exhibitions.
6. Futurism – Futurist painters wanted their works to capture the speed
and force of modern industrial society. Subjects included automobiles,
motorcycles, and railroad trains – subjects that express the explosive vitality
of a modern city.
 7. Surrealism – Like Dadaism, from which it arose, surrealism uses art as
weapon against the evil and restrictions that surrealists see in society. Unlike
Dadaism, it tries to reveal a new and higher reality than that of daily life.
8. Expressionism –artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not
objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects
and events arouse within a person. The artist accomplishes this aim through
distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring,
violent, or dynamic application of formal elements.